February 2012 - Antigravity Magazine

YOUR NEW ORLEANS ALTERNATIVE TO CULTURE
February 2012 VOL. 9 NO. 4
The Honorable
SOUTH
RISES
Also In This Issue:
Flogging Molly
Scott H. Biram
and Advice by Mike IX Williams
PUBLISHER
Leo McGovern
[email protected]
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Dan Fox
[email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Erin Hall
[email protected]
COMICS EDITORS
Leo McGovern
& Caesar Meadows
[email protected]
[email protected]
ADVERTISING
Jennifer Attaway
[email protected]
DISTRIBUTION
Tiffiny Wallace
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Leigh Checkman
[email protected]
Graham Greenleaf
[email protected]
Rev. Daniel Jackson
[email protected]
Dan Mitchell
[email protected]
Sara Pic
[email protected]
Eric Pierson
[email protected]
Mike Rodgers
[email protected]
Jason Songe
[email protected]
Michael Patrick Welch
[email protected]
Derek Zimmer
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Adrienne Battistella
[email protected]
Joshua Brasted
[email protected]
Gary LoVerde
[email protected]
LISTINGS
[email protected]
REVIEWS
[email protected]
SNAIL MAIL
4916 Freret Street
New Orleans, LA 70115
Cover Illustration
by Tiny Buffalo Clothing
tinybuffaloclothing.com
Cover Design
by Kevin Barrios
[email protected]
antigravitymagazine.com
“So at last we meet, for the first time, for the last time.”
—Lone Star, Spaceballs
For the last time in Antigravity, yes. You’ll notice a bit of a
different look around here this month, as our own Dan Fox
takes over as Editor in Chief and looks to bring this magazine
to a new level. It will still be familiar though—Dan has been the
most integral part of AG over the past five years or so, all the
while remolding these pages to better fit his views on and vision
for all the music in this fair city of ours. Really, folks, Antigravity
is as much Dan’s magazine as it is mine, and I’m proud to hand
off the mantle to someone who’s more passionate about New
Orleans music than anyone else I know.
So, what am I doing? I’m not going too far—I’m still the
Publisher of Antigravity and most days you can find me over at
Crescent City Comics, where I can recommend you a graphic
novel or five. In fact, that’s why I’m here right now—comics.
Comics are a large part of why this magazine exists. My lifelong
love of comics created a fondness for the printed page that begat
my handmade ’zines in 2001, which begat Antigravity in 2004.
Comic strips were the first content I paid for back in ’04 (The
K Chronicles and Too Much Coffee Man) because if I was going to
publish a magazine about culture, comics had to be involved, and
over the years I’ve included as many comic-themed interviews
and pieces into AG as I could.
But it wasn’t until I started managing a comic shop that I
realized my true professional calling in life just might be pushing
comics—it’s something I’ve enjoyed more than the 16-year-old
me could’ve dreamed of. It’s not unlike what AG is all about,
really. The satisfaction that comes with knowing someone
enjoyed a book I’ve recommended is the same as when someone
gets turned onto a band after reading about them in our pages.
So why not make a print version that chases that same high?
Antigravity’s Asterisk* begins this May—it’s a spinoff !
Half written pieces on comics and pop culture, half all-new
short stories in comics form, Asterisk is a new quarterly magazine
edited by me and featuring a crop of writers and artists that’ll
make you want to read a lot of comics. Exciting, right? I’m
psyched to publish more magazines and hopefully some books
in the future, so even though I’m leaving AG proper I’ll always
be on the stand next to it, just four times a year.
I’ve got one foot out, but before the door hits me on the way out
I’d like to share one of my favorite AG memories from the last 90
issues (90!). The first that pops in my mind is a night in October
of 2004. I walked down Toulouse St. towards One Eyed Jacks
with a stack of AGs under my arm, horrified the show that night
would depress me to the point of giving up on this thing just five
months into it. I’d written about the Fiery Furnaces in the first AG
(their debut record, Gallowsbird’s Bark, was the first record a label
ever sent to us for review and it was on constant play during the
magazine’s infancy), but the corresponding show at the Parish
drew a whopping ten or twelve people. When we learned they
were returning in October, we landed a full interview, put them
on the cover and were confident the show was going to be big—
the record was great and folks now had a few months to listen to
it. But during that stroll to the club it occurred to me that if only
the ten or twelve people who attended their Parish show just a
few months earlier came out that night…
Well, if you were at that show let me extend thanks—you
probably saved me a nervous breakdown. The show was great,
and afterwards Matt and Eleanor Friedberger informed me
that ours was their first cover—ever. The fact that the place
was packed and the band’s genuine appreciation for our efforts
made me ever so confident that AG was on the right track. As
a sidenote—a couple years later, in another interview with us,
Matthew Friedberger said his grandmother still had that issue
tacked onto her refrigerator, the idea of which always puts a
smile on my face.
Before I go, I have many, many people to thank (it’s a throwback
to the “thank you” boxes in the early issues of the mag!). Dan,
of course, and the current AG staff—thanks for keeping it going.
To all the former AGers out there, especially the first person who
wanted to contribute to this thing, whose presence shaped our
early years and formed the foundation we’re now built on, Noah
Pais (who you can now see talking music on WWL TV). Also
to Patrick Strange, who gave us some class. And Marty Garner
and Miles Britton, whose work was always fun to edit. To Jason
Songe, for being interested in any and all music. To Tiffiny for
demolishing distro. No bigger thanks can go to all the musicians,
artists and businesses who’ve given us cool things to write about
and have supported us financially over the years. Shannah and
Katy at Twisted Hair Salon are our longest-running advertiser,
and we couldn’t do this month in and month out without
their support and that of all the folks who’ve trusted us to
deliver content worthy of their efforts. Thanks to all. My wife
Michelle has put up with many late nights and general deadline
crunchiness over the years, and I thank her for understanding.
If I haven’t mentioned you, don’t think I’ve forgotten what we
did that time.
Now, go on and get into this issue—I think you’ll find some
things in there you’ll enjoy.
See you in the funny pages!
—Leo McGovern, Publisher
Featured Column
Guidance Counseling
by MIKE IX WILLIAMS
DOMESTIC DISTURBANCES
So sorry Antigraviteers, we’ve left you in the lurch these past few months without any sage words for
your troubled souls, but this month our group therapy session is back with a vengeance, as we bring
you the one and only Mike IX Williams to tell you how it is. As the singer for NOLA’s most legendary
hardcore band Eyehategod, Williams has become an icon around the planet as he carries the torches
for all the boundary-pushers of society, from GG Allin to William S. Burroughs, Nietzsche, the
Marquis de Sade and all who worship at the altar of sickness, despair and chaos... and do it so
eloquently. EHG will be performing their annual Mardi Gras show on February 10th at Siberia
and Williams will be reading selections from his poetry on Thursday, February 23rd at the Ogden
Museum as part of the “Rock-n-Reading” series, featuring musicians who also dabble in the printed
word. You can find out more at mikeix.com. Now how about some shock treatment?
I’ve been out of college for a year or so, just
dicking around, working in a restaurant and I was
planning on applying for law school, but now I’m
thinking maybe I should do something else, like get
a masters in History, since I’m thinking law isn’t
really my thing. But then I was thinking maybe I
shouldn’t go back to school at all... ~sigh~ I’m
a mess. What do you think about post-graduate
studies in general? What’s something I can study
that will actually land me a job?
You think you’re a mess... ~deep heavy
painful mournful nauseous sigh~ The
closest I’ve ever come to university is in
the ‘80s when we would sneak onto the
Tulane campus and find our way down
to WTUL, aggressively force some poor,
pitiful starving DJ to play my horridly
recorded rehearsal cassette of my latest
band and then end it all by throwing a
whiskey bottle through the basement
window when they didn’t agree with our
obnoxious requests. Anyway, I digress.
I firmly suggest you get back into law
studies 100%. Lawyers have the legal right
to be conniving, scheming, manipulative,
corrupt and SUPER fucking rich. You
gotta go where the cash is at; you don’t
wanna end up teaching History at
some community college do you? Also,
depending on which side you take in the
field of justice-- prosecution or defense-I may need your personal phone number
and ask you to accept a collect call or two
for me in the future.
4
I broke up with my girlfriend about two months
ago and she still hasn’t moved all of her shit out of
my apartment (we were living together). It’s really
annoying because it’s like a huge wall of junk that
I and my new roommate have to look at every day,
and it’s taking up a lot of room. She keeps putting
it off and giving me the run-around. What can I
do to make her get her stuff out? I’m running out
of patience!
This sounds like some TV Judge Mathis
stuff, but listen closely to Judge IX. Is your
new roommate your new girlfriend? That
tends to make a big difference I think,
right? My process would be as follows:
Number One- dig through every bit of her
property and see what you can keep for
yourselves and what you should give away
to pals for storage and labor fees. Number
Two- start up that eBay account and get
to work selling off her most valuable
stuff... remember ALL profit goes to you.
Number Three- raging bonfire!!! Number
Four- contact the soon-to-be-lawyer from
the above advice question and ask for
legal assistance after the fact...
At what point should someone of adult age move
out of their parents’ house?
Hmmm, seems like such an easy question,
however, there’s so many ever-changing
variables to actually answer this correctly.
If you are the freeloading punk that’s
living off the never-ending parental bank
account and neither one of them is as much
as mumbling a word or complaining: milk
that bastard golden goose til it’s dried,
mummified and withered to the death.
Nothing beats a free bed and wireless
internet. On the other hand, if you’re
the Mom and Pop grain & supply house,
feeding your 43 year-old Selena Gomez
fan pervert son-in-law scrambled eggs and
Cheerios eight to ten days a week, it’s time
to kick him and your lazy ass daughter
that he’s married to OUT! Bottom linebenefits to the benefactor.
“Who’s the leader here?” the blue-uniformed
officer asked. We had gathered at a nearby field
across Tulane Avenue to wait for all our numbers
to arrive, when a cop car pulled up across
the street to scope us out. So it was clear: the
NOPD knew pre-emptively of our plans to hold
a “noise demo” for the prisoners inside Orleans
Parish Prison. Kind of impressive, considering
NOPD’s usual streak of incompetence. But his
question was still pretty dense—after all, what
decentralized body of ragamuffin musicians
needs a leader? As the officer tried to chat us up,
those standing by just smirked, an indication of
disrespect for perceived authority (whether his
or within our own ranks) and looked down at
their feet.
He took a stab at a few more questions,
before our general lack of loquaciousness—
and I’ll admit, maybe even a few rolled eyes
and outright snickers—
yielded the slightest hint of
petulance. “I was just like
you once,” he snapped.
“But now I have a job and
a family I have to feed.”
His outburst seemed to be
saying: I know you think I’m a
joke, and maybe I do too, but I
have no other choice! I have been
forced to wear this clown suit
and masquerade as though I’m
defending law-abiding citizens from criminal boogeymen.
But he checked himself, the glitch in his
façade quickly reverting back to its outwardly
collected state. Having your protest is fine, he
assured us. “I’m just trying to tell you what you
need to do to stay out of jail.” And then, “But
if you’re dying to go to jail I can tell you how
to do that.” He elaborated: don’t blockade any
streets (awww!), don’t start any fires (oh, c’mon,
it’s New Year’s!) and don’t flip over any cars a
la the Russian anarchist “art” collective Voina.
Great—now stop being so patronizing and just
go away, I heard myself saying. Which he did
shortly thereafter, thankfully.
The crowd marched, about 25 strong, to the
jail. The last and only time I’d ever participated
in a noise demo was when a friend and I went
down to the inmate processing area after some
folks got arrested at a sit-in and proceeded to
bang on pots and pans. On that occasion, a
sheriff finally came out after ten minutes and
told us to stop. “It’s not a good time to go to jail
right now,” he told us. “They’re low on food
in there.” For a moment we considered staging
another demo to protest what this bumbling
sheriff just admitted was, ya know, a basic
human rights violation, but we ultimately collected
our pans and called it a night. Though that
occasion was entertaining, our new year’s event
was definitely more a force to be reckoned with.
“Slingshots, Anyone?”
Cops hovered about us every step of the way
and stayed present as the banners flew (“Fuck
OPP” and another with “Free All Prisoners” or
some other such sentiment).
As we neared the jail the rudimentary drums
pounded and the horns wailed. It was off to
a great start. No sooner had we arrived than
inside the prisoners could be seen waving
sheets and growing visibly riled up. Meanwhile,
amidst the cacophony, two participants set to
the task of projecting some action-packed street
visuals onto an adjacent wall for those upstairs
to enjoy; the cops who had gathered outside to
watch the spectacle, however, bustled over and
ordered them to turn it off. They always spoil the
fun, don’t they? But they tolerated the bucketbeating, saxophone-bleating, screaming chants
that we sent to our brothers and sisters locked
away inside this prison fortress. Our elation
by DEREK ZIMMER
HAPPY JAIL YEAR
Featured Column
Transcribed below is a statement given to me from an anonymous participant
of the Noise Demo that took place New Year’s Eve at Orleans Parish Prison.
The author wishes me to specify that it is their own personal opinions and
insights on the event and not those of all the participants. Duh. Additionally,
it should not necessarily be conflated with the views and opinions of the writer
of this column [or ANTIGRAVITY for that matter], whose life is so
uneventful that he has taken a backseat this month and solicited the work of
another writer.
We wound our way to the opposite side of the
jail. Many later expressed regret at this move,
for by the time we reached the other end a few
minutes later, the guards had taken control
of the floors and locked down the inmates-- a
measure quite predictable on the part of the
guards, considering the volatile implications of
getting a bunch of people with barely anything
left to lose all fired up. Granted, our noise no
doubt reached them, which was obviously
the most important goal. But we lost some
momentum. Returning to our original location
and spotting a blue uniform up in the windows
rather than the outstretched arms of the
prisoners, it became clear that the celebratory
rupture had passed. A cop took the opportunity
to take pictures of us with his camera—which I
can bet aren’t intended for his personal photo
album, if you know what I mean. Most of us
ducked behind banners and
stuck our fingers out. One
person walked up with their
own camera and took the
cop’s picture as a retort. We’d
made an impression, and it
seemed like the appropriate
time to make our exit.
“Happy New Year!” an
inmate called, after we rested
our instruments, to which we
shouted back as heartily as
we could. “Don’t leave,” another called as we
made our way from the jail. It was a sad parting,
especially given the fact that while the rest of us
went off to celebrate the new year, those inside
would be languishing in their barren cells. But
we knew we’d be back.
