The Crazy Lobster & Poppy’s
4th of July Celebration!
Monday, July 4
Spanish Plaza on the Riverwalk
Join The Crazy Lobster & Poppy’s for the best 4th of July celebration in the city with live music, great food & drinks and a fantastic view of the fireworks on the river! Ken Swartz and Palace of Sin kicks things off at noon with Coco Robichaux, Amanda Shaw, and the Navy Rock Band following things up before the fireworks begin at 9 p.m. Be sure to get their early to enjoy all the festivities and cold beer.—J.J.
John Maus + Puro Instinct + Geneva Jacuzzi
Friday, July 8, 9 p.m.
The Den, The Howlin’ Wolf, 907 S. Peters St. 522-9653
Pinch yourself—this isn’t an 80s flashback. But the decade’s stereotypically clean, sweeping synth melodies have been made-over with much pomp and intensity by shoegaze extraordinaire, John Maus. Following up his first two albums, Songs (2006) and Love Is Real (2007), Maus’ latest release, The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves (2011), relishes its title. Wistful and echoey, the album’s overall mood has been simultaneously grounded by deep and soulful effected vocals and splintered by sharp, piercing guitar licks—a chaotic glimpse into the harried, uncensored core from which this music arises. If anything about Maus’ live performance can be derived from the video for his latest single “Believer”—which employs experimental videography and rare, vintage equipment—the wild yet cathartic presentation matches the ethereal and effervescent music it accompanies. Don’t miss Maus at the Den, next door to Howlin’ Wolf, with openers Puro Instinct, touring to promote their debut album, Headbangers in Ecstasy, and special guest Geneva Jacuzzi—hosted by SimplePlay Presents. —Carolyn Heneghan
The Glitch Mob
Saturday, July 9, 10 p.m.
Republic, 828 S. Peters St., 528-8282
Proven to be anything but a glitch on the radar, West Coast DJ trio, the Glitch Mob, are returning to New Orleans this summer after a year of rigorous, sold-out touring dates and explosive festival appearances. Armed with the two-volume remix edition of their 2010 debut Drink the Sea, Ooah, edIT and Boretta have continued to both complicate and refine the diverse instrumental content and on-the-spot remixing of their compelling live performances. Listeners drawn in by sweet, airy synths, glitchy, spacey effects or deep, fuzzy reverb are slammed back down to the dance floor with hammering bass lines and irresistible, head-bobbing hip hop backbeats. Interludes of wild soloing and lively back-and-forth scratching are subtle reminders of their artistic individuality and their solid grasp on being well-rounded entertainers. Their goal is clear: the Glitch Mob loves to thrill you, and lives to move you—and every other new school mobster in the audience.
—Carolyn Heneghan
Marc Broussard
Saturday, July 9, 8 p.m.
Harrah’s Casino New Orleans
Ladies, this one’s for you. There’s an ease of understated charm and charisma delivered through heart-throbbing Southern rock-infused pop with some funk on it, R&B style. It is no easy task to label or define the audience captivation powers of Marc Broussard. This down-home crooner/song-writer is putting Carencro on the map and making Louisiana proud with a talent all his own. Broussard just has so much to offer. He takes the American flag and runs with it on the cover of his newest self-titled CD, and it just so happens that fans are following by the tens of thousands. The loyalty of his growing fan base all started with the man, but his staying power resonates through his music. The soft tempo beginnings of “Lucky” pick up in a feel-good chorus and simmer back down into that comfort zone that a Big Easy weekend is all about. Bring along your dancing shoes for “Only Everything” and prepare yourself for that feel-good release of your weekday stresses that partying was invented for in the first place.—Dionne Charlet
The Session
Tuesday, July 12, 8 & 10pm
Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696
Another product of the burgeoning young jazz scene of New Orleans, each member of The Session quartet exudes the talent of a professional, and the passion and poise of the music greats before them. Jackson-born drummer Darrian Douglas, who can also be seen performing with the likes of Jason and Ellis Marsalis and the Regeneration Brass Band, assembled the group with two UNO jazz studies students, bassist Jasen Weaver and pianist Austin Johnson, as well as London transplant James Partridge on sax. Their collective influences run the gamut, from George French and Brian Blade to Mozart and Stravinsky to Bonobo and Lil Wayne—influences evidenced through their nontraditional rhythmic patterns and delicate layering of harmonic progressions. At first listen, they could be mistaken for any other tight, well-rehearsed ensemble found at Snug, Bacchanal or Spotted Cat. But listen more closely, and any enthusiast would be delighted by the piano and sax’s playful melodic rapport, the subtle intricacies of Douglas’ light, expertly timed tip taps and brush rolls, and Weaver’s firm, polished bass groove throughout the set.—Carolyn Heneghan
Britney Spears
Sunday, July 15, 7 p.m.
