Tipitina's Foundation takes its name back, and its fall calendar fills up

NEW ORLEANS: After eight years as the Tip-It Foundation, the charitable arm of Tipitina's is going back to the name it started with: Tipitina's Foundation. The organization says the restored name ties its work, backing the city's music, culture and heritage, directly to the Uptown venue and its brand.

The Tip-It name dates to Galactic's purchase of the Uptown club in November 2018, when the band set up the foundation under that name to carry the work forward under new leadership. Restoring the older name, the organization says, reconnects that work to the name audiences already associate with the mission and with the venue's legacy.

Photograph by Infrogmation of New Orleans, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

"Tipitina's is a living piece of New Orleans' soul, and the band sees ourselves as stewards to protect that for future musicians and fans," said Tipitina's co-owner Robert Mercurio. He said returning to the Tipitina's Foundation name is about clarity and about making sure people know what the organization stands for: preserving the city's music and carrying it forward.

The renamed foundation announced three fall initiatives, starting with the return of the Sunday Youth Music Labs: monthly sessions, free to attend, where student musicians learn alongside veteran professional artists on the Tipitina's stage. Musician Billy Iuso coordinates the series, and a different established band hosts each session.

The first lab is set for Sunday, Oct. 25, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., with members of Galactic hosting. It is open to intermediate-level student musicians ages 7 to 21, who should bring their own instruments to join the on-stage jam; parents and the general public are welcome to listen in. Attendance is free, and participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Photograph by Ann Larie Valentine, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The foundation also announced production of a feature-length documentary, "Tip's 50: A Musical Remembrance," a working title, celebrating the venue's 50th anniversary in 2027. The film is being made with Song Stew Entertainment and the Gia Maione Prima Foundation, and will tell the story of the club through interviews with artists, musicians, staff, and fans. Updates on the production are posted at Tips50Film.com.

For a venue that has anchored Uptown's live music life for nearly five decades, the name change is a small correction with a plain message: the foundation's identity is the club's identity, and its 50th year is the moment to say so out loud.

Photograph by Infrogmation of New Orleans, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)