Clockwork Elvis had an amazing show at Rock n’ Bowl last week during Swing Night. Those dancing couples whirled and dipped in ways I’ve never seen before. This week, there’s a lot going on, including some outdoor festivals. So bundle up if you easily get chilly and enjoy the fall weather.
Make it out to the over-100 years old jazz hall in Mandeville, just north of the Lake on Lamarque Street, to see the bluesman Chris Thomas King (who appeared as Tommy Johnson in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?) and Henry Gray at the Dew Drop Inn at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.
Kick off your Saturday with the blues. The Magazine Street Blues Fest on the corner of Magazine and Napoleon Avenue, and begins at 11 a.m. and features great live, local musicians including Rockin’ Dopsie as well as art vendors and food stands. The fest is free. The monthly art + fashion show RAW: NOLA presents the RAWards Semi-Finals. The Howlin’ Wolf hosts the show that will feature a gathering of artists, musicians, designers, hair stylists, and much more beginning at7 p.m. Judges and the audience will choose the best of the best to move on to the finals. Tickets are $20 at the door, but there will be some gratis food. Later that night are two shows: rockers Machina perform their CD release show for To Live and Die in the Garden of Eden with First Fracture and Engine 69 at the newly reopened Hangar 13 for $10 on South Rendon Street and sludge band Eyehategod performs with Mountain of Wizard and Snake and Pony Show at Siberia at 10 p.m. for $12.
The eagerly anticipated Po-Boy Festival finally comes back on Sunday afternoon on Oak Street. The fest is free, and will most likely be crowded so dress for comfort. The Saints game is on at 3 p.m., and I’m sure there will be plenty of TVs in the area to watch it on. The psychedelic bluesman Roky Erickson performs at One Eyed Jacks with Nude Beach and The Dropout at 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 at the door.
The eclectic metal band High on Fire finally plays after a canceled show earlier this year at One Eyed Jacks on Monday night with Goatwhore and Lo-Pan at 9 p.m. Tickets are $16.