Now that we have survived the Mardi Gras season, it’s time to start looking ahead to all of the amazing spring events. BUKU, French Quarter Fest, Jazz Fest and the Bayou Boogaloo are all just around the corner and there is a lot of great stuff waiting for us in between. If you have any strength left after the long Carnival season, there are a lot of great shows this weekend with both Luna and Anemone playing shows Saturday and Kurt Vile coming through town Sunday.
Jazz Fest Additions
Several excellent artists have been added to the lineup for the 50th anniversary of Jazz Fest. Most excitingly John Prine has been added to Saturday, May 4. Prine released an excellent new record last year and his recent shows have been spectacular. The fest has also added the outstanding indie pop ensemble Bleachers to Sunday, April 28. Local R&B stylist PJ Morton has been added to Friday, April 26, along with Aloe Blacc. This is shaping up to be a fantastic birthday for the festival.
Car Seat Headrest
Last Tuesday – before we truly descended into the Madness of Mardi Gras, Will Toledo’s Car Seat Headrest stopped through Tipitina’s for their second show in New Orleans and their first proper club show. It’s amazing to me how far this incarnation of Car Seat Headrest has come in the past couple of years. The complex orchestrations of Twin Fantasy are rendered live with near effortless precision. Toledo and company have already begun tinkering with the arrangement of Teens of Denial tracks like “Fill in the Blank” to draw more sonic depth from them. The encore was the full thirteen minute rendition of “Beach Life-in-Death,” which went off with only one small hiccup when a verse needed to be restarted. This is a band that is in touch with where music is going and what their audience wants even needs to hear. Tips was not just crowded but throbbing with the synergy between performers and fans. Just past the midpoint of the show, the band mashed their “Sober to Death” with Crazy Horse’s “Powderfinger” the effect was explosive – check out the version from KEXP embedded below. This is a band we will be hearing quite a bit from in the future.
To Do This Week
Thursday, 3.7: Saves The Day. Republic.
Friday, 3.8: Timothy Eerie. Gasa Gasa.
Mushroomhead. Southport Hall.
Saturday, 3.9: Luna with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. One Eyed Jacks.
Anemone. Santos.
Miya Folick. Gasa Gasa.
Sunday, 3.10: Kurt Vile. The Civic.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. Gasa Gasa.
Tuesday, 3.12: Strfkr. Republic.
Wednesday, 3.13: Rookie of the Year. The Howlin’ Wolf.
To Listen This Week
- Cat Power did an absolutely amazing Tiny Desk Concert via NPR
- Fantastic new track from Billie Eilish via Youtube
- New track and album announcement from Stephen Malkmus via Youtube