New Orleans Arena, 1501 Girod Street, 587-3663
After more than a decade on the scene since her release of, “Baby, One More Time,” both supporters and nay-sayers alike still gather in droves to watch what Britney does next. Well, this time, instead of shaving her head, getting divorced and losing all legal control of her financial affairs, she’s launching an all new tour complete with hip-hop Barbie, Nicki Minaj, in tow to keep fans guessing if she can successfully, do it again. That is to say, to stay on top in the music industry; a feat Spears has triumphed with catchy, well-produced “comeback” releases, Blackout and Circus leading her out of a downward spiral right back to the top of the charts. Her latest release, Femme Fatale, finds her exactly the same way, large and in charge with more than 200,000 units sold the first week landing her the number 1 spot on the Billboard charts (which ties her with powerhouse divas Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson for having the most number one albums at 6 each). Not bad for a teen pop-tart from Kentwood, Louisiana, who was recently paid homage to on a full episode of Glee this past year and whose newest “Femme Fatale Tour” is sure to bring the unfiltered sexy, sass both Minaj and Spears do best.—Briana Prevost
Royal Teeth CD Release Party + Mobley
Friday, July 15, 10 p.m.
Republic NO, 828 S. Peters St., 528-8282
In honor of their debut EP Act Naturally, indie electro-pop band Royal Teeth are hosting their CD Release Party at New Orleans’ premiere indie-rocking venue. Along with Austin-based opener Mobley—an exciting, talented trio of multi-instrumentalists and light/video stage-show producers—Royal Teeth promises a night of hapless dancing and crazed sing-alongs conducted by the group’s two vocalists, an infectious combination of male and female voices that are sure to stir a crowd. Having already dominated stages across the state with their powerhouse pop anthems, the Royal Teeth are well-positioned to step into the indie spotlight with their impressive debut in hand. Give the album a good first listen-through—checking out the release party should be the next natural step. $5 Cover at the door.—Carolyn Heneghan
American Idol Live Tour 2011
Friday July 22, 7 PM
UNO Lake Front Arena, 6801 Franklin Ave., 280-7222
The Season 10 cast is coming to town with all your favorite performers from the show including the sultry Lauren Alaina and the tempting Scotty McCreery. These guys know how to bring down the house, with Stefano Langone’s amazing dance moves or Karen Rodriguez’s sparkling upper register. We love to celebrate the up and coming musicians down here, and how can you not support the guitar work of Jacob Lusk or the hair-raising work on the keys by James Durbin. The musicality is unbelievable as they’ll perform all the songs you love and songs you have yet to fall in love with. You’ll be hard-pressed to find talented singers such as these anywhere. Whether you love soul singing or crooning or even a good rock and roll tune, you’ll find what you’re looking for at American Idol Live Tour ’11. Tickets are $53- $252.—John Valdespino
Jolie Holland
Saturday, July 23, 10 pm
Tipitina’s Uptown, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-8477
The beautiful and haunting Jolie Holland will take the stage at Tipitina’s later this month to promote her recent release, Pint of Blood. Holland, by most standards, has lived an exceptional life. As a young woman growing up in East Texas, she learned the fiddle, piano and guitar and, by her teenage years, was making her way as a travelling musician. Eventually led to Vancouver by either chance or fate, Holland partnered up with Samantha Parton to form the neo-folk group, the Be Good Tanyas. Several years later, after she had left the Tanyas and relocated to San Francisco, an underground solo demo recording of Holland began to generate a lot of attention. This album, eventually