Foburg, Day 1: 03.11.2011
I was worried that the slightly altered format of this year’s Foburg Festival would greatly eliminate the wild west-frontier spirit that consumed me as I bounced around Frenchman Street in the spring of 2010. The addition of Bywater venues Hi-Ho Lounge, Siberia, Saturn Bar and AllWays Lounge – not to mention greatest rock club in [...]
New Grass Country Club: 02.26.2011
The first thing I did when I got to Breezy’s on Saturday night was wonder – audibly, as it turned out – “What.. the hell.. is this?” Jack Donovan, the lead singer of New Grass Country Club, was on door duty at the time and began to rattle off the details of the evening’s show. [...]
Free Energy: 02.04.2011
I’ve given up trying to figure out how people do or do not hear about awesome bands coming to town, as well as trying to explain why, after finding out about a particular show, a person decides whether he or she will or will not attend. The southern leg of Philly rockers Free Energy‘s tour [...]
Monotonix: 01.31.2011
There was something ominous about the thick fog that rolled into New Orleans on the evening of January 31, 2011. This, of course, made us all very excited, as few thrills can top the combination of hazardous driving conditions in the Crescent City and a Caddywhompus show at One Eyed Jack’s. But it didn’t stop [...]
Ben Labat and the Happy Devil: 01.28.2011
Every once in a while it’s healthy to come back to your comfort zone. On my way to see Ben Labat and the Happy Devil play, I knew I was in for a scene of familiar faces, affectionate crowds, and potent drinks. In fact, while paying cover at Carrollton Station, I realized that I’ve never [...]
Happy Talk Band: 01.26.2011
New Bywater bar Siberia hit the ground running when it opened in October. Owned and operated by a group of former Mimi’s bartenders, it began hosting shows before the proprietors even settled on an official name for the place. Fliers around the city and postings on NOLADIY appeared with more and more frequency, promoting performances [...]
Jenny and the Holzers: 01.18.2011
With the abundance of available bars and musical venues for even the most entry-level New Orleans bands, I was somewhat surprised to find myself at a basement show recently. It isn’t that I don’t know shows like this exist, because I do. Maybe I’m not nearly as “in the know” as I should be; maybe [...]
Caddywhompus: 01.16.2011
You will have to excuse me for not grasping the full awesomeness of Caddywhompus after seeing them live for the first time. Night had just fallen on the 2010 Community Records Block Party and shit was starting to get weird: I was in the midst of an uncomfortable buzz – the result of washing down [...]
No Age: 01.13.2011
“What the hell is Mudlark Theater,” said everybody. As obscure and made-up as the place sounded, I shouldn’t have been surprised that noisy art-punk band No Age would pull an unpredictable move in booking a New Orleans venue. As it turns out, the choice of venue was based on the band’s hardline “all ages” approach [...]
