Gambit Digital Edition: April 21, 2025

April 21-27 2025 Volume 46 Number 16

Culture Collides at 812 Royal Gallery: A Fresh Beat in the French Quarter

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BY GA MBIT STAFF

Experience the unique blend of histor y and modernit y at 812 Royal Galler y, where New Orleans’ ar tistic spirit comes alive. Nestled in the hear t of the French Quar ter, the galler y opened its doors on February 1 and is already catching the eye of both locals and visitors

The space is the vision of Kyla Bernberg, a passiona te young cura tor wi th an eye for both the refned and the rebellious Split into two distinct bays, the galler y harmoniously bl en ds th e ci ty ’s ti me le ss el eg an ce wi th contemporar y ar tistic expressions

Upon walking into 812 Royal Galler y, you’re instantly immersed in a world of color, texture, and edge Internationally acclaimed ar tist s like Re né Ro mero Sc hu le r, kn ow n fo r her emotionall y charged fgures, are feat ured alo ng si de th e bol d st ro ke s of Ja pa ne se contemporary ar tist Matasake Kozaki and the unmistakable Southern fair of Andrew Hopkins. It’s ar t that pushes boundaries yet somehow welds together fabulously.

“I wanted to create a space that honors New Orleans’ Southern hospitalit y and ar t while also invi ting in the kind of contemporar y, cutting-edge work you’d see in New York or London,” says Bernberg. “It’s about bringing contrast, conversation —and maybe even a little disruption I love to merge the old and new, that is why I have shown fne antiques dispersed among fresh perspectives.”

Step into the galler y’s second room and the energy shifs, offering a quieter, more traditional Southern feel. The atmosphere transitions into a historical and ar tistic ex ploration of Louisiana’s storied past, featuring the meticulous work of Jim Blanchard, whose architectural renderings—created using watercolor, ink, and gouache— read like love letters to a bygone era. His compositions ofen include fgures dressed in period attire, adding a human element that breathes life into the stately structures

he so pieces includ nota of th beau Compl sh ow Thom His el from an tique An ti Roya arran for pu in to hold With Roya the ci foreig a remi in ri ch reinve and cr

812 Royal Gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with additional hours by appointment. On the frst Friday of ever y month, the galler y stays open until 8 p.m. in honor of the Royal Street Ar t Walk For a digital glimpse of the ar tist s and antiques on display, please visit 81 2r oy al ga ll er y. co m or fo ll ow th em on Instagram @812royalgallery. For questions or to schedule an appointment, call 504-516-6334

STAFF

EDITORIAL (504) 483-3105 // response@gambitweekly.com

Editor | JOHN STANTON

Arts & Entertainment Editor | WI LL COVIE LL O

Staff Writers | JAKE C L A PP, KAY L EE P OCHE, SA R AH R AVITS

Contributing Writer | IAN MCNU LTY

Editorial Assistant | MADDIE S P INNE R

CREATIVE

Creative Director | DO R A SISON

Traffic Manager | JASON WHITTAKE R P roject Manager | MA R IA VIDACOVICH BOUÉ

Associate Art Director | EMMA DA VIA

Graphic Designer | GAVIN DONA L DSON

Contributing Graphic Designers | TIANA WATTS, SCOTT FO R SYTHE, JASMYNE WHITE, JEFF MENDE L

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Cruising comedian

Zach Zimmerman performs at Sports Drink

LUKE BABYLON, CHRISTIAN MAGICIAN

IS

A CHARACTER COMEDIAN

Zach Zimmerman devised at the end of his time working for Chicago’s Second City.

It’s not entirely a joke. Zimmerman grew up in an evangelical Christian — and now MAGA — family. And he did learn some magic tricks in what has been his main link to New Orleans.

Second City hired him to perform in a sketch and improv troupe stationed on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship that docked in New Orleans.

“When I was working on the ship, there was a magician I befriended, and I learned some things,” Zimmerman says. “I was trying to find a way to use my evangelical Christianity and close-up magic skills. I did an hourlong Christian magic show at the end of my days in Chicago.”

Luke Babylon plays a big role in the material on Zimmerman’s new special, “Surprise Me,” which will be released April 22 on YouTube.

Zimmerman himself comes to New Orleans to perform two nights at Sports Drink on April 25-26. If Luke Babylon is part of the show, there may be some magic tricks.

The special features some of the exploits of Luke Babylon. The best one is a heaven or hell scenario about Zimmerman’s attempt to get Luke Babylon on “America’s Got Talent” via open-call auditions in New York, where he lives. At the audition, he was grouped with children singers, who were a ripe audience for magic.

The end of the cruise line job also was a breaking point. While he learned some magic, he decided to switch from sketch and improv to stand-up. At the same time, he moved to New York. He now says the sequence wasn’t ideal, since he ended up working to establish his stand-up act in an entirely new home that was full of talent.

He also decided not to go to any more comedy classes. Figuring things out onstage helped him get on track.

“I thought let me do this on my own,” he says. “That’s sort of when I started to process my own life and story.”

It worked out, and he felt at home in the city’s burgeoning queer comedy scene.