One aspect that was informative for some
of us was the possibility offered by this action.
Yeah, sure—it was a protest of the prison
industrial complex and all that. But it presented
no demands for reform. Far more significantly,
a noise demo is an act of solidarity with one
of the most exploited classes of people under
capitalism—prisoners. It is a way to support
prisoners that goes in tandem with letterwriting or supplying books. Although it may
be impossible to catch a glimpse of the glow
on their faces when they witness a parade of
rabble-rousers hooting outside, the point is to
empower and make life for those locked up a
little more bearable. And also to build networks
of resistance. We caused an uproar within
the walls of that place—an institution which
thrives on rigid order and submission, where
the guards want nothing more than to avoid
confrontation. We suspect that the cops will be
less approving of our presence next time. But
more importantly, we guarantee that there will
be a next time.
“It’s not a good time to go to jail
right now,” he told us. “They’re
low on food in there.”
soared as one inmate returned our greeting with
a burning sheet of toilet paper! Tears welled
up in my eyes and I felt a tingling sensation in
my arms—probably also attributed to several
minutes’ banging on a bucket but also because
I was completely overwhelmed with joy. The
sheriffs congregating nearby, even gettin’ down
a little to our improvised tunes, pointed up at
the cell from which the fiery wads came from.
I think many of us felt infinitely rewarded from
this moment of connection alone. I mean, what
a big courageous “fuck you” to the system that
keeps us all caged in cells, literal and figurative.
It was a gesture—like the hunger strikes from
Angola to Pelican Bay—that screamed, You
can strip me of my freedom and every one I
love, but I’ll be goddamned if you expect to
have my dignity and obedience as well! I don’t
know what circumstances condemned this man
to the hellhole of this prison, if he was a vicious
murderer or sex offender, but in this moment
I loved him all the same. It is unpleasant
to consider the repercussions of his act of
autonomy: perhaps a beating by guards or some
other violent punishment. But I will say I was
not alone in marveling at the symbiosis of our
resistance coupled with his—and wondering
how those of us on the outside could up the
ante next time to express our gratitude for his
display.
5
Featured Column
6
The Rational Radicant
by E WILLY P
COMEDY LOBOTOMY
I lost my last TV to looters and my postKatrina life just doesn’t include one. I get
the daily news from various sources on the
Internet. I read opposing views, nut-ball
stuff, right wing, left wing, low-brow, highbrow and all the stuff in between. Most
people don’t understand how I can live
TV-free. I’m more interested in breaking
articles, not the 45 minute TV version,
stretched out, over edited, repeating
stock footage, corny recreations, dizzying
graphics, over-the-top music and dramatic
narration about a story I read 3 to 6
months ago that gives zero new insight.
Give me a 2,000 word article, a 5 minute
static video shot of the experiment, a
professor describing it and hyperlinks to
journals that I can read to keep up with
the progress. Discussing this with TV
folks, they will almost always come to
this question: “What about The Daily
Show? Jon Stewart’s awesome!” It’s funny
and somewhat informative. Here’s my
problem with The Daily Show and others
like it in our current climate (politically,
socially, scientifically and economically):
I don’t want sugar with my medicine.
That’ll just give you a stomachache on top
of the flu. Let’s take a look at this from
a psychological perspective. Humor has
been proven to ease the pain (Ljungdahl
1989); it is truly used and studied in many
different therapies to help stimulate and
get the body to create natural pain-killing
endorphins, much like the pain-killing
endorphins released during an orgasm.
Humor and laughing are very beneficial
to the mind body and “soul.” It has also
been studied in the reduction of fear
(Ventis, Higbee Murdock 2001). Here’s
my curiosity-- and this is just hypothesis,
theory-- but when
does this comedy get
in the way with actual
neural
processing
of how we should
truly feel about a
situation as serious as
how messed up our
political, national and
global dilemmas are?
“What dilemmas?”
Well, I’m going to go
ahead and risk being
branded a commie
liberal independent
extremist woo-woo
tinfoil hat wack-job
from here on out,
but if you hear that
Tea Party folks and
the Occupy folks are
starting to sing the
same song only from
different sides of the
fence, then something
ain’t right in… in…
in… where ever the hell that Shakespeare
play was set. I agree that humor is a painkiller and healthy, but as some of you may
know, taking the prescribed pain killer
does the job needed and a few more will
make you capable of breaking a five gallon
glass bottle over your head twice and not
bat an eyelash. So these shows, as well as
others (Limbaugh, O’Reilly, they’re guilty
too), present news with that snark and
sarcasm delivered so well that when you
start laughing at serious issues, you take
it light heartedly; you’re accepting it as
entertainment, real issues that you may
actually think are serious, you actually are
laughing at and sometimes you’ll even say
“that’s messed up!” The subjects that you
possibly should be caring about and you
are being demeaned and belittled, swayed
psychologically to dismiss it, desensitized
to the actual seriousness of the situation.
You have become more passive to issues
that should get you mad and upset, they
now making you giggle. So when it comes
down to get serious, will you pony up? Will
you be able to empathize or will you be so
desensitized that you just sit on the couch
and watch the mayonnaise commercial
until the next segment comes back on?
If you think this isn’t on purpose, think
again. The six corporations that control
the majority of the content on TV know
exactly what they will allow. Why do
you think the most popular show with a
critical view is a comedy? Anything else is
branded conspiracy theory related. Funny
how the word ‘theory’ is tacked on to
ideas that are backed up by documented
proof... (laugh-track, gun shot, TV static,
everything goes black)
Featured Column
Paw Talk
by Emily McWilliams
PRAISE THE PIT
It was one of those dark, sordid New Orleans
nights where my jeans stuck to my legs and my
armpits squeaked if I rolled my shoulders back.
B and I were walking Henry Garfield down
Frenchmen, and we stopped when a girl no more
than sixteen began cooing at Henry. Next to her
was a boy of about the same age, sitting on the
sidewalk, leaning up against the side of what once
was Cafe Brazil. He started petting Henry’s red
and white silky hair along with his girlfriend, and
she asked, “What kind of dog is he?” I watched
them as I responded, “Oh, he’s a baby pit bull.
Four months old.” I could barely make out the
boy’s face, but I saw his eyes, gleaming white
and reflective as they widened. “Oh, I know about
those dogs,” he said, recoiling from Henry. “They
kill you. They rip your head right off.”
It has only been in the past couple decades
in the U.S. that pit bulls have become a symbol
of grotesque power and fear, so let’s examine
their history to understand where these feelings
originated. The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT)
is the product of centuries of cross-breeding; the
first time we see what looks like our modern APBT
is in the late 19th century when active, hardy bull
terriers were bred with solid, agile bulldogs in
England. This crossbreed made its way over to the
United States around the Civil War. In England and
the United States, dog fighting was a past-time,
so when bull baiting became illegal in England
(this cross breed’s original purpose), attention
turned to dog-on-dog fighting. What was different
then from now, however, is that the pit bulldog’s
(original English name) reputation as a family dog
succeeded right alongside its reputation as a fighter.
These dogs were bred for resilience and strength,
but more importantly, for die-hard dedication to
their owners. Yogi Johnson, mastermind behind
the Kenner animal rescue organization Pet
Adoption Services writes: “During the late 1800s
through the early 1900s, the pit bull was a versatile
family asset. Drafting, hunting, trustworthy loyal
companion and America’s babysitter (today we
use the term ‘nanny dog’). During this time, more
was expected of them than of other breeds. Injured
dogs were expected to show no aggression toward
their handler.” Pit bulls were so loved in early 20th
century America that they were often seen in the
media such as the television show Our Gang and
in World War II propaganda. But in the late 1970s,
dog fighting became illegal, and dog fighting
became an underground activity leading to closet
abuse and non-committal, uneducated owners.
What it all boils down to is responsibility.
“Recently I heard the term ‘the pit bull problem
in New Orleans.’ It should be rephrased as the
problem with many pit bull owners in New
Orleans,” says Yogi. New Orleans exists as an
example of a large community of people getting
a dog without knowing anything about that
breed. Alex Woodward accurately states in his
recent Gambit article that pit bulls are “active,
territorial, and playful” terriers. APBTs can be
very affectionate, regardless of their 45 to 80
pound bodies. They believe they are lapdogs. Like
any dog, they also need exercise, so if a person
adopts a pit, never walking or having active play
with the dog, then it’s possible that the dog will
become frustrated, sometimes leading to a form of
aggression (for information on dog-dog aggression,
most accurately known as dog tolerance levels, see
badrap.org/node/97). This would happen with any
dog, particularly one whose temperament requires
exercise and play. With APBTs, aggression
targeting humans is indicative of a psychological
problem – usually due to lack of socialization,
severe mistreatment and sometimes unintentional
mistreatment. There are many dog owners who
think leaving their dog outside is okay, but even
ignoring the obvious safety issues (dog theft, dog
escapes, insufficient water or shade), the mere
anxiety that a dog can feel when separated from
their owner can lead to aggression, possessiveness,
depression and anxiety. Regardless of abuse or
lack of education about how to socialize a pit
bull, according to the American Temperament
Test Society (ATTS) in 2010-2011, nearly 900
APBTs were tested and the pit bull scored an 86%
passing rate; the renowned family dog, the Golden
Retriever, scored close, but lower nonetheless at
84.9%. What we have in a pit bull is a dedicated,
hardworking, lovable and highly trainable dog.
That so many of this wonderful breed are starving
on the streets of New Orleans is appalling, and
that the main reason this is happening is because
the dog won’t fight and is therefore discarded (or
won’t behave due to neglect and lack of training)
is devastating.
In New Orleans, there are animal rescue
organizations that are dedicated to providing pit
bull-only rescue, education for the community and
low-cost (or sometimes free!) spay/neuter clinics.
The Sula Foundation is the most renowned for its
efforts. There are other organizations that specialize
in pit bull rescue and education, like Pet Adoption
Services (PAS). PAS doesn’t just do pit bull rescue,
but of its 10-plus volunteers, over half are “bully
breed” owners dedicated to training, education and
rescue. Of the situation in New Orleans, Yogi says,
“Laws should be enforced and toughened. You
rarely see a case or conviction for dog fighting.
Suspected dog fighting with evidence… should
result in a conviction. Pit bull breeders should be
licensed. Unless the sire and dam are championed
show dogs, the breeder should be required to spay/
neuter all of their pups prior to selling or giving
the pups away.” Be responsible: if you own a pit
bull, know that they need companionship, exercise
and socialization (controlled play groups are best).
If you breed, spay and neuter your pups; know to
whom you are selling your pups and follow up with
your buyers. If you don’t own a pit bull, become
educated about the situation in New Orleans and
informed on pit bull temperaments. Adoption is
always needed, but make sure you know about the
breed you are looking to adopt, whether that’s a pit
bull or any other breed. But most of all, educate
those around you– the American Pit Bull Terrier
is never the problem, but a neglectful or abusive
owner always is.
7
Featured Column
8
Beats Per Month
by Graham Greenleaf
Mardi Gras Checklist
As Mardi Gras descends upon us,
the energy of the city shifts. Anyone
that has been here for more than a
year or so can vouch for this. Hell,
you probably feel it already, yourself.
There’s a sense of excitement. It’s an
electricity you feel in the air as well
as the tingling in your loins. Between
Twelfth Night and Mardi Gras Day
there are sure to be more than a few
parties and you should do your best to
go to as many as you can... provided
you don’t have work, that is. Even if
that dreaded curse named work comes
calling the next day, you should do your
best to attend said events.
My advice is simple: be
responsible, because Mardi
Gras only comes once a year
for a reason, and you should
savour it while you can...
without losing your job.
That being said, here’s a list
of things that I recommend
for the Carnival season.
I’ve never been to MOMs
Ball, but I hear that shit is
nuts. Check it out if you can.
I think it’s invite only, but
I’ve heard you can get in if
you’re not wearing clothes.
For those that are less
inclined to get naked, there
are plenty of other nights to
choose from. Let’s start with
February 15th at the Saint.
Jaguar Sound presents the
Sleng Teng Steppers
Ball, featuring Maddie
Ruthless and Sir Karo,
as well as the Forthrights.
If you like Roots, Reggae,
Dub and Dancehall, this is the night
for you. If Bass Music is your thing,
I highly recommend that you check
Bassik on the 16th, whose guest this
month is Doorly (UK). Also on the
menu for the bassheads is Louisiana
Dubstep’s “Mochi Gras” edition of
their weekly, Bass Church, on the
19th. Featuring the likes of Mochipet,
Grommit, Dirkish DJ, as well as
a host of local support, this promises
to be one not to miss. If you happen
to find yourself Uptown after Muses
rolls, you should drop by Eiffel and
check out Yeasayer at Electronic
Takeover Masquerade. Backed up
by locals such as Pr_ck and Swiss
Chriss, you’re bound to hear some
proper booty shaking bizzle. Mardi
Gras Mam-Boh! at Dragon’s Den
features Rev. Kathy Russell and a
host of locals showcasing Drum&Bass
on the 17th. For the House heads, be
sure to check Kompression at 1135
Decatur on the 20th for a proper
dosage of four-to-the-floor funkiness.
One of my personal favorites of
the Carnival season is Gravity A’s
Bacchanal on Lundi Gras. Marking
its twelfth anniversary, the Bacchanal
this year features Mike Dillon Band,
Mosaiq, Onionloaf and a slew of
other surprise guests. Featuring live
acts and DJs from nearly dusk til dawn,
this one never disappoints. One last
thing to check out would be the Beat
Bot and Bull on lower Decatur and
Frenchmen Streets, respectively. There
may be nothing better than the mobile
party that these homemade, portable
soundsystems provide; and with the
best local talent on the decks, you never
know who or what you might stumble
upon at the helm of the Beat Bot.
Anyone can tell you that there are
plenty of things to check this Mardi
Gras, regardless of what you’re
interested in. Whatever you decide,
I’ll leave you with some advice that I
try to follow every year. Keep a beer
close and a bathroom closer. Do your
best to avoid driving; everyone knows
that there is no parking anywhere
during Mardi Gras. Pace yourself; no
one likes babysitting an asshole and
you definitely don’t want to end up in
OPP. There is nothing like Mardi Gras
in New Orleans, so soak it up, catch
some beads, hear some music and have
fun. Above all, be safe out there and
remember, everywhere else it’s just
another Tuesday.
