SecretHistoryOfAmericanRiverPeople
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Outside the Candlelight
On Friday we stopped by the Candlelight Lounge after Kermit’s, but no live music at either place that night. But outside the Candlelight, there was a lively scene—JJ serving food straight from the streetside fryer, people from the neighborhood loosely gathered around, shooting the shit and getting dinner. We fell into talking to Wayne and…
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RJ Molinere, Houma Nation Elder
In the swirl of New Orleans, I forgot to tell you about one of the more surreal meetups from the journey so far. Just outside Bourg, Louisiana, we caught up with RJ Molinere—Houma Nation elder, hunter, trapper, fisherman, four-time world champion arm wrestler, and star of Swamp People. A man with hands like tree trunks…
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Under the I-10
Coming out of Kermit Ruffin’s Mother-In-Law Lounge (no live music that night), we stumbled into a full-blown sidewalk revival under the I-10. Gas burners roaring, steam billowing out of cauldrons the size of bathtubs, and Dr. Round 2—decked in scrubs, stethoscope dangling—shouting his signature holler while ladling his “Shakeback Sauce” like a man on fire.…
