WHO: Crystal Castle with special guests Doldrums
WHEN: Friday, April 19 – Doors 8PM
WHERE: Huse of Blues, French Quarter
TICKETS: $31.00 (PURCHASE)

When I first saw the band name Crystal Castles, I couldn’t help but be a bit nostalgic, as it was the name of one of my favorite video games. Upon a deeper look, the name was yet again related to my childhood, namely, from a line in the cartoon She-Ra,”The fate of the world is safe in the Crystal Castle.”

But let’s stop for a moment and realign – this show is going to be no cartoon. The Canadian electronic due are bringing their unusual musical settlings and stage show to the House of Blues in continuing support of last years album, III. Crystal Castles are known for their chaotic live shows and lo-fi melancholic homemade productions, so prepare for som beautiful madness. And not to mention, they’re also bringing along with them fellow electronic Canadians, Doldrums, as a fitting opener.

Who: The New Orleans BINGO! Show
When: Friday, March 29 @ 10PM
Where: One Eyed Jacks
TICKETS: $15.00 (PURCHASE)

The beauty of living in New Orleans lies in our history, food, and music. In many ways, The New Orleans BINGO! Show is the true definition of these notions. From their humble beginnings at Fiorella’s Cafe to a national tour with friends and fellow New Orleans musical historians, including The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, BINGO! has been spreading the Nola love.

Clint and company bring their Avaunt-Guard jazz carnival cabaret back to the heart of the French Quarter this Friday night at One Eyed Jacks. Do yourself a favor and come see the joy that is The New Orleans BINGO! Show, you will not be disappointed.

Freak flags flew along the Mississippi last weekend at the 2nd Annual BUKU Music + Art Project to the delight of thousands of festival attendees. The highlights were numerous, and we’ll be delving into our own experiences in the coming days…just as soon as we can remember them. For now, check below for BUKU’s official release and a video of Alt-J jamming with local heroes Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

SECOND ANNUAL BUKU MUSIC + ART PROJECT SELLS OUT

EVENT FEATURED SURPRISE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN FLYING LOTUS AND EARL SWEATSHIRT, PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND AND ALT-J, R3HAB AND FLUX PAVILION WITH ZEDD; AFTER-PARTY PERFORMANCE BY DIPLO

The BUKU Music + Art Project, which took place at New Orleans’ Mardi Gras World, celebrated its second successful year on March 8 and 9. Selling out in advance, the event drew over 12,000 fans each day from all 50 states.

In addition to performances from regional artists, interactive art exhibits and a selection of local artisan food vendors, this year’s festival featured a number of surprise collaborations, with Flying Lotus performing alongside Earl Sweatshirt, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band teaming up with Alt-J and R3HAB and Flux Pavilion joining ZEDD. Diplo capped off this year’s event with a sweaty performance at the sold-out official BUKU after-party. Other performers at BUKU included Kid Cudi, Calvin Harris, Primus 3D, Passion Pit, Kendrick Lamar, Public Enemy, Japandroids and STS9.

The BUKU Music + Art Project has established itself as one of the Gulf Coast’s most unique events by offering musical performances and art installations in an intimate, post-industrial setting nestled between the Mississippi River and a railroad line, all in the shadows of a haunting rundown power plant. Minutes away from the famed French Quarter, the venue is one of the leading Mardi Gras float production houses and home to many of the most elaborate Mardi Gras floats in the world.

Alt-J+Pres Hall “Fitzpleasure” Jam

WHO: Better Than Ezra presents the 3rd annual Krewe of Rocckus spectacular featuring Big Sam’s Funky Nation
WHEN: Saturday February 9, 2013 9pm doors 10pm show
WHERE: House of Blues, New Orleans
TICKETS: $35.00 (PURCHASE)

The time has come again for Better Than Ezra and pals to expose the outside world to another Mardi Gras and all its happenings. This is the third year that the guys have held this unique event. Primarily, this event is an education of sorts for those not from the area to experience Mardi Gras in a fun-filled and safe environment, through the exploration of the local cuisine, parades, and even Bourbon Street, while having their music at the core of the event. Saturday night is going to be one huge party, as this year’s festivities at the House of Blues include friends Big Sam’s Funky Nation as openers. The Krewe of Rocckus isn’t just for those outside New Orleans; locals alike are encouraged to take part in whatever capacity they chose, so don’t be a stranger, come on down for the fun.