BAD CHICKEN AND FREE COFFEE WITH SCOTT H. BIRAM
by the Rev. Daniel P. Jackson
Scott H. Biram is the junkyard bard of Austin. His
particular brand of outlaw country pulls heavily from
classic delta blues, punk rock and gospel music. His new
record, Bad Ingredients, is out now on Bloodshot, and
he’s currently touring the Southeast. Scott was gracious
enough to chat with ANTIGRAVITY about the record,
his writing process and what makes a badass.
How’re you doing?
Scott H. Biram: Pretty good. It’s the second or third day
of tour. I already lost if it was the second or third day. No,
it’s the third day.
Is that a good sign or bad that you don’t know
what day it is?
I don’t know what’s good or bad anymore. It’s probably
not a good sign. The first day of
tour I felt as tired as I usually do
after about three weeks of tour.
very first show of this tour, and it was already broken... It’ll
be fine though, it’s 53 years old. I was looking for a guitar
like that for a long time. I think I have seventeen guitars,
but only one... two... two and three quarters of those [old
Gibsons]. They told me a story about how when it came
in, a little tiny Mexican man brought in the guitar, and the
case had a picture of a fat Mexican man playing it. After
a little while, they realized, “Oh that was the same guy, he
just lost a bunch of weight when he got old.” I went back
in there looking for somebody to see if they knew what
happened to that picture, but nobody could find it. And it
used to have a little Moon Eyes decal when I got it that’s
slowly gotten scratched off of there. So if anybody knows
an old Mexican man who used to have a Gibson hollowbody with a Moon Eyes decal on it, I’d like to meet him.
Let’s talk about Bad Ingredients. You made
Rehabilitation Blues while you were recovering
So you’re touring with Lydia
Loveless right now, right?
Yeah, I hadn’t really heard much
of her til the beginning of this
tour. She’s got a great voice, man.
So many girls these days have that
annoying girly voice like they’re
trying to sing like Betty Boop or
something, and I can’t stand that
crap, man. [Lydia] sings from her
bosom. She’s got some low end on
her voice and I like that.
Did you get a big rock star
bus for this tour?
[Cackling] No man, I’ve got a big
black Ford Econoline van. It’s
such a long tour this time that I’ve
got a bunch of extra merch stock
in the front of the van, and it’s all
stacked up to the ceiling in the
back, so there’s not really much
room to lay down or anything.
But those buses cost too much
money... And the parking’s a bitch
too, man.
You had your own label, Knuckle Sandwich
Records, before you signed with Bloodshot. Did
they come looking for you, or did you approach
them for a deal?
My friend Joe Buck and I went out on tour together, and
he wanted to stop into [Bloodshot’s] offices and say hello to
them. I wasn’t really looking for a label. I was pretty happy,
making decent money, covering my rent. I read on their
website a couple weeks before, “We don’t sign heavy metal
bands. Don’t think you’ll be the exception.” So I went in
and said, “Hey, I heard you don’t sign metal bands. I’m
the exception.” Then about three weeks later I got a call.
I still wasn’t sure about it. They said, “You can keep doing
what you’re doing, which is fine. Or you can step it up
another level.” It’s worked out pretty well. I owe them one
more record, and I’m sure I’ll do some more with them,
but I’m gonna have a few open doors. Jello Biafra from
Alternative Tentacles, he came to a couple of my shows. I
think I’d like to put out something
weird on Alternative Tentacles
sometime in the future. We’ll see
what happens. The whole record
industry is really changing right
now.
“I read on Bloodshot’s website a couple weeks before,
“We don’t sign heavy metal bands. Don’t think you’ll
be the exception.” So I went in and said, “Hey, I heard
you don’t sign metal bands. I’m the exception.”
One thing that sticks out in
your music is that you talk
about chicken a lot. You
also have a fried drumstick
tattooed on your arm. Were
you thrown into the ring at a
cockfight in your formative years?
[Laughs] Life is a cockfight. I been trying to get away
from the chicken thing. “I Killed a Chicken Last Night”
on the new record, that was one of the stragglers. I just
needed to get it recorded so that I could move on... I’m
tired of people yelling “chicken” at me everywhere I go.
I was walking across a parking lot in Paris, France and
somebody was like, [in a ridiculous French accent] “He
keels a cheeckan! Hooray!” It started cuz I was listening
to songs like [“Worried Life Blues”]. There’s a line in
there, on the Big Joe Williams version anyway, that says,
“You can steal my chickens/ but you sure can’t make ‘em
lay/ You can steal my best woman/ but you sure can’t
make her stay.” So that got me stuck on this whole thing
where your chickens are your blues song girls. And then
you can use all those metaphors- though I don’t know how
much of a metaphor it really is- about strangling chickens
and wringing their necks and stuff. Doing ‘em wrong, or
making ‘em pay.
You play a gorgeously busted old 1959 Gibson
guitar that’s obviously had a pretty harrowing
existence. Does the guitar have any stories it’d
like to share?
It’s broken right now. I opened it up the other day for the
from your car wreck [Biram was annihilated in
2003 when an 18-wheeler hit him head-on]. Was
there any sort of overarching motivator behind
the new record?
That record [Rehab] wasn’t even supposed to be a record.
My dad’s friend, while I was laid up in bed from my wreck,
he wanted to come and record me. Of course, it came
out a little sloppy and my voice was kind of weak on it. I
wasn’t very happy with it. Then after about three or four
years, my dad had given it to so many people I started
hearing it pop up on internet radio stations. I was like,
“Aww, shit... I gotta cash in on this a little bit.” It’s just kind
of a footnote. I just write songs as they kind of fall in my
lap. I had about six songs down I’d written specifically for
the [new] record. Then I started looking around on my
computer and found all these little project recordings I’d
done at three o’clock in the morning, like “Just Another
River.” I wound up with 23 songs for the record, and I
was like, “I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” So we went
through them all and picked out the best ones and put
two on the side for bonus tracks. They’re on the website.
I think you have to buy the record to get them, though.
I’m not sure how it works... I try not to think about all that
technical BS.
You have a particular
proclivity for gospel music.
Son House quit preaching
to sing the blues, because he
couldn’t reconcile the two.
How do you make it work?
Well I guess I’m in between. I’ve
said prayers, but I don’t know who
I’m praying to for sure. I do have
kind of a disdain for organized
religion. I’ve been to the Vatican
and seen those disgusting gold
ceilings and everything like that.
These big giant churches kind of
piss me off, with the Starbucks
in the lobby? I don’t know about
that, man. Coffee should be free
in church. But I have a real love
for old gospel music- the Stanley
Brothers, the old field recordings
of people singing and just
clapping their hands. When I was
a little kid, Sweet Canaan Baptist
Ministries came through my
school. I had never seen anything
like that before. I never let go of
that, really. So I’ve got multiple
personalities on my records- the
evil metal side of me, and the
rejoiceful side of me.
Some folks are pretty outspoken about the state
of country music. You’re not strictly a country
artist, but some of your songs skew that way. Are
you concerned about making a statement?
Well I think the big pop-country thing is just a giant force.
People are just gonna keep listening to that shit. You’re
probably never gonna hear me write a “Fuck Nashville”
song because I really could care less. I’m more about the
roots, and then my metal and punk rock is in there too.
Is being a shit-kicking badass something that
comes naturally to you, or is it something you’ve
had to work at over the years?
[Laughing] I don’t really consider myself a badass; I’m just
a guy trying to make a living. I’ve got a stage presence,
you know? It’s like my great-grandmother told me when
I was a little kid. She grabbed me by the shoulders, [in
perturbed old crone voice] “I’ll shake the shit outta you,
boy!” And that’s what I’m doing to my audience.
Scott H. Biram plays One Eyed Jacks with Lydia Loveless on Friday,
February 10th. For more information, check out scottbiram.com
9
FLOGGING MOLLY: FROM DUBLIN TO DETRIOT
By Erin Hall Photo By Dan Monick
I’ve heard a lot of people dismiss Flogging
Molly. The “Irish Punk” thing is a fad, they
say, a gimmick. I’ve always felt differently,
but for anyone really listening, their latest
album, Speed of Darkness, should’ve shut the
book on that argument. With it, they’ve
crafted a record that says something. A
commentary on politics and the economy
and the essential nature of existing in this
uncertain age. And they’ve done it with
style, attitude and heart. I sat down with
accordion player Matt Hensley in advance
of the band’s annual Green 17 show in
March and I came away more appreciative
than ever of a band that continues to evolve
and show new fire with each passing year.
Read on to hear more about how Detroit
informed the material on their latest record
and the story of just how a young man falls
into a life as a punk accordionist.
So this is the 7th annual Green 17 Tour.
How did this grow into something you
guys do every year?
Matt Hensley: For Flogging Molly, it was kind of a
no-brainer. First of all, we go on tour all the time,
no matter what time of year it is, but specifically
around St. Patty’s... it’s like being in a Christmas
band around Christmas Eve. That’s when we
get down.
So we would always go on tour
around that
time and our manager suggested
we call it
something since we’re gonna do
it every year anyway. So maybe if we have our
own tour and we have a name for it, we can build
it and it’s a great avenue to handpick good bands
to tour with us and just let it go to hell. We really
try to make this tour our premiere tour of the
year in America.
Your most recent record, Speed of
Darkness, was probably the most overtly
political record you guys have made.
Dave [King, lead singer] has always had
a flourish for historical politics, but was
there any apprehension from the band
about tackling modern political issues?
There has to be a lot off differing
political thoughts in a band of seven
people.
As a band, I think we’re all on the same page.
I say that because of what we do. We’re
constantly in a tour bus going around the
country, going around the world. We’re not
just playing music- we’re seeing how people
live. Every place we would go, we’d see the
devastation. Bridget [Regan, fiddle player] was
brought up in Detroit and that was one of the
ground zeroes of America’s economic collapse.
You can see it there so evidently. You can
breathe it in; it was all over the place. When we
all got together, it’s not like we said “Okay guys,
we’re gonna write some really potent political
shit. We’re gonna go crazy.” We did what we
always do- we got together and played music.
And somewhere about three quarters of the
way through writing all the music and listening
to Dave’s lyrics, I was like “yeah, this is gonna
be a political record.” But it was never set out
like that. It was an accident- almost like it was
through osmosis from just being around it.
So writing in Detroit sort of sent the
album in that direction?
We all flew up to Detroit (where Dave and Bridget
have a home) and we’d spend two weeks writing
and then split for a week before regrouping back
there. We did that about four or five times and
I’ve been to Detroit many times, but I’ve never
really “lived” there like I was then. So you really
get a sense of the goodness and the badness
and... the sadness. And what a city goes through
when its economic base falls through.
This record was the first on the band’s
new label, Borstal Beat. How was
the experience and process different
from your previous work with
SideOneDummy?
Well, when we were on SideOneDummy, all we
really concentrated on was the music-- not that
kid- a very different experience from Dave’s, but
all that comes together and what spills out of it
is Flogging Molly. I read some reviews of the last
album and there were some people who didn’t
like the direction and that’s fine. Critics are
gonna say what they’re gonna say. But we can’t
keep coming out with Drunken Lullabies over and
over and over again. That was a place in time
for the band and that’s how we felt, but we’re
musicians so we’re growing and we’re trying to
go somewhere else without losing who we are.
Even if we did a country swing record-- not that
we’re going to-- I think it would still sound like
Flogging Molly to some degree just because of
who we are and how we play.
How has the response to the new material
been on the road? Do you find that fans
are bored or less excited by the newer
material because it has less of that old
Flogging Molly bouncy energy?
I didn’t get that vibe. I thought people were just
a little “what the hell is going on here?” for a
second, but even friends of mine would listen
Do you guys have new music in the
works? Or are you just content to ride on
the last release for right now?
Flogging Molly is lucky to get a record out more
than once every five years. And that’s simply
because we tour so hard. It takes a lot to get
everyone together and we all have to save up for
a few years to have enough money in the bank
so that we can take enough time off to record.
What’s your favorite song to play live
and why?
“If I Ever Leave This World Alive” is probably
the most emotional song that Flogging Molly
plays just because over the years, we’ve dedicated
that song to so many fallen friends. And a lot of
soldiers- we’ve dedicated that song to them and
cried with the parents of those kids. I played
that song with Dave at my mother’s funeral.
Honestly, most of the time if you look closely
enough on stage, almost all of us are crying
while we’re playing that song.
How
about
new
material?
“If I Ever Leave This World Alive” is probably the most
emotional song that Flogging Molly plays just because
over the years, we’ve dedicated that song to so many
fallen friends. And a lot of soldiers- we’ve dedicated that
song to them and cried with the parents of those kids.
we didn’t this time-- but after we were done this
time, we had to re-screw our heads on and say
“now what?” To make this thing go where it’s
gonna go is a huge amount of rigmarole. From
writing a record and recording it and putting
it out and figuring out who is gonna distribute
it- it’s just a lot of work. But it feels good too.
Because now everything Flogging Molly does is
100% us; no offense to SideOneDummy- they
did right by us. But now if we make right or
wrong decisions, it’s all on us. So there’s a bit
more pride in the band. And this isn’t a huge
money-making thing, but we have our own label
now. We signed this band called The Drowning
Men and we want to have a cool little mom-andpop record label. It’s nice to have something
outside of the band- to grow as humans and a
business.
Do you guys, as a band, feel pressure
to make sure each album has enough
“Irishness” to it, since you’ve been
branded an “Irish Punk” band? Does it
feel restrictive or do you think your fans
are okay with you coloring outside those
lines?
We’re an Irish Punk Rock band because that’s
how we started. Dave is from Dublin and it
doesn’t get much more authentic than that.
But Bridget’s from Detroit and Nate [Maxwell,
bassist], Bob [Schmidt, banjo/mandolin] and I
are from Southern California. I grew up a skater
to tracks and say “I’m not into it” but a month
later, they’d found the nuances of the record
and they loved it. We’ve heard this about other
records we’ve done. I really just think at the end
of the day if we can get up there authentically
and play these songs like we mean it-- like we’re
not acting-- then take it or leave it. If your heart’s
in the right place, the rest will follow suit.
How did playing punk accordion become
your reality? The punk part I get with
your upbringing and all, but when did the
accordion come into the picture?
I didn’t really start playing the accordion until
my early 20s, but I did play guitar in some reggae
and ska bands in California. When I moved to
Chicago, I started going to a lot of Irish bars and
hearing people play Irish music. I’ve always loved
that music. My family are French-Canadian and
Scottish mostly and when I was very young I’d
go to Maine and hang out with people playing
fiddles and accordions and traditional Celtic
music. I loved it. Danced around like a little
crazy man. But by the time I hit 13, I was too
cool for that kind of music. I was into the Clash
and Devo and whatever I was into. When I was
about 16 or 17 though, someone introduced me
to the Pogues and after listening to that-- it was
very traditional, but it had a very ballsy way of
going about it-- that kind of reintroduced me to
loving this kind of music...
