After a long weekend in the New Orleans area we decided to grab a bite to eat before heading back at a restaurant that had that traditional New Orleans feel...
Man, Its a whole different world there. The entire culture there has ... well... Life! The thing that really strikes me is that the area has its own unique identity. I suppose every place has its own certain... feel to it. A Certain kind of feel that you have to experience because it cannot be explained in words. It is one of those areas that has a distinct personality.
This is something Tupelo should seek to develop. Some kind of personality that can make people want to return here, but that is a blog for another day.
While finishing up our Red Beans & Rice, a requirement for any meal there, a small band was setting up at this restaurant. This was not in itself really worthy of much thought, because it's common and almost expected for the businesses there to create an atmosphere, even during the day, that ONLY a live performer can create. And just like certain places on Beale St in Memphis, the business owners value themselves, their community and their customers enough to give their customers 'something extra'.
The first musician to arrive was the keyboard player. Just a keyboard (a giant Yamaha), and his little amp was all he needed. His microphone was also hooked into his small amp. The other guys in the band were going to be setting up for a while. But he did not wait. While the others were setting up, he went ahead & got started. To warm up his fingers & his audiences, he started on a smooth version of Moon River all by himself. And it sounded great.