Legendary ska-funk-punk rockers FISHBONE, a still-rolling live force who were a major part of the inaugural Lollapalooza Tour in ’91 will be returning to Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lafayette this Saturday, Sunday and Lundi Gras for a three night stomp around Louisiana during Mardi Gras. After seeing their 2:30 a.m. set at Tipitina’s during this year’s Voodoo Experience I’m definitely a convert to what this band can do live and it has been great seeing how much they helped introduce the glory of Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk to a whole new audience on a tour last fall.
After a few years off the road, choral psymphonic rock band The Polyphonic Spree returned this month for a quick tour of the Southland and brightened up an otherwise damp Monday night in the French Quarter with their euphoric, leave-it-all-on-the-stage enthusiasm, giving the devout fans on the floor the type of performance one would expect more from a farewell tour that went on longer then the band or crowd expected. Draped out in matching white robes with red hearts in the middle, the group got right to work after a strangely intoxicating and discordant display of psychedelia by opening act Small Fumes, who projected some cool visuals on a tapestry before weirding out the room with an image of elephant coitus during his final song.
The yearly Tipitina’s Mardi Gras calendar kicks off today with Bunny Matthews’ Birthday Party featuring Jean-Eric and will roll until Galactic’s annual sunrise set on Tuesday morning reaches it’s completion and Mardi Gras revelers are released into the wild to march in celebration of the culmination of Carnival Season. For tickets and more information on these shows, visit Tipitina’s web site and continue on below for videos, starting times and the schedule of events at 501 Napoleon Avenue over the next six nights.
Tipitina’s announced their 11-night Fess Jazztival lineup this morning, and the annual late night-during-Jazz Fest run starts on Thursday, April 26th this year and runs ’til Sunday, May 6th. Dirty Dozen Brass Band will kick it off on the 26th and Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk will close it down once again on May 6th following the final day at the Fairgrounds. Also, the annual Instruments A Comin’ details are out ...
New Orleans Bingo! Show is currently hosting a three-night residency at 715 St. Charles Avenue (the venue formerly known as Le Chat Noir) and Marc Pagani was there on Friday night to capture some of the rock-n-cabaret magic. Continue on below for a gallery of shots from Friday night.
The term "Superjam" can get thrown around a bit around here, but the minute I glanced at the listing of local players gathering around Luther Dickinson's 3-Night residency at the Maple Leaf Bar, it was apparent that some Jazz Fest After Dark-quality improvisational jam sessions were going to transpire in the familiar and friendly confines of the Oak Street music hall. To close out the run, Galactic / Garage A Trois drummer Stanton Moore, Johnny Vidacovich and James Singleton joined the North Mississippi slide guitarist for an evening of blues-based improv, NMAS standards like "Shake 'Em On Down" and "Mean Ol' Wind Died Down", and newer tunes from North Mississippi's standout 2011 LP including Keys To The Kingdom "Let It Roll" and "The Meeting". Continue below for a short gallery from last night's amazing performance.
The Marigny/Bywater South-by-Southwest stop-through indie fest known as Foburg Fest, now in it’s third year after the New Orleans Indie Rock Collective launched in 2010, has rolled out the lineup for this year’s event, and will take place March 9-11, this year a safer distance from Mardi Gras fallout than last year’s (which came the weekend after) so no excuses to miss any of the can’t miss acts rolling through this year. Also, judging by the presence of Freedia, Katey Red and Sissy Nobby, it appears a bounce azzstravaganza is included in the festivities so there’s that…Foburg will take over most all nightclubs throughout the Marigny and Bywater areas. Weekend passes can be picked up at the festival’s site for $25.
