The music and festivities get started at 11 AM on Saturday morning and continue all day and well into the night. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Here are our picks for the day. The full schedule is here.
I love when festival organizers book up-and-coming bands. Though I haven’t heard Doombalaya, I love their name and given the track record of this fest, I expect they will impress. They hit at 12 noon after a breakfast set from Mardi Gras Indian funkateers, Cha Wa.
Of course, since Doombalaya is up against Zigaboo’s Funk Revue it may be hard to skip one of the originators of New Orleans funk. However, Zig will be reprising his Friday evening set with Foundation of Funk at 3 PM on Saturday, so there’s another chance to hear the drummer from the original Meters.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe is at the top of my picks list for Saturday. A stellar saxophonist who has recently been touring with none other than the Rolling Stones (filling the big, big shoes of the late Bobby Keys), his band is flat out amazing. They walk the thin line between jazz and funk with aplomb. He’s also a founding member of the Greyboy Allstars if you’re keeping track.
Lettuce makes their second appearance of the festival at 6:15 PM followed by an unusually named band, Green is Beautiful with Eddie Roberts. The “Green” in question is the great soul/jazz guitarist Grant Green and Roberts’ tribute to the legend will be off the hook. The band features keyboardist Robert Walter (also a founding member of the Greyboy Allstars), bassist Chris Stillwell of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and the Greyboy Allstars, and drummer Alan Evans of Soulive. Special note for those with serious stamina: Roberts is presenting the tribute late on Saturday night at the Maple Leaf Bar.
The Flaming Lips headline the Bear Creek Bayou festival’s closing night followed by a set by Lotus. Miley Cyrus is an avowed fan and collaborator with Lips’ mastermind Wayne Coyne (pictured together at top) and she learned to twerk in New Orleans. Perhaps a special guest?
