From the Daily Comet:
Some musicians fret about divulging certain details, worrying the information could damage their cool veneer.
But rocker Mary Lasseigne is undaunted. She tells her age, recounts her rough times and explains her scars. The decades, and maybe the scars, too, were necessary to create the musician audiences see today.
Lasseigne is a 44-year-old Thibodaux rocker who’s reconnecting with her groove.
Lasseigne calls music “my biggest counselor, my biggest consoler.”
New Orleans-area crowds know Lasseigne as Mary LaSang, bassist for the now-defunct grunge band Isaac’s Guns, the nationally known Cowboy Mouth and now for her own act, The Kinky Tuscaderos.
My friend, Georgianne, who sometimes writes for The Huffington Post, introduced me to Mary. We went out to supper together, and I assure you that when we went out to eat, Mary looked a lot more sedate than she does in the picture. But then, she didn't have her electric bass with her, and she played no music. We had a lovely dinner, and I liked Mary quite a lot.
Mary lost both her parents within a short period of time, and those losses were soon followed by Katrina, which resulted in Mary's having to leave her beloved New Orleans and move to Houston for a spell.
Her parents’ deaths, within months of each other in 2004, rendered even music too painful. Music’s strong association with her parents, who nurtured her musical talents, compelled Lasseigne to avoid playing even as a pastime.
“I just was so numb, and I wasn’t in touch with it,” she said. “I didn’t do anything. I just tried to get up every day.”
Then came Katrina.
Lasseigne, who had been living and working in New Orleans since age 20, saw her city ravaged.
“I really love New Orleans. It’s unique, and you can’t find it anywhere else,” she said. “That punched me in the face.”
My goal is to hear Mary play music. She plays mostly in New Orleans, so it should be easy, right? The thing is that I can't find anyone to go with me at night, and I'm timid about going alone.
Laura McKnight, the reporter who gave me my 15 minutes of local fame, wrote the article about Mary, too. Laura is a fine young interviewer and writer. She establishes good rapport with her subjects and then proceeds to get it right when she writes.
For information on Lasseigne, visit www.myspace.com/marylasang.
Heh-heh: how would you feel about inviting a guest down from the Frozen Northland, who would then (gladly!) accompany you to hear La LaSang? {Psst, my birthday is later this month, too! And I've always wanted to/never have visited Nawlins!} Invitations gratefully accepted, jcf1962 at iwarp dot net
ReplyDeleteDearest Mimi,
ReplyDeleteIf I were in your neck of the woods, I'd go clubbing with you ;)
I'll get there one way or another. When I asked Grandpère about going to Carrollton Station to hear her on Jan. 10, he asked what time. I said, "Mary plays at 10 PM." He said, "You're out of your mind." I'm going to ask my daughter.
ReplyDelete