Joe's Story (4 of 5)

Joe Lastie, being the youngest member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, fondly remembers a time when he had to help take care of the older musicians; carry their luggage, make sure they had something to eat. When James Prevost didn't want to fly from Detroit to Chicago, Mr. Lastie happily offered to drive him from gig to gig. Reflecting on his over 27 years of experience with Preservation Hall, Lastie notes that being able to travel all of the world was the highlight. Lastie recollects that one of his fondest memories was a trip to the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Israel in the mid 1990s. 

During his tenure with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Joe Lastie has performed for Kings, Queens and Presidents and at venues including, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theatre, and live on The Grammy Awards. Mr. Lastie was featured in the Foo Fighters HBO Special “Sonic Highways.” In an interview with David Fricke of Rolling Stone Magazine Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins reflected on the experience: "That was un-f---- believable, Lastie schooled my ass, no question."

"We were hanging on for dear life with those guys," Hawkins told Fricke. "To have their drummer Joe Lastie next to me, playing the craziest upside-down stuff – I just tried to keep time. I wanted to hear him." Being highlighted in Rolling Stone Magazine is a moment which is one of Mr. Lastie’s proudest. "I've always wanted to see what it feels like to be a rock star, to play like a rock star, I finally got my chance. I've never played that loud before," Lastie told Keith Spera of Nola.com. 

Lastie has recorded on numerous records with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band including, Songs of New Orleans, American Legacies, New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1, St. Peter & 57th St. and That's It!

Photo above courtesy of Art Mintz for The New York Times from Preservation Hall Jazz Band's 50th Anniversary celebration at Carnegie Hall. 

Photo courtesy of Keith Spera, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.