When Rolling Stone and Bud Light join forces to throw a Super Bowl party, you can expect it to be a little more exciting than the usual chips and salsa affair at your neighbor’s house.  What you don’t expect is the chance to see three top notch performers that keep the spirit of rock and roll alive amidst the most commercialized spectacle in the country.  Stevie Wonder, Gary Clark Jr, and Janelle Monae all brought the house down with their impassioned performances that managed to entice even the richest of the rich to get down and dirty with an all night dance party in The Big Easy.

Ms. Janelle Monae, a surprise last minute addition to the bill, took the stage after a brief delay with her band whose black and white wardrobe was the only thing tighter than their impressive musicianship.  As the band kicked into the opening of The Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back,” it was immediately clear that this was a party with a capital P and Ms. Monae was going to get us moving if it killed her.  Leading the band like a female James Brown, Monae danced both onstage and in the middle of the audience as she blasted through a quick six song set.  Monae ended with her entire band laying on the ground, playing their hearts out as their fearless leader belted out notes that undoubtedly made Gary Clark Jr. and Stevie Wonder jealous backstage.

Gary Clark Jr. took the stage solo with the house music still playing and commenced to wrench notes from his guitar like a drunk Saints fan getting a hold of Roger Goodell in a back alley.  After a whirlwind year in which the young guitarist went from Austin, Texas, blues clubs to sitting in with The Rolling Stones, Gary Clark Jr. showed no sign of slowing down.  He started strong with the power blues of “When My Train Pulls In” with loud, extended solos aplenty that got everyone’s attention real quick.   The blistering blues of “Don’t Owe You a Thang” and “Ain’t Messing Around” proved the power not just of Gary Clark Jr, but the entire band as they muscled along alongside their frontman.  Slowing it down for “Please Come Home” was a highlight of the set that demonstrated the man’s versatility as a songwriter that is often overshadowed by his guitar chops.  By the time Gary ripped into the intro of “Bright Lights, Big City” and sang “You gonna know my name by the end of the night,” he wasn’t lying.

Stevie Wonder, the headliner, did not disappoint and chose some party classics to cover along with his own upbeat brand of funk-rock.  “Higher Ground” was certifiably funky, with the ten piece band (including TWO bongo players) pulsing along with Wonder’s smooth voice and keyboard as the lead.  Wonder was ecstatic throughout the set, with big smiles as he welcomed Gary Clark Jr. back onstage to help “Bring The Funk” with a choice Parliament-Funkadelic cover that would make George Clinton proud.  Gary Clark Jr. stayed onstage for the remainder of the set, and was joined by Janelle Monae (introduced as “my dream girl” by Mr. Wonder) for a celebratory rendition of “Superstition” that got every booty in the house shaking and singing along.

After a show like this, with all three artists turning in timeless, irresistible performances, the football game has a hard act to follow. It’s comforting to know that despite the commercial nature of the entire Super Bowl frenzy, there is still a place for real artists to bring people together and have a good time.  Besides, isn’t that what the Super Bowl’s supposed to be about?

Setlists:

Gary Clark Jr.
When My Train Pulls in
Don’t Owe you a Thang
Please Come Home
Travis County
Ain’t Messing Around
Third Stone From The Sun >
DJ scratch jam >
Third Stone From The Sun
If Trouble Was Money (Albert Collins)
Bright Lights, Big City

Stevie Wonder
How Sweet It Is (Marvin Gaye)
Jammin (Bob Marley)
The Way You Make Me Feel (Michael Jackson)
Higher Ground
Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing
Bring The Funk (Parliament-Funkadelic)*
Sir Duke*
Isn’t She Lovely*
Ribbon in the Sky*
Superstition*^

