Michael Guinta
Louisiana has a very diverse culture. Down here in the South the locals enjoy good food, good people, and good music. To represent clarity in Louisiana, I took a picture of a guitar’s sound hole and strings. The guitar belongs to a Louisiana born and raised LSU student. This guitar represents clarity of sound and the music that is very much a part Louisiana.
Music is more than just something people listen to in Louisiana; it is part of a lifestyle. Louisiana locals will use music as an excuse to get together with close friends or people they hardly know to listen to their favorite bands. Big events such as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest and Voodoo Fest are massive gatherings in New Orleans spanning several days of pure music. People will stick around at these shows all day to see different bands and enjoy only the best food and company. Voodoo fest lasts three days around Halloween weekend and attracts an edgier rock oriented crowd. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival lasts several weekends and plays Jazz, Rock, and many other genres of music.
Many other venues have been popular in Louisiana for local bands or popular artists. The Varsity in Baton Rouge has brought back many local artists that have “made it big.” Great examples include “Better than Ezra” and the “Chee Weez”. The River Center in Baton Rouge has also been a popular venue for popular and local musicians. Located in Downtown Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River, the River Center is soon to hold the Bayou Blues Festival and host the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. The Superdome in New Orleans and the New Orleans Arena have been popular choices for concerts for several years. Britney Spears, from Kentwood, Louisiana, decided to make her comeback after many years out of the music business at the New Orleans Arena. Rapper Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. from New Orleans recently received four Grammy awards including best rap song and best rap album.
New Orleans is known for being the home of Jazz. Most of what Jazz is today was developed in the heart of New Orleans dating back to the early 1900s. Dixieland and funk music genres have also been very popular in the past in Louisiana. Mardi Gras is a very exciting gathering for locals and visitors to experience Louisiana culture at its best. Marching bands such as the St. Augustine Marching band can represent a music culture only found in Louisiana. Many high schools form all over the country come to march in Mardi Gras parades to represent their schools and give the parade-goers a good show.
Music has become a part of Louisiana’s soul. Clarity of sound gives the people here a sense of community that not many other states in America can offer. Whether one enjoys Jazz, Rock, Rap or several other genres one can find something to listen to in Louisiana. Locals and tourists alike can achieve clarity of mind through the sounds of the friendly, culturally diverse, music atmosphere that can only be found in Louisiana.
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