The Radiators - New Orleans Jazz Fest 2006

The day before the hibiscus show, we attended the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Shown here are two photos of my favorite band, the New Orleans Radiators. Playing the green guitar is my favorite guitar player, Camile Baudoin, pronounced "BO-dwahn" - yes! It's Cajun French!
Wearing the black "Saturn Bar" shirt is one of the voices of the Radiators, guitarist Dave Malone, who is no slouch in the guitar playing department, either! The Radiators sound is the New Orleans beat distinctively identified by Ed Volker's distinctive keyboard sound, often playing a percussion role. The Radiators feature soaring guitar solos by Camile and Dave. They call their playing "Fish Head Music".

They have an extended playlist and no two shows are the same. If they play three or four concerts in a row in the same town, each show will not repeat a song from earlier shows. A three set show will normally contain more than three hours of music. They are a human jukebox band that are now considered a "jam" band and are popular nationwide. They sound a bit like Little Feat. Most of their songs are written by Ed Volker. Cover songs they play are often songs that mention New Orleans or the River. My favorite Radiators CDs are their first two, Work Done On Premises (recorded live at Tipitina's - I was there for the whole recording), and Heat Generation.

Night Runner - Best Of Show Seedling

We attended the May 7, 2006 Baton Rouge Hibiscus Show. This beautiful bloom won the coveted Best Of Show Seedling Award which puts this bloom in the Hibiscus of the Year Award race four years down the road. Night Runner was grown and submitted by Bobby and Bootsie Dupont, who won the 2005 Hibiscus of the Year with Black Dragon. This flower's parentage is Rum Runner and Night Fire, two plants that we owned previously, that are now growing in heaven. This photo does not truly represent the colors which were deeper and darker. This is a striking bloom that has every right to be a strong contender for Hibiscus of the Year.

Pride of Acadiana

Here's a pretty one I picked up at Dupont's Nursery last week. It's a brightly colored double that is very attractive. These photos were taken in the shade, so you can imagine how much better it looks when in full sun.

Sweet Potato Pie

Went to Dupont Nursery a few weeks ago and picked up some new bloomers. This one is called Sweet Potato Pie and is a real shower. This photo taken in the shade doesn't give it justice. It's a big bloom with great eye appeal.