Live Picks: 07.26.2012 – 08.01.2012
08.01: Heat Dust + Adults + The Fagettes + The Clap – The Saint
Even when the sometimes ethereal vocal harmonies present on their recorded material are casualties to the subprime sound systems common in most of New Orleans’ small rooms, there’s a resonance in Heat Dust’s canon beyond the reverb of the lo-fi paradigm.
Live Picks: 07.19.2012 – 07.25.2012
07.21: Vockah Redu & the Cru + Boyfriend – The Big Top
There is simply nothing on the planet like Vockah Redu. Though often falling under the radar of most New Orleans outsiders and local, casual showgoers, Vockah Redu and the Cru have been slowly but emphatically growing a fan base while existing on the fringes of Bounce itself for the last four years. Indeed, one will rarely find this act on the bill of one of the city’s many bounce showcases; they instead tend to opt for something decidedly less predictable.
Live Picks: 07.12.2012 – 07.18.2012
Sabotage: A Tribute To The Beastie Boys – One Eyed Jacks
The Beasties Boys embarked on a classic-after-classic run rivaling that of even rock and roll legends like Led Zeppelin and the Who, infusing their hardcore roots, admiration of jazz and funk, and reverence for the East Coast hip hop tradition to build a catalog as diverse as it is timeless. So there may be no more fitting a subject for a tribute than the Beastie Boys, and few cities possess the revered history and active culture of no-holds-barred musical fusion to do their spirit justice like New Orleans.
Live Picks: 07.05.2012 – 07.11.2012
07.07: Vox And The Hound + The Eastern Sea- Carrollton Station
These days, it’s hard to not be excited about local western-folk renaissance men Vox And The Hound. The brutally swampy transition into the 2012 New Orleans summer may have been one of the most eventful and important stretches in Vox And The Hound relatively short but luminescent history. Saturday’s show is the finale of a recent mini-tour to Texas and back, and is one of a few choice gigs Vox has on the books before Courage drops in November.
Live Picks: 06.28.2012 – 07.04.2012
06.30: The Unnaturals – Le Bon Temps Roule
With classic Dick Dale-esque surf rock at the forefront, The Unnaturals shift seamlessly between west coast and rockabilly injecting hazy flourishes of 30s-era swing time and 50s rock n’ roll rhythms. The result is something undeniably a product of the Crescent City – intense, engaging and, most importantly, fun. On Saturday they stop by Le Bon Temps Roule for one of the venue’s trademark late night endeavors.
Live Picks: 06.21.2012 – 06.27.2012
06.23: Mrs. Magician + Theresa Andersson – Joy Theater
Narrowly missing New Orleans on their last tour, Mrs. Magician is now – in true oddball fashion – making their way to Joy Theater on Saturday night. The event, part of Bon Appétit’s three-city “Grub Crawl”, features support from local heavyweight Theresa Andersson and a full service open bar. As such, it promises to be one of the more hilariously off-the-wall concert experiences outside of a Quintron Lundi Gras – fucked out in every awesome way imaginable.
Live Picks: 06.14.2012 – 06.20.2012
06.16: Billy Iuso and Restless Natives + Mississippi Rail Co. – Tipitina’s
In addition to gaining notoriety as one of the cities most dependably impressive special guests/collaborators/secret weapons, Iuso has also spent the last decade fronting The Restless Natives, a local quartet that borrowed the improvisational zeal of the Brides and injected it with an undeniably local flavor. In every high-energy set, original tunes combine with an eclectic stable of covers – a mix of jammed out New Orleans classics and jam-band standards funked-out New Orleans style – that groove and second-line in equal parts.
Live Picks: 06.07.2012 – 06.13.2012
06.10: Luke Winslow-King & Esther Rose – Yuki Izakaya
In the decade since he relocated to New Orleans, the Cadillac, MI native has become the grand-champion of Frenchman Street, bringing an energized twist and bounce to southern ragtime while injecting it with a healthy dose of rock ‘n’ roll glam. It does not hurt that Luke is the very definition of a consummate performer, one whose shows are characterized by an effortless ease and dependably flawless interpretation of a originals and tastefully curated covers.
Live Picks: 05.31.2012 – 06.06.2012
06.03: Dummy Dumpster + Sports & Leisure + Glasgow – The Big Top
Anyone who has had the pleasure of witnessing the unbridled wackiness of Dummy Dumpster knows that the band’s absurdist exterior (vulgar, non sequitur subject matter against a tapestry of Germs-esque hardcore) thinly masks a bubbling talent for authenticity and a knack for genuinely engrossing songwriting that can only come from longevity. On Sunday, they meet up with two other bands from seemingly different corners of the New Orleans underground rock for the most eclectic lineup The Big Top’s Punk Rock Takeover matinee series has offered.