What are you guys getting into
the
most
from
that
record?
I hope we do “Power’s Out.” “Heart of the
Sea” is one of my favorite tracks to play off
that record, without a doubt. I love playing that
song.
Sea shanties are very friendly to the
accordion traditionally...
I’m guilty on that then. We haven’t really played
“A Prayer For Me in Silence,” so I hope we do
that one as well. You know, the undertones of
this last record were all over the place and it
felt great to me to do that. Like you mentioned,
“Don’t Shut ‘Em Down” just feels Clash-y. A
couple of songs were maybe a little jammy on
the outskirts. It feels fun. And as Flogging Molly,
we’re not just the last record we put out. We’re
all the records we’ve done combined. And as a
combination, it sounds pretty good to my ears.
Flogging Molly stops through New Orleans
on their Green 17 Tour on Saturday, March
2nd at House of Blues. The Devil Makes
Three opens. For more information, visit
floggingmolly.com
11
The Resilient Souls Of
THE HONORABLE SOUTH
By Michael Patrick Welch
The Honorable South combine rock, soul, folk, hip-hop, funk and a little more
rock. Singer MS. (Charm Taylor) and guitarist Matthew Rosenbeck bristle slightly
when I admit that, from listening to their music, I can tell they are not from New
Orleans. The band does make hybridized, Black, American music; and as almost
all Black American music traditions were forged in New Orleans, the Honorable
South fit snugly into the cityscape. But they are not beholden to tradition. They’re
more Janelle Monae than Etta James, though they don’t jump genres so much as
naturally represent the varied tastes of younger generations. Their funk is also
more bent than the straight-forward, crowd-pleasing kind currently dominating
New Orleans. They do please crowds at their monthly AllWays Lounge gig but
they retain an edge and about the same ratio of “it’s about you” vs. “it’s about
Photos By Jason Albus
us” as Erykah Badhu-- with whom Charm also shares some vocal tone. It’s a
refreshing mix. Something New Orleans has needed. The band is rounded out
by percussionist Jamal Batiste, bassist Jarred Savwoir (Black Star Bangas and
Liberated Soul Collective) and the band’s producer and second guitarist Danny
Kartel, whose production credits include tracks with Soulja Slim, Juvenile and
Mystikal. While waiting for their bandmates to arrive for practice, Taylor and
Rosenbeck were filming a sparse, live video for the single “Valentine’s Day” (to
be released on Valentine’s Day) where Charm sings while writhing on the floor
behind her dreadlocks. They took a break to sit down with ANTIGRAVITY and
discuss their unique place in the local music scene, their 2011 album I Love My
Tribe and how honest women disagree.
“A few years ago I burned granny a CD with a bunch of Nina Simone on it that I
wanted her to hear and she reminded me, ‘Girl, you got that from me.’”
--Charm Taylor (aka MS.)
So I feel like when I first heard your music
I could tell you weren’t from here. In what
ways do you notice that you stand out here
in the city?
Matthew Rosenbeck: Well, I don’t know if I’d say
we don’t sound like we’re from here. I moved here
from Connecticut in ‘95 but the rhythm section
and the other guitarist are from here. I hear what
you’re saying though; it’s definitely different than
what people are used to hearing in the bars. People
are excited to hear something that doesn’t fit into
that mold of New Orleans music. I don’t have a
New Orleans musical background– I grew up more
with rock and country.
Charm Taylor: I hear what you’re saying too. I grew
up in St. Louis and then moved to L.A. for a while
and then came here after Katrina. But I do think
there’s a story for people who have moved here,
people who are transplants but we are experiencing
and telling of our experiences. I like the idea with
the band of: we are coming into a space, and I
have been completely welcomed here. Though I
don’t feel like a spokesperson for New Orleans, we
have been very inspired by our experience here.
Also, there are some drum kicks that could only
come from New Orleans, from a person like Jamal
Batiste.
MR: Yeah, there isn’t a better place for us to make
this music in terms of having access to all these
musicians. It’s just amazing, the access.
CT: The experience we’ve had, vibing with
our sound, this hodgepodge, that couldn’t have
happened anywhere but New Orleans. It could
only grow from here.
So what do you write about if you’re not
writing about the city like almost everyone
else?
CT: Well I wrote all of [the first Honorable South’s
EP] Dirty in the Light on my original drive from L.A.
to New Orleans and back. Then I drove back to
New Orleans, then back to St. Louis and back to
New Orleans. I did that a couple times and while
I was driving I was writing about: sure St. Louis is
my home town, but am I going to go back there?
No. A lot of Dirty in the Light was about what you
encounter when you’re letting something go, having
decided that something else works for you. What
New Orleans gave me was like, “It’s OK, we got
you. What’s your name?” New Orleans met me and
allowed me to meet it. That first EP was definitely
about that relationship. It’s also definitely about
people. People and the world and yourself and
indecisiveness and close calls. On that EP it was just
Matthew and I, we had just met and we dropped
that in 2009. I Love My Tribe is a couple years later,
grounded, more reflective, less reactionary. I firmly
believe that you can’t look out until you have your
own locus of control stable– only then you can
start to look around you and make judgements and
make sense. I Love My Tribe is more like that; we are
in control as a band, and looking outward.
So then does I Love My Tribe have a different
lyrical bent?
CT: I Love My Tribe is about community, kinship,
friendship, people who work hard, disaster and
social justice. It is about people who know what it
feels like to lose someone to addiction or violence.
Like the song “Dirtiest” is about the BP oil spill,
and I finished that song after attending the funeral
of a young man here who was shot and killed. I
saw the very young friends of this very young man,
and their t-shirts were tragic. And he has a family,
and he has a child, but at the same time, they’re all
our children. When you think of New Orleans as
a tribe, we are all saddened and hurt to see such a
young life ended unjustly, or young people taking
lives; and the news is full of these stories. But the
songs don’t miss life’s most beautiful stories about
celebration or hope: the parade route, brass bands,
anthems and finding love. I feel very lucky to live
here among such resilient spirits.
What does the name mean, the Honorable
South?
CT: I wanted it to be called Honest Women
Disagree.
MR: But there was no way I would be in that
band.
CT: I did like that idea of honesty in the music.
But then there was this captcha– you know, the
scrambled letters and numbers they make you
type to make sure you’re not robo. I had done this
four or five times already; I’d forgotten my student
loan password. And I got a captcha that said, “The
Honorable West” and here I was trying to come
from Los Angeles to New Orleans and my train of
thought went to the South, like, that’s the reason
I’m on this bitch right now trying to sign up! And
I just thought, ‘No, fuck the West! The honorable
South is what it is!’ [pounds her fist] And Matthew
liked it.
MR: Well it was either that or Honest Women
Disagree.
Jarred Savwoir: See, if you always first put forward
a totally unacceptable option…
Then you’ll get whatever else you ask for!
Right. So Jarred, I have seen a lot of live
hip-hop bands around town and you often
seem to be the musical director.
JS: I wish I was in more. I play with the rapper
Chuck “Lyrikill” Jones and I used to play bass for a
lot of bands at open mics around town. Now I work
with Liberated Soul Collective, BlackStar Bangas,
Nate “Suave” Cameron, Elliot Luv, Sybil Shanell,
Tarriona Tank Ball-- that’s my other main band,
we went on tour last summer to New York, Philly,
Houston, Austin. I do a lot of gigs with Tanya Boyd
Cannon, who calls herself TBC. I played bass with
K Gates at Jazz Fest the year the Saints won the
Super Bowl. We had Saints players running all over
the stage.
Wow, whoa, you got to play the song on the
year at Jazz Fest?
JS: Yeah, “Black and Gold.” That was a good look.
I’ve also been in reggae bands, neo-soul and now I
get to rock out with this rock band. Everyone in this
band has varied tastes and so there is a lot of nuance.
The music is like, blended and remixed. I appreciate
the diversity of influences in this band. Like this man
here, Daniel Kartel, who produced I Love My Tribe.
He has quite a resume. And he is best known for-Daniel Kartel: --My rap song, “Slow Motion.” I
produced the song and did all the music. Started it
with the guitar.
I noticed some rap, around the edges, in the
Honorable South’s music.
CT: Yes, I am 26 now but in St. Louis I grew up
listening to all rap, shit that I should not have been
listening to. Being in St. Louis we got everything
from around the country, but what you heard on the
streets? That was all Southern rap. I grew up hard,
listening to like, 8-Ball and MJG, UGK, Master P,
Juvenile. I loved it and am totally nostalgic about
it.
JS: I grew up in New Orleans but in a
very musically restrictive environment. I’d come
home from school and there’d be one of my
cassette tapes– I remember a mixtape my cousin
made me of East Coast hip-hop-- smashed up in a
bag on the refrigerator with a note: “This will not
be allowed in our house.” Red Hot Chili Peppers, I
got that confiscated at school, Blood Sugar Sex Magik.
I didn’t know why or what any of it meant; I was
just listening to the music. It took me till I was like
27 to realize what De La Soul meant by, “It might
blow up but it won’t go pop!”
CT: Then my granny listened to a bunch of Al
Green, a bunch of Nina Simone. A few years ago I
burned granny a CD with a bunch of Nina Simone
on it that I wanted her to hear and she reminded
me, “Girl, you got that from me.” By 15, I was into
rock, indy rock and a buncha soul.
I Love My Tribe was self-released, but you
do have a relationship with the 25 Hour
Convenience record label?
CT: 25 Hour Convenience is owned by Gary Powell
of the Libertines, who was introduced to our music
by his pal, Pogues founder Spyder Stacy, another
rock boss, who now lives in New Orleans. Both
have been huge supporters of our music and there
have been plans for 25 Hour Convenience Store
Records to distribute our music in the U.K., where
the label is based, and to other audiences abroad.
Until then, I read that the Dirty Soles
running club featured your single “Beast”
on one of their running compilations. That
seems fitting, as it’s a pretty high-energy
number.
CT: Yeah, that really put a smile on my face, them
reaching out. And y’all reaching out put a smile on
my face, too. Cause we been goin at this for a long
time, four years or so, and there’s so much going on
in the city that is so identifiable, and we’re this sort
of of obscure, genre-less rock band, where every
song is going to sound different.
That song “Beast” in particular reminds me
a lot of Janelle Monae. How many people
who have heard y’all have mentioned her?
CT: None, actually.
Y’all share a similar Black, art-rock
aesthetic with her, I think, and a real genre
fluidity.
MR: I think she’s great but our music is a lot more
edgy. I was thinking more like Nirvana meets
Lauren Hill type energy, like, political but definitely
rock. Our music has a message.
Continued on Page 14...
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CT: We’ve gotten Cee Lo crossed
with White Stripes. But then
I’ll sing a country song. We’ve
gotten rap-rock, like OutKast.
We’ve gotten Modest Mouse,
which, I loved that because
I love Isaac Brock. He really
gets it, writing-wise. A lot of
our stuff, rhythmically, comes
from listening to someone like
him whose rhythm is just so
completely off-kilter, you wonder
how he came up with these
phrasings.
So even though you add a lot
of soul and funk, you would
say the Honorable South is
going for something more
off-kilter rather than a
smooth sound?
CT: Oh off-kilter, definitely. Not
smooth; people just don’t live
their lives that way!
Then to me that would be another difference
between you and many other local bands:
most New Orleans funk bands go right for
the pocket every time. They never get weird.
MR: The majority of bigger names locally, probably
so.
CT: They’re sort of uptight sounding-JS: --Sound like a Chip Forestall commercial.
MR: People feel comfortable with that party music
and they don’t like to think too much when they have
a good time. It is harder to play for a crowd when
you are trying to tell them something. I like for music
to be imperfect, to have raw elements. We want our
funk to have more dirt to it. A lot of the stuff I’d
done before was experimental noise projects, so we
CT: The Big Top venue is great
and right off the parade route.
We’ve got some burlesque
dancers that I have do burlesque
for a few songs. We gonna make
a magic, electric soul, rock-n-roll
party. We’re gonna get loud. At
our AllWays monthly we always
do a contest, mostly costume
contests. We have retro sweet
hairdo contests, a badass boot
contest. People like coming out
and showing us something about
them.
definitely want to add more sounds into our music.
At first the Honorable South was just Charm and I
and some drum machines and electronics. We would
have a drummer sometimes come in and try to play
along with the beats but it just sounded chaotic.
CT: In that version of the band I was just spending
a lot of time just letting shit rock like [mimics
repetitive keyboard bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum]. Like
on “Bullets,” striking that key forever and it works
perfectly with that guitar, because that’s all we’ve got!
[Laughs]
So what are your shows like? What can people
expect from your Lundi Gras show at the Big
Top?
It sounds like you’re
bringing something a little
more feminine to the rock
scene.
CT: I think the media floods
us with images of women who
are self-conscious, insecure
and ultra-concerned with the
wants of men or other gender
constructs. And the women in my music are more
like the women I’ve known: powerful, sassy, outright,
humble, compassionate, dynamic. They’re heroines.
And so my music is sort of a toast to that. A lot of
women, young and old, could stand to hear from a
woman who is less “catty” and more like “I’ve got
your back.” I Love My Tribe is just our debut album;
I’ve had a lot to say for a long time now, and I’m glad
to see the city is listening and that their ears are open
to it.
The Honorable South play on Lundi Gras night at
The Big Top gallery (1638 Clio St.) with Joe Carroll
and The Big Light. For more information, check out
thehonorablesouth.com
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THE BIG PINK
FUTURE THIS
(4AD)
Future This, the new album from
the British duo The Big Pink
is a failure, but, to be honest,
I expected this from their
sophomore outing - even though
I hoped against hope that my inklings were incorrect.
