[observation, 2014] When I was coming up there wasn't as much competition. There are so many musicians now that there are not enough gigs to go around, so they create this cut-throat mentality. The industry has changed so much. New Orleans doesn't have. The economy ifs scale like big cities. It ain't easy in the 'Big Easy'.

[on the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival] A lot of attention is focused on the big stars that come down, when really, the heart and soul is the indigenous culture and local people. We get nice money when we play the festival, but in comparison with Bruce Springsteen and all the big names it's peanuts. They get paid because of what they draw, and the festival just gets bigger very year.

I'm a product of the indigenous culture. New Orleans has a unique music and culture - the second line, jazz funerals, the Mardi Gras Indians. Our music is syncopated and a little different from the rest of the country. We have rhythms borrowed from the Caribbean and Africa, ragtime influences, and we are the birthplace of jazz.

[advice to young musicians] Learn your music craft, but it's really important to learn the business of music. It's difficult to avoid the pitfalls of show business unless you know something about publishing, copyright and how music generates money through different revenue streams - the Internet, SoundExchange and record stores. One of the best ways to learn about the music business is in the union.