Category Archives: TVD New Orleans

The first ever performance of two of the leading singer/songwriters on the new New Orleans scene will be a bittersweet night for the two musicians, Kathryn Rose Wood and Mikayla Braun. Steve Panacek, the guitarist who plays in both of the women’s bands is leaving town to test the waters in New York. The night at Gasa Gasa will be celebration of their long association with the axe-slinger and sound engineer.

Dubbed, the Braun-Wood Band, this one-time-only effort will exponentially raise the quotient as they unite their considerable musical powers. Though the two have performed on the same bill and collaborated in the past, this special show will showcase their original music in duet form with a full backing band.

Braun and Wood began occasionally performing alongside one another in the spring of 2016. Soulful song selections, sublime harmonies, and natural camaraderie resonated with audience members. It made sense to continue their musical alliance on a larger scale.

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With Mardi Gras falling rather early this year on February 13, the Carnival season is compressed into less than two months. But with 12th night falling on a Saturday, the festivities will start with a bang. Following the traditional streetcar ride of the Phunny Phorty Phellows, which leaves the Willow Street Streetcar barn at 7 PM, head over to the Maple Leaf Bar for live music.

The 101 Runners have become the go-to act for celebrating the season and the Mardi Gras Indian band headlines the evening. This is their eleventh year getting Carnival started at the Leaf. The opening act is a new group on the scene, the Iceman Special.

Percussionist Chris Jones leads the 101 Runners. The band is made of some of New Orleans finest musicians including uber-sousaphonist Kirk Joseph, drummer Raymond Weber, keyboard player Tom Worrell, and guitarist June Yamagishi. But the main attraction is the spirited black Indian chanting and tambourine work of Big Chief Juan Pardo and Isaac Kinchen of the Golden Comanche tribe.

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Though TVD may be on holiday break for the next two weeks, the music keeps on coming. Next Thursday, the Trombone Shorty Foundation, the Gia Maione Prima Foundation, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation present the annual “Tunes for Toys.” This free concert begins at 7 PM at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz and Heritage Center. Everyone is encouraged to bring a new toy in exchange for admission.

“Tunes for Toys” will feature music from New Breed Brass Band with special guest Trombone Shorty and students from the Trombone Shorty Academy. “This toy drive is very special to my heart,” says Foundation founder Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. “We love being able to showcase our Academy students’ hard work, and also give back to children in the Tremé community where I was born and raised.”

The New Breed Brass Band includes members of the latest generation of musicians to emerge from the Tremé neighborhood. Snare drummer Jenard Andrews leads the band. Andrews is the son of Tremé legend James “Satchmo of the Ghetto” Andrews. Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is his uncle.

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He’s one of the last remaining links to the glory days of the New Orleans Rhythm and Blues scene in the 1950s. And he’s still on the top of his game as a guitarist, vocalist, and bandleader. Fans and music lovers will have a chance to wish Walter “Wolfman” Washington a happy birthday four times this week.

His regular Wednesday night gig at D.B.A. is a favorite mid-week show for locals and visitors alike. It begins at 10 PM and Washington will be appearing with his longtime ensemble, the Roadmasters. Thursday is a special early evening performance as part of the ongoing music series at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. The show begins at 6 PM.

Washington will be a special guest Friday night at Tipitina’s when Anders Osborne begins his annual two-night Holiday Spectacular. Osborne always brings his A-game and very special guests are expected. Besides, Washington, Ivan Neville and Rickie Lee Jones are on the bill.

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Sousaphonist Kirk Joseph is one of the busiest musicians in town. Yet, even he was surprised by his answer when asked to recall the last time his solo act played at a club in New Orleans. It was over twelve years ago (not counting last night’s performance at the Three Keys) and the gig was at the Maple Leaf Bar where the band returns Friday night.

The membership in the Backyard Groove has changed a bit over the years. Longtime collaborators, saxophonist Tom Fitzpatrick and trombonist Mark McGrain are on board. Joining them on the front line is trumpeter Kevin Lewis. Guitarist Takeshi Shimmura, a regular on the Backyard Groove’s festival gigs, will be laying down his sterling licks. Keyboardist/vocalist Lilli Lewis and Joseph’s cousin, drummer Jaz Butler round out the latest version of the band.

Fans the world over know Joseph as a founding member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The uber-sousaphonist, as I dubbed him some years back, helped develop the sound of the first brass band to begin integrating modern sounds into traditional New Orleans jazz. Check the vid below of them playing back in the day at the storied Central City music hot spot, the Glass House.