In September 2009, The Big Pink exploded forth with
one of the year’s best debut albums, called A Brief History
of Love, on the strength of two-flat out phenomenal
singles, “Dominos” and “Velvet.” The singles, and the
whole debut album for that matter, were epic, guitardriven songs that were as emotive as they were gleefully
danceable. When I say I expected the second album to
be a mixed bag at best, I mean that I was aware of the
fact that they could not possible outdo themselves in
song-craft over the aforementioned tracks. But, given that
these kinds of epic electro-rock anthems are the band’s
signature, I also knew The Big Pink would undoubtedly
write more songs in the same vain. Then I thought that
they might explore new avenues and add flourishes onto
their basic approach, and as it turns out, The Big Pink
chose to do both on Future This. The anthemic songs on
the new album, which is just about every track here, just
as on the debut, get a slight experimental treatment sure
(normally courtesy of keyboard blips or fill), yet while
the band is going for a more fleshed out sound in these
tinkerings, it just ends up making busy tracks that work
better left alone. A perfect example of this is the track
“Jump Music,” where the guitar line, which is the driving
force in The Big Pink’s power, finds itself taking back
seat to the keys, drum machines and other unnecessary
effects. Almost every track on the new album is the same
sad story. Whether it be the almost embarrassing vapidity
of “Lose Your Mind,” the spineless and flimsy “Hit the
Ground (Superman)” or the faux-lounge of “Give It Up,”
The Big Pink show time and again that perhaps they were
just a one-album wonder. The Big Pink did well what they
set out to do, which is to create danceable party songs of
love and loss; the only problem is that they accomplished
this goal on their first album. So, my recommendation is
that if you liked The Big Pink in the past on their debut
and have not heard Future This yet, do yourself a favor
and pretend like the new album doesn’t really exist. --Dan
Mitchell
CRAIG FINN
CLEAR HEART FULL EYES
(VAGRANT)
The Hold Steady was on hold
for the making of Craig Finn’s
first solo album, which is only a
glaring omission on Clear Heart
Full Eyes in that the straight-toyour-solar-plexus rock tends to take a backseat to the
complexity of the lyrics. The stories that, under more
usual circumstances, Finn makes sure dart in and out of
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Tad Kubler’s roaring guitar, work like bits of philosophy
in a rush instead dance in splendor in “When No One’s
Watching,” amble along in fervor through “New Friend
Jesus,” and carefully thread their way through mellow,
masterful sonic arrangements that serve Finn’s words
well in “Jackson,” “Honolulu Blues,” and “Terrified
Eyes.” The overall effect is that of Arlo Guthrie’s longwindedness hitched to the sort of commentary Lou Reed
at his best could pull out, backed by music that wouldn’t
be anathema to Ryan Adams – and it all works well,
possibly too well. This one album is so rich in quality,
in fact, that its listening is best handled in small doses to
get it all. It feels after one full listening as though three
albums have been taken in instead of one. The song that
will keep listeners coming back again and again to take
in Clear Heart, however, is easily Finn’s “Western Pier,”
which is a perfect meld of mystery and music, saying just
enough while hinting at more. If Finn decides to make
another album on his own, he’d better keep exploring
that spirit, as it could well help pull him out of the wordy
weeds. --Leigh Checkman
THE DEVIL’S BLOOD
THE THOUSANDFOLD
EPICENTRE
(METAL BLADE)
The Devil’s Blood is a fourpiece Dutch metal band that
exists in the same breath as
Swedish bands such as Ghost
and In Solitude. Their take on metal is heavy on 70s/ 80s
musical touchstones and their message is purely evil--- or
holy, depending on how you look at the picture. They
write epic, indulgent songs about the worshipping of
Satan---take Deep Purple, Sabbath and King Diamond,
cross them with Heart and add a dash of Blue Oyster
Cult, Manowar, Ennio Morricone and Comus and we are
getting into the right territory--- but to sell them short on
the Satan aspect would be blasphemy, as they have great
depth. Just as Ghost and In Solitude appeal to a wide
range of audiences in sound, so to do The Devil’s Blood,
and just like those contemporary comparison bands, while
their message is ‘evil,’ their delivery and presentation is
inviting (at least to those who love real rock n’ roll). The
thing about The Devil’s Blood is that they are a more
complete band than either Swedish bands we are using as
comparison here, and The Thousandfold Epicentre (the band’s
second full-length, after the stellar debut The Time of No
Time Evermore), finds the band cranking out the jams like
no other. The new album is well over an hour in length
and is their best to date--- their debut and their first EP,
entitled Come Reap, act as an appetizer to the main course
that is the new album. “Unending Singularity” opens
the album deliberately building and throws the listener
straight into the bass-heavy brilliance of “On the Wings
of Gloria.” Essentially, we are dealing with a 9-minute
intro between the first two tracks that take us into the real
meat of the album, which spikes at the fifth track, “Cruel
Lover,” and runs through the next track called “She.”
The seventh track, the title cut, changes the tempo over
its nine minutes and ushers in the last phase of the album,
where “The fire’s burning…,” according to female frontwoman, F. the Mouth of Satan, albeit burning slowly and
cackling deliberately. The last cuts, including the great
“Everlasting Saturnalia,” exhibit restraint and demand
quiet, attentive listening. If you like metal, new and old,
and heavy music in general, this is a band you should be
all about, because no one does it like The Devil’s Blood
does it. --Dan Mitchell
GUIDED BY VOICES
LET’S GO EAT THE FACTORY
(GUIDED BY VOICES, INC.)
There are those who argue that
Robert Pollard is too prolific
as an artist. It’s the same
argument that was leveled at
Andy Warhol. Faced with the
sheer volume of works that people such as Pollard and
Warhol put out, those in fear of how far certain artists’
exploitation of technology can go (in Pollard’s case,
recording equipment; in Warhol’s, silkscreening) become
dismissive of it instead, charging that something must
suffer in quality. The stunning thing is when quality
doesn’t suffer. Pollard is still quite relevant as a songsmith
because he keeps going on a manic path that is yielding
good things on every album he’s involved with, and this
“it feels right” Guided By Voices post-reunion collection
of new material is no exception. The strongest impression
is that these guys desperately needed to make Let’s Go
Eat The Factory, but the neediness only shows through on
the under-2-minute snippets and sketches on the album
– in fact, “Spiderfighter,” “Doughnut For a Snowman,”
and “Laundry and Lasers” are pretty strong, full songs
that hint at where GBV could go next if they developed
Factory’s bits and pieces further. Not everything that came
out of Warhol’s factory was a masterpiece, either, but oh,
the potential. Sometimes a large part of the fun is simply
putting it out there. --Leigh Checkman
LANA DEL REY
BORN TO DIE
(INTERSCOPE)
So yeah, I saw the SNL
performance. It was rancid. I
thought maybe it was jitters.
Maybe the songs weren’t really
as vapid as they sounded that
night. But they are. Lana Del Rey (born Elizabeth Grant)
is a millionaire’s daughter from Lake Placid, NY. And
she has thrown much of the music world into squabbling
chaos over her debut album, Born To Die. There have been
thousand-word essays written about how she’s setting
back the women’s movement decades with her fetishising
aggressive “bad boys” and others who have come out in
her defense, saying she is the ideal modern woman. Praised
by some as an indie songstress with an emcee edge and
derided by others as the worst thing ever (seriously, some of it
has been that dramatic), the reality is this: she’s just average.
She started out as a singer/songwriter and later shifted to a
self-styled “gangsta Nancy Sinatra” image (perhaps following
in the footsteps of one Stefani Germanotta aka Lady Gaga).
Her songs lyrically have a relatable core and were it not for
the forced bits of rap scribbled in there (hello, “You’re so fresh
to death and sick as cancer”...I’m talking to you) they might
be redeemable. Her vocals on the record are whitewashed
and lacking in much energy, but her live performance proved
even that bare minimum may be the result of studio magic
(seriously, Google it - it’s bad). From start to finish, the
outing just feels false and inauthentic. But even with lines as
embarrassing as “Now my life is sweet like cinnamon/Like
a fuckin’ dream I’m livin’ in” she will probably laugh all the
way to the bank. Because pop radio is gonna eat this shit up.
And there’s not a thing we can do about it. --Erin Hall
NADA SURF
THE STARS ARE INDIFFERENT
TO ASTRONOMY
(BARSUK)
The very title of Nada Surf’s
latest hints at what any good art
ought to be: defiant of analysis
while simultaneously embracing
it, always reaching in any direction for the sublime. The
band has always been a solid player; its peppy indie-rock
arrangements even made their way into the mainstream
briefly when “Popular” had some modest success. When
considering Nada Surf’s past, Stars presents a certain
challenge – how best to maintain a youthful optimism
when twenty years have passed? Some answers to that
question come in blatantly obvious form, as in “Teenage
Dreams.” Others are more complex in their execution, as
in Stars’ opener “Clear Eye Clouded Mind,” whose lyric
exploring the cosmic scale of what we know is wrapped in
deceptively straightforward rock. Reminiscences without
nostalgia abound in “Waiting For Something” and “When
I Was Young,” as though the music itself won’t allow much
time for dwelling in the past. Nada Surf’s particular form
of rock seems built for these discrete packets of looking
back through specters of dreams, feelings, and impressions
that somehow linger long after age and time have passed.
“What was that world I was dreaming of?” is one of the
questions we ask ourselves over and over again, after all.
--Leigh Checkman
NATE YOUNG
STAY ASLEEP (REGRESSION VOL. 2)
(NNA TAPES)
Subtlety, simplicity and tone
are three aspects that much of
contemporary music tends to
shun. They favor bombast or
control, and aggression over
morose iciness. Nate Young, (one piece of the noise group
Wolf Eyes), returns with another solo work that strips his
music even further down to its skeleton. Actually, it’s a
more appropriate comparison to say that Stay Asleep is all
nerves. It’s a stark piece of music that derives tension and
creeping dread from the dark patches that lie between
his spare electronic arrangements. The record begins
with “Comes Unbidden,” a crouching, lurid thing that
skulks along on percussive booms and analog noise
that comes on like claws on a wooden door. In fact, the
record is defined by its bare bones nature; most tracks
are built up from a clockwork beat and then dotted with
whatever electro-nightmare flourishes Young sees fit
to add. “Stygian Faces” lurches around a sickly thump
that sounds like a massive cauldron being beaten like a
gong while digital screeches, screams and gurgles cast
their wretched shadows across the track. Obviously
a record based on both electronic minimalism and a
horror movie’s idea of cheap thrills isn’t everyone’s cup
o’ tea, but from the gorgeously macabre cover art, to the
spartan terror aesthetics to Young’s uncanny knack for
getting interesting music out of such extreme elements, I
was locked into Stay Asleep. --Mike Rodgers
PRINCE RAMA
TRUST NOW
(PAW TRACKS)
I sort of stumbled into Prince Rama
blindly, which turned out to be
quite the happy accident. If someone
would have told me that a Krishnainfluenced psychedelic record would
be one of my most heavily played albums of the past six months,
I would have scoffed at the notion. Of course, upon hearing a
description like that, your ears are instantly filled with the jarring
sounds of every awful world music compilation your hippie
roommate ever played, but somehow the trio that comprises
Prince Rama makes it work spectacularly. Maybe it’s the way
the song structures themselves buck most of the current, Western
way of making a pop record. The songs undulate and circle in
on themselves, creating a mantra like effect that sucked me right
in. “Trust” moves through a few different moods before settling
on glittering synth chords wavering over pneumatic hisses and
ever escalating percussion. The end result approaches some kind
of approximation of relatable, familiar pop, but Prince Rama
does it in a strange and satisfyingly original way. The album
opens on a bed of throbbing, warped bass pulses and simple,
yet deceptively catchy chanting and never lets up. Trust Now is
intriguing and decidedly left of center, but there’s enough of a
connection to contemporary songwriting to anchor the album
and leave it safe and sound right beside your Panda Bear and
Ariel Pink records. --Mike Rodgers
QUELLE CHRIS
SHOTGUN & SLEEK RIFLE
(INDEPENDENT)
While many may not know of
Quelle Chris the rapper at this point,
many do know Chris the producer.
His beats live large throughout his
hometown of Detroit, where he
assists just about every rapper worth a damn in the city, but
the reason many know him as a producer, even if not by name,
is because of his work on last year’s beautifully batshit mixtape
from Danny Brown called XXX. Chris laid much of the sonic
groundwork for that release, and while the production on XXX
went largely unmentioned, mostly due to Brown’s singular
persona, the work was nothing if not top notch. Shotgun & Sleek
Rifle, Chris’ debut full-length, can be viewed as his coming out
party, so to speak, as a rapper, and when taken overall, the
album is a lucid, intelligent and diverse introduction to perhaps
Detroit’s most well rounded player. The first cut released from
the album is the laidback head-knodder “Symbolic (Basquiat)”
and the cut works as a good starting point, as Quelle Chris lays
down his method perfectly in the line, “Break it down, roll it up,
roast it, focus/ Now watch me while I flip that hocus pocus.”
Many of the lyrical themes revolve around and come back to
weed, and his beats certainly beg for a blunt to be passed, but
Quelle Chris is far from just some lazy early morning stoner.
This is most evident on the track that features Roc Marciano
called “Slaves,” where he and Marciano trade verses on the
topic of black suppression within American society. The hook
on the track could easily fit in on an early Dead Prez album in
its strength and topic, yet the underlying beat is contemplative
with a touch of sadness thanks to a wonderfully placed piano
signature. These two tracks stand as certain highlights on the
album, but other tracks stand out as well, such as “Shotgun,”
which features Danny Brown and Roc Marciano and boasts
hilarious samples from the animated classic Fritz the Cat,
“Another Blunt” and the undeniable swag of “Still Wasted.”
Quelle Chris still has a long way to go before he becomes a
household name, but he does not seem concerned about fame
right now--- maybe that is part of the reason Shotgun & Sleek
Rifle succeeds so wildly. --Dan Mitchell
SHARON VAN ETTEN
TRAMP
(JAGJAGUWAR)
Like any folky lady worth her salt,
Sharon Van Etten is a bit of a recluse.
Her songs are deeply personal and to
share that much of oneself is draining.
But on her new release Tramp, she is
taking a bold step and challenging herself to stop being her own
worst critic.With help from members of The National (both as
backing musicians and in the production booth) this record is,
on the whole, a more complete experience, with more heft and
a heady orchestral bent. The collection of songs sees Van Etten
‘s confidence both lyrically and musically blossoming. There
is very little meek singer/songwriter stuff here. “Serpents”
is a dizzying accusation with powerful lines like “You enjoy
sucking on dreams/So I will fall asleep with someone other
than you” Even with the more tender tracks like “Kevin’s”
and “In Line” there is less quavering and more of a sense of
strength and resolution in her delivery. She may have not
found all the answers yet, but she seems to be enjoying the ride.
A well-rounded record for anyone who can appreciate quality
production and real soul-baring music. --Erin Hall
SUNN O))
ØØ VOID
(SOUTHERN LORD)
Sunn O)) is more than just a band. It’s
a vibration, a wavelength of sound and
energy that you can either ride out
on or get swept up in its undertow.
