Episode 240: How Zydeco Izreal is Making Music Education More Accessible

This week’s podcast is a little different as we hear from Louisiana Life magazine editor Reine Dugas – not in her capacity as editor, but instead for her work with the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival. The festival is in its 40th year in New Orleans and promises to bring a lot of exciting events starting March 25. For more information, a full schedule and tickets, click here.

"Sinners," the 2025 Ryan Coogler horror/action film starring Michael B. Jordan, has already won big at major award shows like the Golden Globes, Actor Awards and Brit Awards. But everyone in Louisiana should be rooting for the movie on Sunday, March 15, as the 98th annual Academy Awards takes place. The film was shot on location in Louisiana with countless Louisiana workers. One of those workers is Donnie Dean. Donnie is an Emmy Award-winning, Louisiana-born special effects artist who has help run the Louisiana-based Spectrum FX company for almost 20 years. Donnie, along with three others, is nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Visual Effects for his work as the lead special effects coordinator on the movie – a first for Louisiana in this category. This week, Donnie shares a little about his work, the excitement of being nominated and what this means for the Louisiana film industry.

From Clifton Chenier to Buckwheat Zydeco, Creole Zydeco music has been a part of the cultural definition of Louisiana for generations. Like many young people, 18 yr old artist Zydeco Izreal is doing what he can to preserve our history and educate both young and old about the music and culture of our great state. For the last year, he has been bringing Zydeco Jams to south Louisiana and has started a new Jam program with NuNu Arts and Culture Collective in Arnaudville.  

Greasing of the poles that are outside of the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans during Carnival may now be the start of many reveler’s Deep Gras – the final weekend before Mardi Gras Day – but this practice was originally born out of necessity.Adrienne Breaux, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, tells us all about the history of the practice that is now an annual event from its beginnings right as the hotel opened in the 60’s to today’s grand spectacle that has four celebrity “greasers,” well-known judges and a crowd in the thousands.

Each year the louisiana endowment for the humanities host the Bright Light Awards. In this year’s award winners is Louisiana Life and Acadiana Profile magazines writer and photographer Kevin Rabalais. Kevin is being honored as the Documentary Photographer of the Year – which is awarded to a photographer whose work captures Louisiana’s history, culture and people. Kevin has been documenting all aspects of life in Louisiana from hunting in Allen Parish to sugarcane harvests in New Roads for years, winning both local and international awards for his work. This week we chat with Kevin about his passion for storytelling, the places he’s gone over the years and where he’s headed next.

When it comes to being a mom, or even an adult, it can sometimes feel like there isn’t a space anymore for the activities that always brought you joy. This is how the concept of Bad Moms That Dance classes started with founders Alyse and Whitney This eventually lead them to create the Bad Moms That Dance Carnival performance krewe. But this krewe isn’t all sequins and pompoms. They pride themselves on dancing along with the crowd to 2000’s hip hop while sporting old school varsity jackets and Nike dunks. The krewe was recently asked to head across the pond for London’s New Year’s Day parade, where they brought a little bit of Louisiana spice to the people of England. This week the founders tell us how the krewe got started, why they love what they do and how – outside of dance – their main mission is to give back to the community that has given them so much.

Louisiana is the 3rd largest rice producing state in the US and rice is one of the state's top agricultural exports. The family behind 4Sisters Rice knows the industry inside and out, and is doing everything they can to bring attention back domestically and locally to Louisiana. Meryl Kennedy is the youngest of the 4 Kennedy sisters behind the brand and acts as the company's CEO. Meryl shares her passion for the industry that is so vital to the state's economy, while also advocating for the US rice industry and working to move towards more sustainable practices across the board.

It is said that if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life. I believe that is true for Lafayette native Daniel Barousse. Barousse is a skateboarder and artist, who combines both of his passions into creating unique furniture pieces out of skateboards meant for the trash. Recently, none other than Aquaman himself found Barousse’s work through his robust social media channels and commissioned him for a chair. In this episode Barousse talks about his journey to finding his passion, making custom pieces for Jason Mamoa and his hope to change at least one kid’s life through his work and the skateboarding lifestyle. Follow Daniel and Barousse Works through their website and social media.

It’s common lore the ghost and spirit-infused stories of New Orleans. The vast history of the area along with the endless amounts of tragedy leave behind a lingering spirit you feel the moment you step into the city. But what lead to the Big Easy’s cemented status as one of the most haunted places? Mother/daughter duo Rory O’Neill Schmitt and Rosary Hartel O’Neill took the time to dive into the story of the ghosts, vampires and spirits that haunt New Orleans. Their new book "The Haunted Guide to New Orleans" takes readers on a journey that goes beyond the scary stories and into the heart ofwhat makes the city so spooky. This week, the two chat with us about what it’s like to write a book together, why they moved their focus to haunted history and the details that went into the research behind the words.*See the duo for a book signed Dec. 20, 2025 at Garden District Book Shop.

On Nov. 15, Beignet Fest in New Orleans will host its 8th annual event. Not only is this festival highlighting a culinary fan favorite, the event as a whole was created to support the Beignet Fest Foundation and its mission to celebrate and support children with autism and their families. This week, we hear from festival founder Sherwood Collins, who tells us about the creation of Beignet Fest, the foundation’s many community endeavors and what everyone can expect at this year’s event.