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PHOTOS: EDDY GUTIERREZ | Two months ago, the CubaNOLA Arts Collective presented an incredible set by the Cuban band Interactivo Esencial at the New Orleans Jazz Market. Dancers, Cuban music lovers, and anyone interested in hearing the latest sounds emanating from the island nation should head back to the wonderful space on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd for what should be another amazing performance by Telmary and Habana Sana. Show time is 9 PM and the Saints game will be televised. La Cubana food truck will be out all evening for the game and the concert.

Every year at Jazz Fest there is one act that everyone is talking and writing about as the post fest reviews come in. This year it was Telmary and her amazing band. If you missed it, here’s what I had to say, “The best of the fest for the first weekend goes to Cuban singer and rapper Telmary. Her band, Habana Sana, featured a female conga player; a female pianist/flutist/vocalist, and two backing vocalists/percussionists along with rock band instrumentation.

The energy was through the roof as the drum-tight band percolated over her mile-a-minute rapping. She had a few things to say in English including “I’m ready to jump for the Mardi Gras!” Looks like she’s back a few months early.

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When Hurricane Nate was threatening the gulf coast, the city of New Orleans ill-advisedly instituted a city-wide curfew 36 hours before the unpredictable storm was slated to make landfall. Perhaps the early warning was because of devastation wrought in Houston or long memories of Katrina. Though the storm ended up to the east of us, numerous shows were cancelled including Bonerama’s album release party.

Back in October, their seventh studio album, Hot Like Fire, the first on New Orleans’ premier independent label, Basin Street Records, was released on schedule and has been earning rave reviews. Due to the only-in-New Orleans, trombone-driven funky rock band’s relentless touring schedule, the party was rescheduled for Saturday night. Darcy Malone and the Tangle are the opening act.

Bonerama first burst on the scene twenty years ago with a sound unlike anyone had ever heard. With three trombones out front, led by founding members Mark Mullins and Craig Klein, the group moved past genres into a category of one.

With a sousaphone and drum kit (Matt Perrine and Walt Lundy respectively) driving the beat, they can sound like a brass band. With a driving electric guitar, played with jazzy aplomb by Bert Cotton, they can rock. Given this is a New Orleans band through and through, heavy funk is in the DNA as well provided in a large part by third trombonist Greg Hicks. Consider his solo on the album’s last cut, “Christiania.”

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The last time I saw The Crooked Vines was on Halloween night. They were tearing it up in front on a costumed crowd at the BMC. Tonight, they will celebrate the release of Alive, their sophomore effort, at the Howlin’ Wolf. Kathryn Rose Wood and Aaron Benjamin open the show at 8 PM.

The band is classified as “rock” but their complex sound featuring a chugging horn section allows them to display musical chops and influences ranging from jazz and progressive rock to folk and funk. The album showcases their ability to combine genres into compelling songs.

Lyrically, the tunes include thought-provoking narratives touching on a wide range of emotions. A theme of personal growth runs through the album mirroring the development of the band as a unit and as individuals. Live, they just put on one hell of a show. Just ask the guy in the comb over baldhead wig and witching woman twitching on the dance floor on Halloween.

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“I wrote ‘Mysterious’ about platonic love and the sometimes strange behavior of the heart. I dedicated this EP to all of the forms of love that are not typically written about. Love is all we have and even though the heart can be mysterious, I choose to follow it.”
—Jackie Venson

As we wrote just last month, fresh off a tour with fellow Austin, Texas guitarist and vocalist Gary Clark Jr. with whom she has been compared, Jackie Venson’s new EP, “Transcends” features compositions that highlight an increased focus on her songwriting. Picking up the guitar in only 2011 during her final year at the Berklee College of Music where she studied classical piano, the focus since has been solely on her guitar work.

Last year, she released Jackie Venson Live to rave reviews from Guitar Player magazine and the Austin Chronicle among others, as well as a spot on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Venson is one of a new generation of blues and roots performers who embrace technology. While she often tours with a three-piece combo, she also plays solo using loops and pedals to create a powerful sound.

Venson is currently working on new music and plans to hit the road again in January.

Back in 1997 when I was following Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers to nearly every gig they played, one of the standout performances in the era was for the recording of a live album at Tipitina’s. Ruffins hadn’t played at the world famous club very many times since leaving the Rebirth Brass Band, so it was an occasion.

The recording turned out to be the first release of the fledgling Basin Street Records label. Now, dozens of albums later, Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers and Basin Street are back where it all began to celebrate the label’s anniversary. They are also releasing that seminal recording, The Barbecue Swingers Live, on vinyl for the first time!

