Annunciation | NOLA

You don't have to be crazy to live here, but it helps.

I'm sure some body has said this of living in New Orleans, even before Katrina. It helps to be a little nutty to live here and have a good sense of humor. New Orleans is filled with characters. And excellent example of this is a web site my friend Kristen sent me Arabi Wrecking Krewe. It's a group of people who help musicians gut their houses. It's full of photos of people in ventelators and haz-mat suits hamming it up for the camera. Just go look at the web site, it will make you smile and will help explain the unusal mind-set of people who live down here in southern Louisiana.

The other day I was listening to WWOZ - the world's greated radio station - and a haunting song came on, about the black water line left on the city. I get goosebumps just typing this. I wondered who is this? Well, today on the cover of the Living section of our newspaper is an article "Songs in the key of K" and at the top of the page is a photo with the caption: Spencer Bohren waxes rhapsodic about "The Long Black Line" that failed-levee floodwaters left wrapped around New Orleans. My question has been answered. Here's the list of songs, click the link to hear the song. Enjoy.

1. Chris Thomas King, "Baptized in Dirty Water" from the CD Rise (visit site)

2. Anders Osborne, "Oh Katrina" from the CD Feeder Bands on the Run (visit site)

3. Cowboy Mouth, "The Avenue" from the CD Voodoo Shoppe (visit site)

4. Philip Melancon, "Lootin' In The Morning" from the CD Hurricane Romance

5. Spencer Bohren, "The Long Black Line" from the CD The Long Black Line (visit site)

6. Chris Thomas King, "What Would Jesus Do?" from the CD Rise (visit site)

7. Grayson Capps, "New Orleans Waltz" from the CD Wail & Ride (visit site)

8. David The Nac" Naccari, "Katrinalaya" (visit site)