The environmentally conscious festival on the banks of Bayou St. John, which kicks off Friday afternoon and continues through Sunday evening, has something for everyone. An art market, yoga and kids’ activities make it a very inclusive affair. But what I like most about the festival is its continuing focus on new and up-and-coming bands.
Of course, everyone is excited about headliners like Ed Volker and Trio Mollusc, Big Freedia, and Eric Lindell, but the fest also gives more casual listeners a chance to hear bands other people have been talking about.
Three bands that have been featured on TVD in the past—Tank and the Bangas, Sweet Crude, and Daria and the Hip Drops, represent the future of New Orleans music.
Tank and the Bangas are fascinating. Fronted by a vivacious woman, as are the other two bands, the group’s sound is an amalgamation of many influences. At times they are jazzy, with two saxophonists, at times they are theatrical with elements of hip-hop and spoken word poetry, and with three backing vocalists they sing their asses off.
Same goes for Sweet Crude. The band has been generating all kinds of press for their lyrical mixture of Cajun French and English, and more recently their ability to create compelling indie rock without the use of a guitar (see this story in Thursday’s New Orleans Advocate). But for this listener, it’s their communal exuberance that makes the band so enjoyable.
Daria and the Hip Drops also make original music outside the typical parameters of the city’s often-congealed influences. The front woman plays the steel pan, an instrument more common to the Caribbean islands south of us. I have seen the group several times over the last few years, and based on a recent set at Tipitina’s, they have turned it up a notch.
Other bands I can recommend to be on the lookout for include Funk Monkey, Cardinal Sons, Gillet and Singleton, and Mike Dillon.
However, these recommendations would not be complete, nor would my thesis about the booking policy of the Bayou Boogaloo be accurate, without mentioning the bands I have not seen, but are generating a little buzz elsewhere. This group includes Gravy-Flavored Kisses (I plan to check them out just because of their moniker), Vox and the Hound, and Mister Fred’s Round Pegs featuring Beth Patterson, Lynn Drury, John Lisi and Mark Mullins. For the full schedule click the link at top.
