Bring Me The Horizon
Monday, March 10; 5:45 pm
House of Blues, 225 Decatur St.
www.houseofblues.com; $25
Hailing from Sheffield, Yorkshire, Bring Me The Horizon is a five member band helping in the resurgence of British metal. Currently touring the states in their appropriately titled, American Dream Tour, Bring Me The Horizon are very busy men. They recorded their most recent album Sempiternal in a matter of three months with producer Terry Date, who has worked with Linkin Park and Deftones to name a couple. The band got their start in 2004 and has gone through some personnel changes through the years, but 5 albums in and stronger than ever this is a group you surely will not want to miss.
Johnny Azari
Wednesday, March 12; 6:00 pm
Siberia, 2227 St. Claude Ave.
siberianola.com; FREE
When looking for a mid-week show to break the monotony of the work week, look no further than Johnny Azari at Siberia. Hailing from New York Johnny Azari is described as alternative country and poetic blues. The singer/songwriter did stints in a glam rock band and a post-punk group before branching out on his own. He travels the country in a beat up van playing everywhere he gets the chance. His most recent album The Tropic of Entropy is uniquely packaged in a brown paper bag with a disc that is oddly unlabeled. So if you are looking for something to spice up the week but not have you spent in the morning, Johnny is your man.
Alexandra Scott
Friday, March 14; 10:00 pm
All Ways Lounge, 2240 St Claude Ave.
theallwayslounge.net
Alexandra Scott got her start in the music business as a teenager playing in the Charlottesville music scene. Originally from Virginia, Scott decided to pack it all up and move to the Big Easy, once here she put out two albums and the ball started rolling. In 2005 she landed a gig at the ever famous Bonnaroo and also opened for LeAnn Rimes. Scott's music can be described as underground pop with a little bit of rock 'n roll. One thing is for sure, once you start listening it is hard to stop. You can catch Alexandra Scott at the All Ways Lounge this Friday to get your weekend started off right.
Brass-A-Holics
Saturday, March 15; 10:00pm
Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon St.
Tipitinas.com; $13
When it comes to a Saturday night in New Orleans there is an infinite amount of things a person could experience. If you find yourself at a Brass-A-Holics show though you may have just picked up a new addiction. While experiencing this groups trendsetting genre of "Go-Go Brass Funk" you will find yourself itching for more. You can expect to hear the sounds of a traditional brass band including the trumpet, saxophone, trombone, and sousaphone but the Brass-A-Holics have their own take on "traditional". The group stirs up their own cocktail of brass by mixing in a full drum set, keyboard, and electric guitar. Addiction can be something that is frowned upon, but the Brass-A-Holics will have you walking away addicted and proud of it.
St. Paul & The Broken Bones
Saturday, March 8; 9 p.m.
One-Eyed Jack's, 615 Toulouse Street
OneEyedJacks.net, $12
A few years ago, Alabama Shakes arrived on the national scene with Brittany Howard, infusing southern rock with her unique and powerful soul singing. St. Paul and the Broken Bones from Birmingham might be the next band to emerge from the Deep South led by another singer of comparable caliber, but Paul Janeway and his band have enough sonic distinction that they don't need to ride the Shakes' starry coattails. Lead singer Janeway grew up singing in the church and emotes the bluesy soul of gospel music in his all-out vocals while backed up by a tight, brassy - and classy - seven-piece band. The singing is emotionally and euphonically full, sounding like JJ Grey with less grit and more range or even Sharon Jones if she traded some of her old-school dap funk for Pentecostal soul. Their first full album, Half the City, was produced by Brian Tanner, the keyboardist for the Alabama Shakes. The songs run the full emotional scale, but their best, most upbeat numbers feel like contemporary reinvigorations of Rufus Thomas's funkier hits without all the innuendo. All of it transposes successfully to the stage where the band is gaining a reputation for its high-energy performances. Janeway is determined to give a good show and after a successful outing at the Howling Wolf last year, New Orleans might expect to see more repeat performances at local venues by the next up-and-up southern soul band - unless they one day outgrow the small stage like their neighbors did. -Samuel Nelson
