Documenting the Culture of New Orleans

Alejandro de los Rios ’07 in New Orleans

While I was New Orleans for the National College Media Convention at the end of last month, I was able to get together with one of our former sports editors and columnists, Alejandro de los Rios ’07. He’s been living in New Orleans for the past few years, freelancing stories and making a documentary on New Orleans brass bands. 
Check out his Thrillist pieces on the best burgers or the 10 best food trucks in New Orleans, or this Gambit piece on the New Orleans Hornets Pelicans. 
“Brass Roots,” the documentary he is hard at work completing, is an in-depth look at the art and culture of the New Orleans brass bands and their role in the life of the city. He describes the project in this 2011 interview with the website “Untapped Cities.”