Luke Babylon is mostly a figment of comedy stories now, but Zimmerman had thought about doing more with him.

“I went to a Christian magician conference in Indianapolis,” he says. “I took a buddy with a camera and stayed

by Will Coviello |

in character the whole time while I performed for the other Christian magicians. I thought it would be my Sacha Baron Cohen moment. It turns out I am a pushover, and I wasn’t tough enough to get them to say really ridiculous things (on camera).”

Zimmerman is loud and clear that he is now a queer, socialist atheist. It’s far from his evangelical upbringing.

His father was a pastor, and though his parents don’t like hearing about his relationships or sex life, they’ve maintained communication around the differences.

As well as making jokes about that, he’s also written humorous pieces for magazines including the New Yorker. They’re collected in his 2023 book “Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth).”

The book covers many of the same life events as he jokes about onstage, but not from the same perspective.

“I love writing,” he says. “When things don’t work, you don’t have to hear rejection.”

“You can play different notes,” he adds. “In stand-up, people want to laugh every few minutes. In an essay, you can go dark, and it doesn’t ruin the mood.”

And material doesn’t hit the same way.

“The page is sacred and timeless and registered in the Library of Congress, so you don’t want to put all your dirty laundry there,” he says.

In “Surprise Me,” he tells the story of a threeyear relationship ending, when his ex dumped him during an airplane flight. In the bit, he talks about not taking it well and moaning and blubbering like a seal — and then a group of seals.

“Comedy requires more wild act outs,” he says. “In the essay, I talk about some of the good stuff about being in love. No one wants to hear about the good stuff onstage as much.”

In comedy, bad news is priceless. And it’s helping him work on his next set of material.

“I’ve been experimenting with bisexuality, and that’s not been going well,” he says. “So, I’ve been talking about that on stage, and that is going well.”

Zimmerman will stay in New Orleans for a long weekend, and then he heads back home to New York. He’s been in Orlando, Florida, at a writer’s residency, and he’s developing a book about his relationship with his mother after they went on a cruise together last year.

“If I can’t get along with my Trump train mom, is there any hope for strangers who are on opposite sides of the spectrum as we descend into fascism?” he says. “We need the people who voted for Trump to come to their senses or speak out. Anything we can do to help them can be powerful.”

Zach Zimmerman performs at 7 & 9 p.m. Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26. Tickets $25 via sportsdrink.org.

Esperanza Spalding

Following a recent 12-night stint at New York’s Blue Note, Esperanza Spalding brings her band of guitarist Matthew Stevens and drummer Eric Doob to New Orleans. They’ll perform songs from her recent Grammywinning albums “12 Little Spells” and “Songwrights Apothecary Lab” and her collaboration with Brazilian singer Milton Nascimento. She’ll also perform with Nicholas Payton at Jazz Fest on May 3 and at Cafe Istanbul on May 4. At 8 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at Orpheum Theater. Tickets $49 and up at ticketmaster.com.

and

Treme Threauxdown

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue lead their annual Jazz Fest-time concert full of special guests, this year including Elvis Costello, Lauren Daigle, Andy Grammer, Allen Stone and more. At 8 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at Saenger Theatre. Tickets $64.50$173 via saengernola.com.

Axial Tilt

This two-night celebration of the Grateful Dead features a lineup of veterans of bands spun off by former Dead members and Dead cover bands. There’s Joan Osborne from The Dead, Stu Allen who played with Phil Lesh and in Mars Hotel, Mitch Stein and Pete Lavezzoli from Mars Hotel, Rob Eaton and Skip Vangelas from Dark Star Orchestra, and Wally Ingram. Each night features three sets, one of them acoustic, and there will be guest musicians. At 10 p.m. Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, at Cafe Istanbul. Tickets $70 via purplepass.com.

Bassist, singer

composer Esperanza Spalding

PROVIDED PHOTO BY PEDRO NAPOLINARIO

Zach Zimmerman

PROVIDED PHOTO BY MINDY TUCKER

OPENING GAMBIT

Man, its tough bein’ a trash man in New Orleans these days

THUMBS

UP/ THUMBS DOWN

The Recording Academy will award Jon Batiste its first Ray Charles “Architect of Sound” Award in recognition of the Kenner native’s “genre-defying work,” the Recording Academy said. The new award will recognize innovative artists who have made an impact on music and culture. Batiste will receive the award on May 16 during the Grammy Hall of Fame gala.

Cantrell administration now says there is no city funding crisis

Louisiana has turned to using a computer program to determine if a person serving a prison sentence should be allowed a shot at parole, ProPublica and Verite News reported. The tool, Targeted Interventions to Greater Enhance Re-entry, or TIGER, was meant to help prison officials determine what kinds of classes or counseling a prisoner may need, but Louisiana is now using TIGER to deny parole to thousands of people the algorithm deems “moderate” or “high risk.” Civil rights attorneys say the program doesn’t factor in efforts prisoners have taken to better themselves and could disproportionately harm Black people.