ØØ Void is a re-release of their second
album, recorded way back in 2000. Recent Sunn O)) records
have expanded on the formula that they spearheaded, adding
elements like choirs, string and horn arrangements and a variety
of distinct vocalists. ØØ Void is as straightforward as Sunn O))
gets; the approach is simplicity elevated to its loudest aspect. The
tracks collected here are comprised of wave after wave of bass
laden, distorted riffs played at a deliberate and monolithic pace.
For newcomers, imagine a pitch-shifted Black Sabbath record
played at half speed and you’re nearly there. A song like “Rabbit’s
Revenge” isn’t about finding a hook, or writing a perfect melody.
Instead, these songs are single minded in their pursuit of hypnosis
through a mountain of guitar feedback. As boundary defying
and inspired as ØØ Void was, it’s difficult not to judge it against
the work the band has put out since. Black One was heavier, and
manifested an air of malevolence that this record can’t compare
with, while Monoliths & Dimensions was more organic, varied and
lofty in its goals. Make no mistake though; crank this album to 9
and watch as your subwoofer shudders and your neighbors get
out their pitchforks. --Mike Rodgers
TRENT REZNOR & ATTICUS ROSS
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON
TATTOO
(NULL CORPORATION)
Ice. Pure, unforgiving cold.
Reznor and Ross have created a
sprawling, dense ocean of sonic
texture that perfectly captures the
essence of the bitingly frigid film it accompanies. The Girl with
the Dragon Tattoo is a massive, unwieldy, but engaging record.
Over the course of three hours, the score shifts between subtle
numbers like “What If We Could” and its dreamy piano
melody dipping grooves through a cloud of ambient buzz, to
more percussive tracks like “A Thousand Details,” a driving
cycle of heavily distorted guitar and bass notes. It all adds up
to an epic tone poem more than an easily digestible collection
of songs, a categorization I think the album’s creators would
appreciate. The sheer volume of complex arrangements,
thematically cohesive and powerful ideas scattered across the
record is almost staggering when taken all at once. This is a
deep piece of music, best taken in slowly. Bookending the
album’s midsection is a pair of more traditional pop tracks.
First up is the duo’s cover of “Immigrant Song” with Karen
O lending howling vocals to the mix. Its galloping drum
patterns and haze of sawing guitars are a blistering reminder
of how strong Reznor can be behind the boards. The score
closes out with How To Destroy Angels’, (Reznor’s other,
other project), new romantic influenced cover of Bryan
Ferry’s “Is Your Love Strong Enough.” It’s a fairly gorgeous
version of the song, awash in synthy shoegaze atmosphere
and Mariqueen Maandig’s softly pleading voice. The end
result of Reznor and Ross’ efforts is a huge slab of frozen
earth, (longer even than the movie), sonically rendered
with precision; the pitch perfect aural counterpart to David
Fincher’s film. --Mike Rodgers
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FRIDAY, 2/3
Babylon: Sight for the Blind, Silence of the Past, 10pm
Banks Street Bar & Grill: The Other Planets, 10pm
Blue Nile: Kermit Ruffins & the BBQ Swingers, 7pm; Mardi
Gras Pre-Vieux w/ Stooges Brass Band & Big Chief Monk
Boudreaux, 11pm; Gravy, 10pm (Balcony Room)
Circle Bar: Debauche, Slow Danger Brass Band, 10pm
The Cypress: Iridescence, Lions Among Wolves, Define Our
Pride, SightinSound, Missing Nevaeh, 10pm
d.b.a.: Hot Club of New Orleans, 6pm; Ike Stubblefield w/
Papa Mali & Johnny Vidacovich, 10pm, $10; the Jack Brass
Band, 2am, $5
Hi-Ho Lounge: Camile Baudoin and the Living Rumors,
8pm; Camile, Reggie Scanlon and Kevin O’Day, 10pm
Les Bon Temps Roule: Joe Krown, 7pm; Margie Perez,
11pm
The Maison: Some Like it Hot, 7pm; Comedy Showcase,
8:30pm; the Heavy Pets, 10pm
One Eyed Jacks: Take Art to Heart Fundraiser for
KIDsmART
Republic: Throwback w/ King Rey, Baby Bee
Rusty Nail: Mia Borders Band, 10pm
Siberia: Blowfly, DJ Soul Sister, Super Nice Bros., 10pm
Tipitina’s: Carnival Kick-Off f/ 101 Runners, War Chief
Juan Pardo, 3 Piece Spicy, 9pm
SATURDAY, 2/4
Allways Lounge: Honorable South, 9pm, $10
Babylon: Dazien, Demonic Destruction, Serpentis, Legions of
Hoar Frost, 10pm
Banks Street Bar & Grill: PYMP, 10pm
Blue Nile: Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, 7pm; Revivalists,
11pm; WATIV Album Release Party, 10pm (Balcony Room)
Checkpoint Charlie’s: The Unnaturals, the Bills, Nick
Name and the Valmonts, the Rotten Cores, 9pm, FREE
Circle Bar: ActionActionReaction Indie Dance Party
The Cypress: FAAM Showcase, 7pm
d.b.a.: Krewe du Vieux on Frenchmen w/ Little Freddie
King, 7pm, $5; Tin Men, 11pm, $5
MUSIC VENUES
12 Bar, 608 Fulton St.
All-Ways Lounge/Marigny Theatre, 2240 St.
Claude Ave., (504) 218-5778, marignytheatre.org
Banks St. Bar And Grill, 4401 Banks St.,
(504) 486-0258, www.banksstreetbar.com
Hi-Ho Lounge: Ratty Scurvics, Ooops the Clown, Krewe
Delusion, 10pm
House Of Blues: Johnny Winter, Damon Fowler, 9pm
Howlin’ Wolf: Lillian Axe Album Release Party w/ Jet Set
Babylon, FREE
Les Bon Temps Roule: Gravy, 11pm
Louisiana Music Factory: Gina Forsyth, 2pm; Jack Brass
Band, 3pm
The Maison: Ramblin’ Letters, 5pm; the Essentials, 10pm;
DJ Jubilee, 10pm (Penthouse); Blue Party, 11pm; Big History,
12:30pm; Voodoo Town, 1:30pm
One Eyed Jacks: WTUL Presents Zola Jesus, Talk Normal
Siberia: Guitar Lightnin’ Lee & the Thunder Band, Natural
Child, Bipolaroid, the Jonesbirds, DJ Minor, 10pm
Southport Hall: Crowbar, Mountain of Wizard, the Devil’s
Rain, Creators of Original Sin, 10pm
Tipitina’s: They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Coulton, 9pm, $25
SUNDAY, 2/5
Apple Barrel: Eve’s Lucky Planet, 10pm
The Big Top: Two Simons From Two Nations, 10:30pm, $5
Circle Bar: Cranston Clements w/ Jimmy Robinson
Les Bon Temps Roule: The Krewe of Guza, 10:30pm
The Maison: Erin Demastes, 7pm; Low Stress, 10pm
Kool Kat’s: Super Bowl Afterparty w/ the Unnaturals, 9pm,
FREE
Rusty Nail: Super Bowl Party
Siberia: Mobile Death Camp, Synapse Defect, Crotchbreaker,
Chaos Aeon, 10pm
MONDAY, 2/6
House Of Blues: Allstar Weekend, 6pm (The Parish)
Siberia: World Inferno Friendship Society, My Graveyard
Jaw, Ratty Scurvics Trio, 10pm
TUESDAY, 2/7
Blue Nile: Steve Marquette w/ Jeff Albert, Brad Walker, Jesse
Morrow & Marcello Benetti, 10pm (Balcony Room)
Goldmine Saloon, 701 Dauphine St., (504)
586-0745, www.goldminesaloon.net
The Green Space, 2831 Marais Street
(504) 945-0240, www.thegreenproject.org
Handsome Willy’s, 218 S. Robertson St.,
(504) 525-0377, http://handsomewillys.
com
McKeown’s Books, 4737 Tchoupitoulas,
(504) 895-1954, http://mckeownsbooks.
net
Melvin’s, 2112 St. Claude Ave.
MVC, 9800 Westbank Expressway, (504)
234-2331, www.themvc.net
The Hangar, 1511 S. Rendon. (504) 8277419
Neutral Ground Coffee House, 5110
Danneel St., (504) 891-3381, www.
neutralground.org
Hi-Ho Lounge, 2239 St. Claude Ave. (504)
945-4446, www.myspace.com/hiholounge
Nowe Miasto, 223 Jane Pl., (504) 8216721
The Blue Nile, 534 Frenchmen St., (504) 948-2583
The Hookah, 309 Decatur St. (504-9431101), hookah-club.com
Ogden Museum, 925 Camp St., (504) 5399600
Broadmoor House, 4127 Walmsley, (504)
821-2434
Hot Iron Press Plant, 1420 Kentucky Ave.,
[email protected]
One Eyed Jacks, 615 Toulouse St., (504)
569-8361, www.oneeyedjacks.net
Carrollton Station, 8140 Willow St., (504)
865-9190, www.carrolltonstation.com
House Of Blues / The Parish, 225
Decatur, (504)310-4999, www.hob.com/
neworleans
Outer Banks, 2401 Palmyra (at S. Tonti),
(504) 628-5976, www.myspace.com/
outerbanksmidcity
The Howlin’ Wolf, 907 S. Peters, (504)
522-WOLF, www.thehowlinwolf.com
Republic, 828 S. Peters St., (504) 5288282, www.republicnola.com
Kajun’s Pub, 2256 St. Claude Avenue (504)
947-3735, www.myspace.com/kajunspub
Rusty Nail, 1100 Constance Street (504)
525-5515, www.therustynail.org/
Kim’s 940, 940 Elysian Fields, (504) 8444888
The Saturn Bar, 3067 St. Claude Ave.,
www.myspace.com/saturnbar
The Kingpin, 1307 Lyons St., (504) 8912373
Side Arm Gallery, 1122 St. Roch Ave.,
(504) 218-8379, www.sidearmgallery.org
Le Bon Temps Roule, 4801 Magazine St.,
(504) 895-8117
Southport Hall, 200 Monticello Ave., (504)
835-2903, www.newsouthport.com
Le Chat Noir, 715 St. Charles Ave., (504)
581-5812, www.cabaretlechatnoir.com
The Spellcaster Lodge, 3052 St. Claude
Avenue, www.quintonandmisspussycat.com
Lyceum Central, 618 City Park Ave., (410)
523-4182, http://lyceumproject.com
St. Roch Taverne, 1200 St. Roch Ave.,
(504) 945-0194
Lyon’s Club, 2920 Arlington St.
Tipitina’s, (Uptown) 501 Napoleon Ave.,
(504) 895-8477 (Downtown) 233 N. Peters,
www.tipitinas.com
Barrister’s Art Gallery, 2331 St. Claude Ave.
Bayou Park Bar, 542 S. Jeff. Davis Pkwy.
The Big Top, 1638 Clio St., (504) 569-2700,
www.3ringcircusproductions.com
Checkpoint Charlie’s, 501 Esplanade Ave.,
(504) 947-0979
Chickie Wah Wah, 2828 Canal Street (504)
304-4714, www.chickiewahwah.com
Circle Bar, 1032 St. Charles Ave., (504) 5882616, www.circlebar.net
Club 300, 300 Decatur Street, www.
neworleansjazzbistro.com
The Country Club, 634 Louisa St., (504) 9450742, www.countryclubneworleans.com
d.b.a., 618 Frenchmen St., (504) 942-373,
www.drinkgoodstuff.com/no
Der Rathskeller (Tulane’s Campus),
McAlister Dr., http://wtul.fm
Desperados, 801 Frenchmen St., (504) 9439900, [email protected]
Dragon’s Den, 435 Esplanade Ave., http://
myspace.com/dragonsdennola
The Maison, 508 Frenchmen St.,
maisonfrenchmen.com
Eldon’s House, 3055 Royal Street,
[email protected]
Maple Leaf, 8316 Oak St., (504) 866-9359
Fair Grinds Coffee House, 3133 Ponce de
Leon, (504) 913-9072, www.fairgrinds.com
18
Marlene’s Place, 3715 Tchoupitoulas,
(504) 897-3415, www.myspace.com/
marlenesplace
The Zeitgeist, 1618 Oretha Castle Haley
Blvd., (504) 827-5858, www.zeitgeistinc.
net
Vintage Uptown, 4523 Magazine St.,
[email protected]
Dragon’s Den: “Grassroots” 10th Anniversary
f/ Lyrikill, Thaione Davis, Chels, Marcel P.
Black, hosted by Truth Universal, 10pm, $5
Hi-Ho Lounge: Bon Bon Vivant, 10pm
Siberia: ANVIL, Mountain Wizard, Hades
Night DJ Penetrol, 10pm
WEDNESDAY, 2/8
Blue Nile: United Postal Project, 8pm; PYMP
f/ Danny Able, 11pm
Hi-Ho Lounge: Firebug & Voodoo Town,
10pm
House Of Blues: Rebelution: Peace of Mind
Tour w/ the Green, Pep Love, 8:30pm
Howlin’ Wolf: Baby Bee, 7pm
The Maison: Roy McGrath, 6pm
Maple Leaf: Johnny Vidacovich, 11pm
Siberia: Riotgod, Sunrise: Sunset, DiNOLA,
10pm
THURSDAY, 2/9
Circle Bar: The Other Planets, Sara
Quintana
d.b.a.: Jon Cleary, 7pm; Hurray for the Riff
Raff, Tumble Weeds, 10pm, $5
The Maison: John Dobry, 7pm; Lagniappe
Brass Band, 10pm
Maple Leaf: Johnny Vidacovich, 11pm
One Eyed Jacks: WTUL Presents Doomtree
Siberia: Sphynx, Noir Fonce, Rhodes!!, 10pm
FRIDAY, 2/10
Babylon: Necrotic Priapism, the Chronic
Death Slug, Fat Camp, 10pm
Banks Street Bar & Grill: The Hannah KB
Band, ABC Nite, 9pm
The Big Top: An Idea Like No Other
Presents Thou, Yob, 8pm, $5
Blue Nile: Big Chief Monk Boudreaux’s
Mardi Gras Party w/ Papa Mali, 11pm;
Voodoo Town, 10pm (Balcony Room)
Checkpoint Charlie’s: Eve’s Lucky Planet,
10pm
Circle Bar: Mike Hurtt and His Haunted
Hearts
The Cypress: Bellaport, Bear the Gentlemen,
Bonnie & Clyde, United Seas, 7pm
d.b.a.: Tuba Skinny, 6pm; Eric Lindell,
10pm, $10
Hi-Ho Lounge: Panorama Brass Band, 10pm
House Of Blues: Machine Head, Suicide
Silence, Darkest Hour, 7pm
Howlin’ Wolf: The Rap Pack’s Silent Disco
f/ GoDJs DatBoi, PK1
Les Bon Temps Roule: Tom Worrel, 7pm;
Country Fried, 10pm; Joe Krown Trio, 2am
The Maison: Courtyard Kings, 7pm;
Comedy Showcase, 8:30pm; Mainline, 10pm;
Soul Project, Midnight
Maple Leaf: Johnny Vidacovich, 11pm
One Eyed Jacks: Scott H. Biram; Lydia
Loveless, 9pm, $12
Despite having been been in the music business
for almost twenty years, I am just hearing of
Scott H. Biram. And what a shame that is.
