The A/C hums in the background on a hot August morning as Danovan Calhoun Bettis does laundry and texts his bandmates. The leader of a brass band, Bettis and 3rd Degree, is coordinating schedules and upcoming gigs, which always slow down in the summer.
Bettis is a textbook example of a New Orleans musician. He grew up in the city’s Seventh Ward, started playing the drums in church when he was 10, became head drum major of the famous “Marching 100” band at St. Augustine High School and started his first of many brass bands soon after graduating.
He remembers being hot while marching in parades at “St. Aug,” sweating beneath the heavy uniform and helmet, and carrying a drum for miles. His passion for playing music hasn’t changed, but he says the heat is different now…