*with Gary Clark Jr.
^ with Janell Monae

WHO: Aquarium Drunkard Presents Calexico w/ Bahamas
WHEN: Thursday, January 24th, 2013 (7:00 PM doors)
WHERE: One Eyed Jacks @ 615 Toulouse Street
TICKETS: $20 (PURCHASE)

From the band’s facebook page:

“They call New Orleans a melting pot. When one thinks about it like that, it’s hardly surprising that this is where CALEXICO reconvened to record their seventh full-length album, ALGIERS. Joey Burns and John Convertino have long called upon an extended range of musical influences, blending them together so distinctly that the results have almost become a genre of their own. Nonetheless, the choice of New Orleans may still come as a surprise to many. CALEXICO are, after all, associated with a style that their name – borrowed from a small town of less than 40,000 inhabitants on the border between the US and Mexico – has always defined with an unusual precision. Their work has spoken of dusty deserts and the loners that inhabit them, mixing America’s country music heritage with that of a Latin persuasion. In other words, it isn’t obviously affiliated with the sounds that have made New Orleans one of the premiere tourist destinations in the US. What’s emerged as a result of this decision, however, is arguably the most exciting and accessible record CALEXICO have made. It’s a fact emphasized by the band’s decision to name the album in tribute to the neighborhood where they worked: Algiers.

The feel of ALGIERS is recognizably classic CALEXICO, but their style been revitalized and reborn by the experience of recording in the city. Its influence isn’t necessarily sonically evident, but there’s a strange, powerful connection to the sounds that have always colored their own, influences Burns has previously identified as including “Portugese fado, 50’s jazz, gypsy or romani music and its offshoots, 60’s surf and twang from Link Wray to country’s Duane Eddy, the spaghetti western epics of Ennio Morricone and dark indie rock singer songwriters.”

So, some 22 years since they first met, Joey Burns and John Convertino – joined as ever by a cast of musicians from across the globe – add yet another successful musical adventure to their list. You might think that, after six studio albums and a suitcase of tour CDs, collaborations with the likes of Victoria Williams, Iron & Wine, Willie Nelson, Roger McGuinn and Nancy Sinatra, and soundtrack work to boot, there wasn’t much more they could achieve. But you’d be wrong. New Orleans clearly inspired them to make an album that sees them stretch out more effortlessly than ever but, while you can take the men out of CALEXICO, but you can’t take CALEXICO out of the men…”

Canadian singer songwriter Bahamas lends support. Also, for a chance to win tickets on Aquarium Drunkard’s page, go here.

It’s a rather timely coincidence that The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is expected to make their big 2013 artist announcement this week and these high-quality videos from The String Cheese Incident’s 2002 set on the Acura Stage just surfaced earlier this week. SCI, in their earlier years, made a habit of swinging through NOLA during the Fest (whether or not they were playing at the Fairgrounds), notably playing some of the more memorable shows of their career in the city. Check out the glimpses of JF eleven years ago and the setlists from SCI’s trip to the Big Easy (including two shows at the Saenger Theatre).

Cedar Laurels

Outside Inside / Lost

4/26/2002 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – New Orleans, LA

Set 1: Restless Wind, Lost > Cedar Laurels, Can’t Stop Now, MLT, Joyful Sound, Outside Inside > Jam > Way Back Home

4/27/2002 Saenger Theatre – New Orleans, LA

Set 1: Miss Brown’s Teahouse, White Freightliner Blues, My Way, ¡BAM!, Stop That Train, Birdland¹ > Jam² > Texas³

Set 2: It Is What It Is, Missin’ Me > Land’s End > Hotel Window^, John Hardy, Best Feeling > Jam > Land’s End, Smile
Encore: The Mighty Quinn

* Texas was written about a trip to the New Orleans Jazz Fest

4/28/2002 Saenger Theatre – New Orleans, LA

Set 1: Round the Wheel, Got What He Wanted, Walls of Time, Yo Se, Windy Mountain > Rollover¹ >
Rivertrance

Set 2: Black and White > Jam > Search, Emma’s Dream, Texas Town, Lonesome Fiddle Blues, Dirk > Jungle Boogie > Dirk

Encore: Dudley’s Kitchen, Signed Sealed Delivered (I’m Yours)