From Texas, he plays what I lovingly refer to
as “shit-kicking music.” Melding influences
spanning from punk to bluegrass, Biram takes
the conventional ideas of country and blues
artists and gladly stomps all over them. Our
own Dan Jackson caught up with Biram in
between shows. You can check it out on page 9
of this issue. Opener Lydia Loveless is Biram’s
Bloodshot Records labelmate and adheres to a
similar “country with a punk attitude” aesthetic.
You will swill much cheap whiskey at this show.
And you will like it. -Erin Hall
Republic: Throwback w/ Force Feed Radio
Rusty Nail: N’awlins Johnnys, 10pm
Siberia: Eyehategod, Black Witch God, 10pm
SATURDAY, 2/11
Babylon: House of Goats, Bad Grass, 10pm
Banks Street Bar & Grill: Crescent Guns,
Spillway, Mike Belomi, 9pm
The Big Top: Krewe of Chewbacchus Presents
“Set Your Phasers to Stunning”a Sci-Fi Fashion
Show w/ DJ Razor, C.O.G., 8pm, $10
Blue Nile: Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, 7pm;
Brass-a-holics, 11pm; Hola Hi, 10pm (Balcony
Room)
Chickie Wah Wah: Mia Borders, 10pm
Circle Bar: White Colla Crimes, Blind Texas
Marlin
The Cypress: A Silent Tragedy, Awaken the
City, Dodging Catherine, To Crown a King,
Speaking the Kings, the Last of Our Kind, This
Romantic Tragedy, We are Defiance, 7pm
d.b.a.: John Boutte, 8pm, $5; Cedric Burnside
Project, 11pm, $10
Hi-Ho Lounge: Hopetown Happy Hour, 6pm;
Lynn Drury, 10pm
House Of Blues: Bustout Burlesque, 8pm,
10:30pm; Mike Doughty, the Book of Drugs
Reading/Concert/Q&A, 8pm (The Parish)
Les Bon Temps Roule: Taboo Brass Band,
11pm
The Maison: Kelcy Mae, 5pm; Zoogma w/
Earphunk, 10pm; DJ Otto, 10pm (Penthouse)
One Eyed Jacks: Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ
Swingers, Hot 8 Brass Band, Partners N Crime f/
the Big Easy Bounce Band
Rusty Nail: Jenn Howard & Crazy McGee,
10:30pm
Siberia: NOCULT Dance Party w/ DJs Drew
Lyons, Honey B, 10pm
SUNDAY, 2/12
Banks Street Bar & Grill: Tulsi, 9pm
Circle Bar: King Rey and the Unnaturals
Les Bon Temps Roule: Hooten Hallers,
10:30pm
The Maison: Cristina Perez, 7pm; Eric Gordon
and the Lazy Boys, 10pm
Siberia: Beautiful Bells, Off Balance Atlas,
Isidro, Articulated Works Visual Experience,
Selma Oxor, 10pm
Southport Hall: Dodging Cathrine, Define our
Pride, Nothing Solid, No Seasons Left, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Fishbone, Trombone Shorty, 9pm, $31
MONDAY, 2/13
Young Hedons f/ Michael Matthews, 11pm
Circle Bar: Native America, Benjamin Jones,
Buntum
Hi-Ho Lounge: Sick’s Pack Coming Home, 10pm
House Of Blues: Attack Attack!, the Ghost
Inside, Sleeping With Sirens, chunk! No,
captain chunk!, 6pm
Howlin’ Wolf: Baby Bee, 7pm
Les Bon Temps Roule: Egg Yolk Jubilee, 10pm
The Maison: Saint Anyway, 6pm
One Eyed Jacks: The Lemonheads,
Meredith Sheldon, Lovey Dovies, KG
Accidental, 9pm, $15
So The Lemonheads were never able to break
through in the 90s. And the only original
member currently with the band is frontman
Evan Dando. But It’s a Shame About Ray is still
a pretty awesome album and they’ll be playing
it in its entirety at this show. Openers Meredith
Sheldon is a sweet-voiced folk/rock singer; the
Lovey Dovies are a local rock group (featuring
AG’s own Dan Fox) specializing in reminding
you that grungy, sweaty rock is not dead and
getting the evening rolling is KG Accidental, a
female duo of WTUL DJs with a fervent passion
for rocking. -Erin Hall
Siberia: Jucifer, Solid Giant, Ponykiller,
10pm
Jucifer, the Athens, Georgia-based sludge metal
duo may be the loudest band on the planet. The
last time Jucifer came to town and played at
Siberia, my ears were ringing for two day after
the show. Their epic sound, which can primarily
be attributed to front-woman/guitarist Gazelle
Amber Valentine, comes from their completely
over the top cabinet amplifier set up, which
almost reaches the ceiling in height and must
be at least fifteen feet wide-- Jucifer cannot
play on a normal stage because of the massive
set up, so they normally play right in front of
you on the ground. The over-sized amps allow
Valentine’s guitar to reach such deafening levels
that it borders on being downright terrifying and
is almost certainly detrimental to your health.
As an added bonus, two great local bands will
be opening; the black/doom duo Solid Giant
and the ever-entertaining and unclassifiable
Ponykiller. -Dan Mitchell
Snug Harbor: Delfeayo Marsalis, 8pm, $15
Tipitina’s: Bunny Matthews’ Birthday Party
f/ Jean-Eric, the Jones Birds, 9pm
THURSDAY, 2/16
The Big Top: Muses afterparty w/ Debauche,
9pm, $7
Circle Bar: The Forthrights f/ Maddie
Ruthless, Sam Craft and Alexis Marceaux
d.b.a.: Los Po Boy Citos, 11pm, $5
TUESDAY, 2/14
The Maison: Ashton Hines’ Big Easy
Brawlers, 10pm; SoundClash Beat Battle, 10pm
Banks Street Bar & Grill: For Your Lungs Only (Penthouse)
(Alkaline Trio tribute), I’m Fine, Controller, 9pm
Maple Leaf: Johnny Vidacovich, 11pm, $10
Blue Nile: redrawblak, 10pm (Balcony Room)
Republic: Bassik f/ Doorly
One Eyed Jacks: WTUL Presents Thee Silver
Siberia: The Pallbearers, Toxic Rott, Split()
Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra
Lips, Classhole, Die Rotzz, FREE (Suggested
Siberia: V-Day DJ event w/ B.L.U.R.,
$3 donation)
Citoyens, Pr_ck, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Iris May Tango, 10pm
House Of Blues: The Polyphonic Spree, New
Fumes, 8pm
Siberia: Boom Bang, Turf Wars, Indian Givers, 10pm
WEDNESDAY, 2/15
Blue Nile: United Postal Project, 8pm; PYMP,
19
featured cocktail:
BLUSHING LADY
Pama Pomegranate Liqueur
and Pink Grapefruit
Featuring Sobieski Vodka
Served Up with a Sugared Rim
and a Lemon Wheel
www.slicepizzeria.com
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FRIDAY, 2/17
Allways Lounge: Not So Super Superhero
Costume Party “X” f/ NSSSH All-Stars,
Rotary Downs, Lagniappe Brass Band,
Not So Super Elvis, DJ Wikki, 10pm
Celebrating the decade mark this year, this
annual costumed gathering of musicians and
fans is a great way to close out the night that
kicks off the big Mardi Gras weekend for most
of us. Catch the satirical Krewe d’Etat uptown
and then head down to the Allways Lounge for
a super freaky time. Featuring The Lagniappe
Brass Band, Simon Lott, James Singleton, Justin
Peak, Chris Alford, Rotary Downs and (of
course) Elvis, the evening will consist of some
great music (I hear Rotary Downs will have a full
horn section!) and general merrymaking. Clever
costumes encouraged. Visit notsosuperheros.
com for inspiration and additional info. -Erin
Hall
Banks Street Bar & Grill: Egg Yolk Jubilee,
10pm
The Big Top: TWLOHA w/ Sirens, Curie,
Heartbreak Therapy, Pancake, Titanium
Caterpillars, Meta the Man, $5pm, $5
Blue Nile: Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes,
11pm; Soul Project, 10pm (Balcony Room)
Circle Bar: DJ Minor Strachan w/ DJs Tits
and Dicks
The Cypress: Too Soon for Symmetry, 7pm
d.b.a.: Hot Club of New Orleans, 6pm; Lost
Bayou Ramblers, 11pm, $10
Hi-Ho Lounge: Detroit Party Marching
Band, Minor Mishap Marching Band, the
Forthrights, DJs Karo & Beesknees, 9pm
House Of Blues: Better Than Ezra’s 2nd
Annual Krewe of Rocckus w/ Tonic, 10pm
Les Bon Temps Roule: Dave Reis, 7pm;
Juice, 10pm; Cha-Wa Indians, 2am
The Maison: Magnitude, 7pm; Brass-a-holics,
10pm; the Upstarts, Midnight
Republic: Throwback w/ Big History
Siberia: This Will Destroy You, Amen Dunes,
Mountain, England in 1819, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Funky Meters, 10pm
SATURDAY, 2/18
Banks Street Bar & Grill: Juice, 10pm
Blue Nile: Big Sam’s Masquerade Ball w/ Big
Sam’s Funky Nation, Flow Tribe, 11pm; Total
Riot Presents Strange Roux w/ Mississippi Rail
Company, Coyotes, 10pm (Balcony Room)
The Cypress: Monday Valentines, Viridian, 7pm
d.b.a.: George Porter Jr. & His Runnin’
Pardners, 11pm, $10
Dragon’s Den: DJ Spruce Bringsteen,
Innerlign, various artists, 9pm
Hi-Ho Lounge: Debauche, Maracatu NYC,
10pm
House Of Blues: Better Than Ezra’s 2nd
Annual Krewe of Rocckus w/ Big Sam’s Funky
Nation, 10pm
Les Bon Temps Roule: Mike Dillon w/
Carley Meyers, 11pm
The Maison: Ramblin Letters, 5pm; Los
Po Boy Citos, 10pm; Lagniappe Brass Band,
11:30pm
One Eyed Jacks: Morning 40 Federation,
King James and the Special men
Republic: DJ Jubilee
Siberia: Honky, Spickle, Sunrise: Sunset, 10pm
Southport Hall: Hate Eternal, Disciples of
Thrash Metal, the Void, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Galactic w/ Corey Glover &
Corey Henry, 10pm
SUNDAY, 2/19
Blue Nile: Fishbone w/ Khris Royal & Dark
Matter, Corey Glover, 11pm; Rory Danger &
the Danger Dangers, 9pm (Balcony Room)
Circle Bar: Jean Eric
d.b.a.: Papa Grows Funk w/ Big Chief Monk
Boudreaux, 11pm, $10
Dragon’s Den: Bass Church: Mochi Gras f/
Mochipet & various artists, 9pm
Les Bon Temps Roule: Mardi Gras Indians,
11pm; Soul Rebels, 11pm
The Maison: Yojimbo w/ Mike Dillon,
10pm; Talib Kweli, 10pm (DJ Set in the
Penthouse); Earphunk, Midnight; Naughty
Professor, 2am
One Eyed Jacks: New Orleans Bingo! Show
Republic: Bam Margera’s Boobie Bash
Rusty Nail: Cha Wa, 10pm
Siberia: Jack Oblivian & the Tennessee
Tearjerkers, John Paul Keith, King Louie’s
Missing Monuments, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Trombone Shorty’s 6th Annual
Bacchus Bash f/ Trombone Shorty & Orleans
Ave., Dirty Dozen Brass Band, 10pm
MONDAY, 2/20
The Big Top: Lundi Gras Bash w/ the
Honorable South, Bones, Joe Carroll, the Big
Light, 9pm, $7
Blue Nile: Soul Rebels, 10pm; Zena Moses &
the Rue Fiya All-Stars, 9pm (Balcony Room)
Checkpoint Charlie’s: Rough 7, the
Unnaturals, 10pm, FREE
Circle Bar: Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Cypress: DJ Ryan Rees, 7pm
d.b.a.: Lundi Gras w/ Glen David Andrews,
11pm, $5
Les Bon Temps Roule: Grayson Capps, 10pm
The Maison: Dirty Bourbon River Show,
10pm; Mannie Fresh DJ set, 10pm (Penthouse);
Debauche, 11:30pm; Vagabond Swing, 1:30pm
One Eyed Jacks: Quintron & Miss Pussycat,
Bass Drum of Death, Har Mar Superstar,
Marijuana Deathsquads, KG Accidental
Republic: Lundifest f/ Juvenile
Rusty Nail: Country Fried, 10pm
Siberia: Egg Yolk Jubilee, R. Scully’s Rough
7, 10pm
Southport Hall: VNV Nation Industrial,
Electronica Dance Party, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Lundi Gras w/ Galactic f/ Corey
Glover & Corey Henry, the Soul Rebels, 10pm
TUESDAY, 2/21
Banks Street Bar & Grill: Sebastian & the
Funky Four, 9pm
Blue Nile: Gravy, 4pm; the Fessters Annual
Mardi Gras Party, 8pm
The Cypress: Voodoo Glow Skulls, Authority
Zero, Slyfox, the Vapo Rats, the Switchers, 7pm
d.b.a.: Mardi Gras w/ Gypsyphonic Disko,
New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, 3pm; Treme