released as Catalpa in 2003, was nominated for the Short List Music Prize by Tom Waits and won the respect of critics throughout the music world for its vivid imagery and thick sense of uniquely southern sensualism. Since then, Holland has released three additional albums, each of which embody a unique tone and timbre, even as they all remain rooted in the same Southern Gothic aesthetic that enveloped Catalpa. Indeed, such seemingly contradictory qualities have come to define Holland’s elusive and ethereal sound. Her songs draw deeply upon American folk traditions, even as they are as restless as Holland’s formative years. They are at once surreal and familiar, deeply personal even as they touch on universal qualities of the human experience – like brushing the dust from an old family photograph to see it through the lens of hard-gathered years. Elements of traditional jazz, blues, country and folk all swirl together to call forth the spirits that dwell within Holland’s strings and voice. Undoubtedly, when you walk into Tipitina’s on July 23, you can expect a sonic dreamscape that seems almost tailor-made for these intoxicatingly balmy summer nights in the bend of the Mississippi.—Garrett Pittman
Live In The Den: Brass Band Sundays with The Hot 8 Brass Band
Sunday, July 24, 10 p.m.
The Howlin’ Wolf, 907 S. Peters St., 522-9653
The Hot 8 are a Sunday tradition at the Howlin’ Wolf, serving up their unmistakable blend of blaring horns, tight grooves, and second line fervor. Although it’s been a while since the release of the Hot 8’s Rock With The Hot 8, the band’s been busy as always with even more on the horizon. In addition to play this year’s Essence Music Festival Sunday, July 3, the Hot 8 will also be featured in an episode of this season’s Treme. Tickets are just $10.—April Siese
Bob Dylan
Tuesday, July 26, 8 PM
UNO Lakefront Arena, 6801 Franklin Ave., 280-7222
As intense and artistically motivated as he ever was, University of Minnesota dropout Robert Allen Zimmerman is ‘drifting down to New Orleans’ in his 70th year. Classic Dylanisms like “The Times, They are A-changin’” are as fresh to children of the new millennium as if they were written yesterday. His anti-racism, anti-fundamentalism, anti-war messages are timeless. This folk bard hero has gone through enough musical periods in his life to rival Picasso: country, rock, acoustic, electric. He’s written for the people. He’s written for himself. He’s broken multigenerational boundaries of musicality as a lifestyle. Poet and veritable poster artist of social change, Bob Dylan has shown an enduring love for the City of New Orleans during interview discussions. He’s written the city into selections of his music. No matter if “The Levee’s Gonna Break” or, God forbid, we’re ever “Tangled Up In Blue” tarps again, Dylan and will endure, and his NOLA fans will love him for it. Leon Russell opens the show.—Dionne Charlet
Consortium of Genius’
15th Anniversary Show
Friday, July 29, 9 p.m.
Shamrock Club, 4133 S. Carrollton Ave., 301-0938
In honor of 15 years of multimedia rock, The Consortium of Genius or COG, is celebrating in a big way at Shamrock Club. Shamrock is famous for its spacious 16,000 ft. location and mass amount of pool tables and games, making it the perfect venue for a celebration of this magnitude. The New Orleans-based team of mad scientist maestros have played countless sets, or “lectures” around the South, most recently at Nerdapalooza and have recorded 3 full-length albums, their latest, Music for Supervillains, came with a comic book instead of typical liner notes. The July 29 celebration also marks the debut of COG’s expanded ten piece festival lineup, featuring Dr. Milo T. Pinkerton III as front man. COG’s unique style is reminiscent of Repo! with an eccentric science twist, mixing almost every genre imaginable. The band has been featured on Dr. Demento’s radio show and the Subgenius Hour of Slack.—April Siese
