''OffBeat'' is a
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
monthly local music magazine founded by Jan V. Ramsey in 1987.
The magazine, published by OffBeat, Inc., focuses on the popular music of New Orleans and Louisiana, which is generally
R&B,
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
,
hip-hop,
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
, and many other traditional styles of music popular in Louisiana. ''OffBeat'' was the first magazine in New Orleans to resume publishing after the devastation of
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
, despite losing all its staff and its printer.
''OffBeat'' publishes several music festival oriented issues, including the "French Quarter Festival Souvenir Guide" in early April, and the "Jazz Fest Bible," a special
Jazz Fest
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of vi ...
issue. These issues contain schedules of local music festivals, detailed information on performers and club listings, and interviews with local musicians. The magazine hosts a local music awards series, "The Best of the Beat Awards",
to highlight local music and musicians, and also runs the "Louisiana Music Directory," containing listings of bands, musicians, record labels, and clubs in the state.
The magazine's website was the first magazine website online in the state of Louisiana.
''OffBeat'' is featured in the HBO series ''
Treme''. Its editorial resulted in the creation of characters (such as "DJ Davis McAlary", in reality local musician/DJ/writer Davis Rogan), and storylines in the series.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official Website
1987 establishments in Louisiana
Music magazines published in the United States
Monthly magazines published in the United States
Jazz magazines
Magazines established in 1987
Magazines published in Louisiana
Mass media in New Orleans
Music of New Orleans
Music of Louisiana