Brass Band, 8pm, $5
Hi-Ho Lounge: Mardi Gras Indian
Orchestra, 3pm
The Maison: Magnitude, 3pm; Gene’s Music
Machine, 6pm; MojoFlo, 10pm; DJ Otto &
Friends, 10pm (Penthouse); Barry Stephenson’s
Pocket, Midnight
Siberia: Mars, Pilgrim, Slowbull, Mountain of
Wizard, 10pm
DC’S NEW 52 CONTINUES
IN 2012!!! RECOMMENDED:
WEDNESDAY, 2/22
Hi-Ho Lounge: Shovels and Rope, My
Graveyard Jaw, Alynda Lee, 9pm
The Maison: Drew Calhoun, 6pm
Snug Harbor: Delfeayo Marsalis, 8pm, $15
THURSDAY, 2/23
d.b.a.: The Other Planets, 10pm, $5
The Maison: David Mahoney, 7pm
Siberia: The Kid Carsons, 10pm
FRIDAY, 2/24
Banks Street Bar & Grill: Dave Peyton, 10pm
Blue Nile: Kermit Ruffins & the BBQ
Swingers, 7pm; Truth Universal, 10pm
21
The Cypress: Before the Dreamer, Carpe
Diem, the World Above Us, 7pm
d.b.a.: Meschiya Lake & the Little Bighorns,
6pm; Iris May Tango, 10pm, $5
House Of Blues: Prytania and Alexander Fly,
Enharmonic Souls, 10pm (The Parish)
Les Bon Temps Roule: Cindy Chen, 7pm;
Gravy Flavored Kisses, 11pm
The Maison: Ingrid Lucia, 7pm
Republic: Throwback w/ DJ Kemistry
Rusty Nail: Kirk Holder, 10pm
Siberia: Katey Red SXSW Fundraiser w/ Big
Freedia, Magnolia Rhome, JC Styles, DJ Shay,
10pm
SATURDAY, 2/25
Banks Street Bar & Grill: The Remedy
Krewe, 10pm
Blue Nile: Luke Winslow King, 7pm; Derrick
Freeman Smoker’s World, 10pm (Balcony
Room)
The Cypress: Miracle at St. Anna, OH! the
Moment, ManVsMachine, Ocean’s Aftermath,
Jump the Sky, No Need for Armor, Carpe
Diem, 7pm
d.b.a.: John Boutte, 8pm, $5; Joe Krown Trio
w/ Walter Wolfman Washington and Russell
Batiste, 11pm, $5
Les Bon Temps Roule: Rx Filled, 11pm
The Maison: The Ramblin’ Letters, 5pm
Palmer Park: Eve’s Lucky Planet, 2:30pm
Siberia: Catheter, Laughing Dog,
Gasmiasma, Impressionable Youth, 10pm
MONDAYS
Banks Street Bar & Grill: N’awlins Johnnys,
9pm
Bayou Park Bar: The Hooch Riders, 9pm
Checkpoint Charlie’s: Karaoke, 9pm
Circle Bar: Kelly Carlyle, 6pm
d.b.a.: Luke Winslow King, 6pm; Glen David
Andrews, 9pm, $5
Desperados: Kickball Disassociation After
Party & Old Timey Music, 9pm
Dragon’s Den: Slide Guitar Domenic
Hi-Ho Lounge: Blue Grass Pickin’ Party, 8pm
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Gerald
French and the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band,
8pm
The Maison: Swing classes w/ NOLA
Jitterbugs, 6pm (Penthouse); Royal Roses, 7pm;
Super Jam, 9:30pm
Preservation Hall: St. Peter Street Playboys
featuring Maynard Chatters
Spotted Cat: Brett Richardson, 4pm;
Dominick Grillo and the Frenchmen St. AllStars, 6pm; Kristina Morales & the Bayou
Shufflers, 10pm [1st & 3rd Mondays]/The Jazz
Vipers, 10pm [2nd, 4th & 5th Mondays]
TUESDAYS
Blue Nile: Mark McGrain & Plunge w/ James
Singleton & Tom Fitzpatrick, 10pm
House Of Blues: Insomniac & Ampersand
Present: Excision-the X Tour, 8pm
Siberia: Eternal Decay, Serpentis, Legions of
Hoar Frost, 10pm
Banks Street Bar & Grill: Roy McGrath
Jazz Jam, 9pm
Bayou Park Bar: Walter Wolfman
Washington, 9pm
d.b.a.: Treme Brass Band, 9pm, $5
Carrollton Station: Acoustic Open Mic,
9pm
Café Negril: John Lisi and Delta Funk, 7pm
d.b.a.: Treme Brass Band, 9pm, $5
Desperados: Noxious Noize Tuesdays, 9pm
Dragon’s Den: Climate Change Hip-Hop
Nite
Hi-Ho Lounge: Euclid Records Triva w/ DJ
Lefty Parker, 8pm
The Hookah: Entourage Ent. Presents HipHop Night, 10pm
Howlin’ Wolf: LIVE IN THE DEN: Stupid
Time Machine Improv Comedy, 8:30pm
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Jason
Marsalis, 8pm
The Maison: Gregory Agid Quartet, 6pm;
Magnitude, 9pm
Mimi’s in the Marigny: Michael Hebert,
8pm; the Emilonius Quartet, 9pm
Preservation Hall: The Preservation HallStars featuring Shannon Powell
The Rusty Nail: Open Mic w/ Whiskey T.,
8pm
The Saint Tikioke, 9pm, FREE
Spotted Cat: Brett Richardson, 4pm; Smokin’
Time Jazz Club (1st Tuesday), Tuba Skinny
(2nd & 3rd Tuesdays), Aurora Nealand and The
Royal Roses (4th & 5th Tuesday),6pm; Meschiya
Lake & the Little Big Horns, 10pm
WEDNESDAY, 2/29
WEDNESDAYS
House Of Blues: Saul Williams, 9pm (The
Parish)
Howlin’ Wolf: Pre-Rock Boat Party w/
Carbon Leaf
One Eyed Jacks: The Legendary Shack
Shakers, the Dirt Daubers
Rusty Nail: Opera on Tap, 6pm
Siberia: Leap Year Fetish Party w/ Ratty Scurvics’
Mimes of Terror & the Pornopticon, 10pm
12 Bar: Brass-a-holics, 9pm
AllWays Lounge: Major Bacon Blues Show,
10pm
Banks Street Bar & Grill: Major Bacon,
10pm
The Bar: Musician Appreciation Night, 7pm
Bayou Park Bar: U.S. Nero & Friends, 9pm
Blue Nile: United Postal Project, 8pm;
Gravity A w/ Special Guests, 11pm
The Box Office: Dan Wallace Quartet, 7pm
Carrollton Station: Standup Comedy Open
Mic, 9pm
Checkpoint Charlie’s: T-Bone Stone, 7pm
Circle Bar: Jim O. and The No Shows w/
Mama Go-Go, 6pm
d.b.a.: Tin Men, 7pm; Walter Wolfman
SUNDAY, 2/26
Banks Street Bar & Grill: The Plum
Magnetic, 9pm
Checkpoint Charlie’s: 3rd Annual Mardi
Gras Recovery Party w/ Crotchbreaker,
Demonicc Destruction, Split()Lips, A Hanging,
the Unnaturals, Norco Lapalco, Fat Camp,
Bruiser’s House of Surf
Circle Bar: The Lushingtons
d.b.a.: Lynn Drury, 10pm, $5
The Maison: Cindy Scott, 7pm; Corporate
America, 10pm
Siberia: Luau Party w/ Hawaii 5-04, DJs
Pineapple, Alison F., Matty, Pasta, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Cajun Fais Do-Do f/ Bruce
Daigrepont, 5:30pm
MONDAY, 2/27
Siberia: Singer/Songwriter Night, 10pm
TUESDAY, 2/28
THURSDAY, 3/1
Circle Bar: Washboard Rodeo
House Of Blues: Dropkick Murphys, Frank
Turner, the Mahones, 8pm
22
WEEKLY EVENTS
Washington and The Roadmasters, 10pm, $5
Deckbar: Blues & Beyond Jam w/ John Lisi &
Delta Funk, 8pm
Dragon’s Den: DJ T-Roy Presents:
Dancehall Classics, 10pm, $5
Hi-Ho Lounge: DJ Bees Knees & SINful
Friends, 10pm
The Hookah: Entourage Ent. Presents HipHop Night, 10pm
Howlin’ Wolf: Baby Dee, 9pm (Live in the
Den)
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Kipori
Woods, 5pm; Irvin Mayfield’s NOJO Jam, 8pm
The Maison: The Upstars, 9pm; The
Penthouse Sessions, 10pm (Penthouse)
Preservation Hall: The Preservation Hall
Jazz Band featuring Mark Braud
The R Bar: DJ Lefty Parker
The Rusty Nail: Jenn Howard’s Jazz Set,
8pm
Spotted Cat: Brett Richardson, 4pm; Free
Swing Dance Lessons, 5pm; The Orleans,
6pm; St. Louis Slim and the Frenchmen St. Jug
Band, 10pm
Yuki: Mojotoro Tango Trio, 8pm
THURSDAYS
Banks Street Bar & Grill: RX Filled, 10pm
Bayou Park Bar: Pocket Aces Brass Band
Blue Nile: Micah McKee & the Little Movers,
7pm; DJ T-Roy Presents Reggae Night, 10pm;
My So Called ’90s Dance Party, 10pm (Balcony
Room)
Circle Bar: Sam and Boone, 6pm
Desperados: Loose Marbles, 9pm
Dragon’s Den: Basebin Safari w/ DJ Proppa
Bear, 10pm
Fortier Park (3100 Esplanade): Drum
Circle, 6pm
Hi-Ho Lounge: Stooges Brass Band, 10pm
The Hookah: Studio 504 Disco Dance Night,
9pm
Howlin’ Wolf: Comedy Gumbeaux, 8pm
(Live in the Den)
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Roman
Skakun, 5pm; Treme Night feat. James
Andrews, 8pm
La Nuit Comedy Theater: A.S.S.tronot,
8:30pm
Les Bon Temps Roule: Brass-a-holics, 11pm
The Maison: Those Peaches, 5pm
One Eyed Jacks: Fast Times ’80s Dance
Night, 10pm
Republic: LEGIT, 10pm, $7
The Rusty Nail: Boozin’ Bingo, 8pm
Spotted Cat: Brett Richardson, 4pm; Miss
Sophie Lee, 6pm; Smokin’ Time Jazz Club,
10pm
FRIDAYS
Bayou Park Bar: The Revealers, 10pm
The Big Top: Friday Night Music Camp,
5pm
Blue Nile: DJ Real and Black Pearl, Midnight
(Upstairs)
Checkpoint Charlie’s: Hooch Riders, 4pm
Circle Bar: Jim O. and The Sporadic
Fanatics, 6pm
Desperados: Michael James and His
Lonesome, 9pm; Bobby Bouzouki, 11pm
Hi-Ho Lounge: Stooges Brass Band, 9:30pm
The Hookah: College Fridays, events. HipHop, DJ, 10pm
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Professor
Piano Series, 5pm; Leon “ Kid Chocolate”
Brown, 8pm; Burlesque Ballroom f/ Trixie
Minx , midnight
La Nuit Comedy Theater: God’s Been
Drinking, 10pm, $10
Le Bon Temps Roule: Joe Krown Live
Piano, 7pm, 9pm
The Maison: Those Peaches, 5pm; Buena
Vista Social Latin Dance Party, 10pm
(Penthouse)
One-Eyed Jacks: Running with Scissors
presents Grenadine McGunkle’s Double-Wide
Christmas, 7pm
Preservation Hall: The Preservation Hall
Jazz Masters featuring Leroy Jones
Republic: Throwback, 11pm
Spotted Cat: Brett Richardson, 4pm;
Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, 6pm; New
Orleans Cottonmouth Kings, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Tipitina’s Foundation Free
Friday!, 10pm
SATURDAYS
Blue Nile: DJ Real and Black Pearl, 1am
(Balcony Room)
Circle Bar: The Jazzholes, 6pm
d.b.a.: John Boutte, 8pm
The Hangar: Ladies Night
The Hookah: Entourage Saturdays, 10pm
House of Blues: Sabado, Fuego, DJ Juanes,
DJ Q, Midnight (The Parish @ House Of
Blues)
La Nuit Comedy Theater: ComedySportz
(1st/3rd Saturdays), 7pm
LePhare: DJ Jive
The Maison: Smoking Time Jazz Club, 7pm
One-Eyed Jacks: Running with Scissors
presents Grenadine McGunkle’s Double-Wide
Christmas, 7pm
Republic: Evolution: Holiday Spirit Edition
Spotted Cat: Panarama Jazz Band, 6pm
Bayou Park Bar: Roarshark, 4pm
Blue Nile: Mykia Jovan, 7pm; Mainline, 10pm
Café Negril: John Lisi and Delta Funk, 7pm
Checkpoint Charlie’s: Acoustic Open Mic
w/ Jim Smith, 7pm
Circle Bar: Drink N Draw, 3pm; Micah
McKee and Friends, 6pm
d.b.a.: The Palmetto Bug Stompers, 6pm;
Indian Practice w/ Big Chief Smiley Ricks,
10pm, $5
Desperados: Stumps the Clown’s Variety
Show Sundays f/ Jo Robbin, Stalebread Scotty
& More, 9pm
Dragon’s Den: Bass Church: Dubstep for the
Masses, 10pm (Upstairs)
Hi-Ho Lounge: Skinz&Bonez Indian
Practice, 6pm; Sarah Quintana’s Sirens, 7pm
The Hookah: “Taste” w/ DJ RQaway & the
Room Sevice Band, 10pm
House of Blues: The Sunday Gospel Brunch,
10am; Poppa’s Party House, Midnight (The
Parish)
Howlin’ Wolf: Brass Band Sundays w/ Hot 8
Brass Band
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Tyler’s
Revisited f/ Germaine Bazzle and Paul
Longstreth, 7pm
Le Bon Temps Roule: Chapter Soul f/
Calvin Johnson, Kirk Joseph & Kevin O’Day,
9pm
The Maison: Dave Easley Trio, 5pm
Spotted Cat: Rights of Swing, 3pm; Kristina
Morales, 6pm (1st/3rd Sun.)/Ben Polcer and the
Grinders (2nd/4th Sun.), Pat Casey & the New
Sound, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Cajun Fais do do f/ Bruce
Daigrepont, 5:30pm
SUNDAYS
Banks Street Bar & Grill: Ron Hotstream
and the F-Holes, 9pm
23
24
Bones at Siberia (Gary LoVerde)
Empress Hotel Reopens the Circle Bar (Josh Brasted)
Knuckle tat pride with Alynda Lee Segarrat of Hurray for the Riff Raff and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes at One Eye Jack’s (Josh Brasted)
Robosaurus roars at the Mercedes Benz Superdome