There are a couple of other Basin Street artists on the bill. Trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, whose recent collaboration with Ruffins, A Beautiful World, recently hit #1 on the Billboard jazz chart, will be appearing with his band Cirque du Freque.

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PHOTO: JASON KRUPPA | Preservation Hall will resound with the mile-a-minute raps of Boyfriend, the nerd-eclectic rapper, songwriter, and performance artist on Friday and Saturday night long after the traditional jazz bastion has said goodbye to the last fans of clarinets, sousaphones, and trumpets. Her sets start at midnight both nights.

The show is a very special one coinciding with both the Voodoo Music Experience, which is taking over City Park all weekend, and Halloween celebrations in New Orleans. The show, called “Hag,” is a scripted and immersive, three-act concert-experience. Boyfriend wrote, directs, and produces the show.

“Hag” features a variety of performers playing different roles. Boyfriend is listed as the “bride,” the “whore,” and the “hag.” The three acts each have names. Act I is “The Ideal Woman,” act II is “Into the Brothel…,” and act II is “To the Dark Side.” For fans of Boyfriend and curious newcomers interested in the sex-positive, female artist known for performing in lingerie and giant curlers, this will be an experience like no other. Tickets are going fast, so get yours a soon as possible.

This past June, TVD was honored to premiere the song, “Where Do I Go From Here,” from local eclectic pop band, Nyce! Today we present the world premiere of the video for “Sweet Samantha” from the same album, Quarter Life Crisis. The album is the second from the band and this is their first official music video.

The song’s lyrics explore lust, passion, and the imagination. The music video, filmed and directed by Jazmarae Beebe, illustrates these themes with an enigmatic storyline, which involves a photographer’s obsession over three women… or so it appears.

Nyce! began as a violin/upright bass acoustic duo busking in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Along with this music video and the recent release of Quarter Life Crisis, the band has been playing various venues in New Orleans and touring regularly throughout the Northeast and the South.

On November 7th, Nyce! will be launching an indie gogo campaign for their next album, Night and Day. They have an elaborate and exciting crowd-funding plan to help finish the recording process.

Fresh off a tour with fellow Austin, Texas guitarist and vocalist Gary Clark Jr. with whom she has been compared, Jackie Venson will bring her powerful stage presence, mesmerizing voice, and hot guitar licks to the Den at the Howlin’ Wolf on Sunday night.

Venson’s new album, Transcends, features compositions that highlight an increased focus on her songwriting. Picking up the guitar in only 2011 during her final year at the Berklee College of Music where she studied classical piano, the focus since has been solely on her guitar work.

Last year, she released Jackie Venson Live to rave reviews from Guitar Player magazine and the Austin Chronicle among others, as well as a spot on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

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PHOTOS: DENNIS McDONOUGH | 28-year old blues phenom Samantha Fish and her five piece band complete with horns got the crowd warmed up for headliner Robert Cray with a scintillating set of scorching uptempo songs and haunting ballads.

Fish, who grew up in Kansas City and now resides in New Orleans, is a powerful live performer. Her guitar work shows the influences of the blues greats that came before her including Buddy Guy and her mentor Mike Zito. But it’s her voice, particularly on the slow burn numbers, which sets her apart from other female blues and roots musicians.

As a singer, she fully invests herself in each song and despite her young age, the blues being a style that needs to be lived in for a while, she comes across emotionally. She can really sell a song.

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Funk guitar legend Leo Nocentelli will add his stellar chops to an all-star aggregation that comes together periodically to celebrate the funk legacy of New Orleans pianist, songwriter, producer, and vocalist Eddie Bo. King James and the Special Men, another local ensemble in debt to the R&B greats of New Orleans, will kick the show off upstairs in the Little Gem Ramp Room.

The New Soul Finders! feature Marilyn Barbarin—one of Bo’s primary vocalists during his funk period with the original Soul Finders. The new version of the band includes guitarist Marc Stone, bassist Reggie Scanlan, keyboardist Tom Worrell, and drummer Terry Scott, Jr. of Dr. John’s band. Special guests include guitarist and vocalist Papa Mali, percussionist Mike Dillon, and sousaphonist Kirk Joseph of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Next generation soul shouter John Paul Carmody will handle vocals as well.

Like many musicians who grew up in New Orleans in the 1950s and 1960s, Leo Nocentelli has a history with Eddie Bo. Before he became a household name for creating such Meters classics as “Cissy Strut” and “Sophisticated Cissy,” he cut his teeth performing live with Eddie Bo. He also worked as a session guitarist for New Orleans’ premier producer/composer Allen Toussaint.

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