I have been waiting, somewhat impatiently, since the zoning overlay permitting live music on Freret Street was enacted in 2006 for there to be live music on Freret Street (besides the monthly Freret Market.) Now it’s happening.
Located on the corner of Freret and Cadiz, the Freret Street Publiq House is a gorgeous new venue that features specialty cocktails, craft beer, and free popcorn. But I am most excited by the potential for some great shows uptown. The room is large enough to feature many of the bands that play at the Maple Leaf Bar and at venues on Frenchmen Street.
Last Thursday I went for happy hour to hear the Honey Island Swamp Band’s Chris Mule play with his side project the Perpetrators. Despite virtually no publicity, there were about ten people in attendance.
Mule’s band features two veterans of the local scene. Tom Marron plays fiddle and harmonica. He is perhaps best known for his stint in the sorely missed Song Dogs. That band, whose career is chronicled in my book, Up Front and Center: New Orleans Music at the End of the 20th Century, was a super group of sorts that almost got signed to a major label in the 1990s.
The other recognizable face in Mule’s band is percussionist Alfred “Uganda” Roberts. He was Professor Longhair’s longtime conga player.
The club and its bar are L-shaped allowing people to congregate along the Freret Street side. The stage sits at the back of a wide area along Cadiz Street that features tall tables and bar stools with enough space for a small dance floor up front. There are flat screen televisions on the wall; a giant screen descends over the stage for sporting events. During Mule’s performance, the flat screens in the music area went dark allowing patrons to pay attention to the music.
The club already has some shows scheduled including performances by Colin Lake, The New Orleans Nightingales, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, and the Brass-a-holics. Go to their site for details and friend them on Facebook.
