In its second episode, although there isn’t very much significant plot advancement, Treme continues what it accomplished so masterfully in the pilot. A seamless integration and assimilation of its fictional characters and story lines into the real-life music scene and aftermath of Katrina in the city of New Orleans.

Characters share the stage with real-life music legends and local bands, and real landmark and historical references abound. The show really kicks it into high gear both with the musical and local shout-outs in this episode so I’ve put together this guide of the most important pieces:

The City

-Tourists: New Orleanians have a love/hate relationship with the many tourists that frequent the city every year. While they contribute rather substantially to the economic viability of our city, their presence tends to foster the development of the sort of trinket shop, theme parkesque, vibe that makes our skin crawl, and it certainly is a strange feeling to have the place where you go about your daily routine come and gawked at by people. Luckily, we tend to relegate them to the depths of Bourbon St (a place that you will only find a true New Orleanian once in a blue moon and generally under the sort of lapse of judgement that results from excessive partying) and can go about our affairs without considerable disturbance. The aftermath of Katrina was a time when the presence of tourists was especially appreciated in the majority of whom were wonderful volunteers who came from elsewhere to help rebuild, but their cursory knowledge of the city and its traditions as well as their disconnect from the actual suffering taking place and a tendency to act like spectators was a very bittersweet sentiment in the hearts of many locals. I think that the Bourbon St scene in this episode does a very good job of handling the complicated dynamic that exists as a result of mixed feelings of gratitude and wounded pride between locals and tourists.

-Tulane Firings: In the aftermath of Katrina both local universities, Tulane and Loyola laid off a high number of their staff and professors and were forced to cancel a number of majors and programs. It was a time of great upheaval in the city and many people are bitter about it to this day.

-1927 flood: John Goodman’s character references a novel he is writing about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The flood occurred as a result of a particularly rainy summer and fall that caused the river to rise precipitously and breach the levees causing flooding of up to 30 feet in certain areas, $426 million in damages and the deaths of 246 people in seven states. This flood has been referenced in songs from Southern Bluesmen all the way through Randy Newman.

-Entergy: The local New Orleans utilities company notorious for its abysmal customer service and arbitrary policies.

-Blue Tarps: After the storm many houses with roof damage were identifiable by the bright blue FEMA tarps covering them.

-Calliope: (Pronounced KAL-EE-OPE; not KA-LAI-OH-PEE)The Calliope Projects were infamous in New Orleans due to the extremely high concentration of violence that took place within their boundaries throughout their existence. Although the projects were not severely damaged during Katrina, they were elected to be demolished in a controversial decision to replace them with mixed-income housing, leaving many low-income families with nowhere to return to after the storm. Notable former residents of the Calliope include incarcerated rapper C-Murder, the Neville Brothers, and Master P.

The Music

-Coco Robichaux: a south Louisiana swamp style singer-songwriter who is shown performing a Voodoo ritual in WWOZ’s studio at the start of the episode.

-Wynton Marsalis: A New Orleans native and trumpeter. Wynton is a member of one of New Orleans’ premiere musical dynasties, the Marsalis family. Currently Wynton is the Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Wynton is referenced in the episode to show the difference between many of New Orleans’ best jazz and classical musicians who end up having to leave the city to find work as opposed to the more urban-oriented brass bands who tend to remain local.

-Allen Toussaint: A legendary local pianist, singer, and composer. Toussaint’s work has been covered by everyone from Devo to The Derek Trucks Band. In this episode Toussaint is depicted recording the album that he produced with Elvis Costello in New Orleans shortly after the storm.

-The Spotted Cat: A small music club on Frenchmen St, basically the antithesis to Bourbon St. This is where locals come to see the best music in the city and it is generally refreshingly empty of tourists and the sort of trinket shops that pop up to satisfy them.

-Bourbon Street with Music: Nobody who knows anything about music goes to Bourbon St to see it. The scenes in which Antoine seems somewhat skeptical of some Bourbon St gigs his friend has heard about reflect this.

-Trombone Shorty: A renowned local trombonist, trumpeter, and singer. Shorty gets his name from the days as a young boy when he used to march around with a trombone that was longer than he was tall. He has been gaining a considerable amount of national exposure and is currently touring with his band Orleans Ave. Their latest album “Backatown” came out earlier this week and is available for streaming here.

-Snug Harbor: One of the better known jazz clubs on Frenchmen St. Snug puts on an impressive array of world-class jazz acts every night of the week. The club is owned by the same people who own a favorite local burger place: Port of Call. Although the appeal of the latter can most likely be attributed to its devastatingly potent drink, The Monsoon.

-Galactic: One of the most famous local funk groups. Despite being a bunch of gringos, Galactic can really play and are extremely well-respected musically. Former students of Loyola University, the band has gone on to carve a great reputation for itself. Notable members include drummer Stanton Moore who has become somewhat of a local music legend in his time. In this episode they are depicted playing at D.B.A with Big Sam of local group Big Sam’s Funky Nation on trombone and fictional character Delmond Lambreaux on trumpet.

-St. Augustine High School Brass Band: The ‘St. Aug’ Brass Band is a staple of Mardi Gras season and their high-energy purple and gold wave of musicians and dancers sweep the crowds up with their presence as they pass through the city.

As always, we look forward to your comments, thoughts, and ideas.

-Patrick R

patrick@rabbitholeconsulting.com

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