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s indiscriminate cuts to federal funding could mean the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) will lose up to $86 million. LDH runs the state’s Medicaid program and numerous programs improving public health, and the loss of millions in federal funding will hurt Louisianans. 14

THE NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN LOUISIANA WHO HAVE HAD THEIR PERMISSION TO ATTEND SCHOOL REVOKED BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.

These students were attending Southern University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, University of New Orleans and Tulane University. In some cases, universities were not given reasons for their removal. Targeting immigrants and people in the U.S. on visas has been a key priority for the administration.

IT’S OK FOR NEW ORLEANS CITY OFFICIALS TO SEXUALLY HARASS their employees – unless it hurts productivity, the city’s Civil Service Commission says.

The stunningly retrograde decision comes as part of an order reinstating former Clerk of Council Lora Johnson, who was fired last year after she was found to have engaged in a decade long campaign of harassment of employees.

They also ordered Johnson be given nearly a year in back pay.

To be clear, the commission, which is essentially the HR department for city government, did not question those findings against. In fact they explicitly acknowledge the city council proved Johnson had assaulted employees over an 11-year period.

“The commission finds that the City Council has carried its burden of showing that Ms. Johnson engaged in instances of inappropriate behavior over an 11-year period,” the commission said.

But apparently in New Orleans government, that’s not enough to be fired. According to the commission, Johnson should be reinstated because “the City Council has failed to carry its burden showing that the complained-of conduct impaired the efficient operation of the Clerk of Council’s office.”

In its report, the commission also printed the full names of the employees who came forward.

City Council President JP Morrell slammed the decision. “This decision will have a chilling effect on every victim who is considering whether to report workplace abuse. The City of New Orleans cannot claim to care about sexual assault survivors while continuing to gloss over serious allegations in the name of efficiency. The City Council intends on appealing this matter to the fullest effect,” he said in a statement.

Vice President Helena Moreno, who passed the city’s first anti-sexual harrassment policy in 2018, also denounced the decision. “I am extremely alarmed by the decision rendered by the Civil Service Commission and the direct impact it will have upon the execution of duties by the Clerk’s Office, its dedicated employees, and any City employee contemplating a report of sexual harassment in the future,” Moreno said.

The commission’s decision comes after Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s director of the Office of Homeless Services and Strategy of Nate Fields was also accused of sexual assault and harassment. In that case, while the administration has determined Fields assaulted a woman who worked for him, it has as of press time not removed him from his job.

— John Stanton

C’EST

Which Festival Stage headliner is a can’t miss during Jazz Fest week one?

38.4%

23.1%

JOHN FOGERTY

Council Member Joe Giarrusso

PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT

Future of New Orleans Walk of Fame in doubt following disastrous funding hearing

IT LOOKS LIKE THE NEW ORLEANS WALK OF Fame may end up being just a couple of steps unless it finds funding someplace other than city coffers following a disastrous April 14 City Council hearing on a request for the city to become the largest funder of the privately operated walk.

Only four of the first 50 stars have been installed, and the group behind the walk says it needs at least $500,000 from the city to continue.

During the hearing, organizers of the walk had little in the way of answers for clearly skeptical council members. Those that had were either contradictory or seemed to raise additional concerns, including their plan to charge honorees tens of thousands of additional dollars to be “honored” and the revelation that Council Member Oliver Thomas’ wife is part of the organization.

Indeed, the fact that the hearing was needed at all was something of a surprise: when the walk was first proposed, backers had initially indicated that because the walk is operated by a private

nonprofit, the city wouldn’t end up being on the hook to fund it. Several council members at the time told Gambit that while they were frustrated Mayor LaToya Cantrell rushed the walk of fame into construction it was their understanding its funding structure wouldn’t put the city on the hook for significant funds.

But now that doesn’t appear to be the case – if the city council were to approve the funding request, New Orleans would become the largest financial backer of the walk. So far

Master P has put just over $350,000 into the project, part of a million dollar pledge he made to the walk.

Since announcing the walk, organizers have raised just $50,000.

The controversy began last fall when Master P and Cantrell issued a press release announcing the city was building a Walk of Fame as part of New Orleans’ preparation for the Super Bowl. When announced, the project was well underway: a private nonprofit had already been set up, the first 50 names of honorees selected and the criteria for being chosen settled upon. Specifically, Master P wanted to honor people who were born in New Orleans but who had

an impact on a national and global scale, and not necessarily in the city itself.

It appears that little to no real planning went into the walk. According to Syrita Steib, President & CEO of the nonprofit Operation Restoration – which Master P has brought in to operate the Walk of Fame – it “was something that happened extremely fast, over a 60-day period.”

Normally, public projects take significantly longer because of public notice and comment rules, council consideration and approval and other steps.

But that didn’t happen in the case of the walk. In fact, no member of the council even knew the announcement was coming before the press release, much less involved in the process. That’s something Steib told the council April 14 Master P understood now understands was a “misstep.”

“That happens a lot with the city council ... [we’re] the last to be involved,” Council Member Eugene Green quipped acidly during the hearing.

Community Development Committee Chairman Freddie King, who chaired the hearing, questioned why the walk was seeking funds from the Wisner Trust

rather than the mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy. King noted that when he’d initially learned the city would be expected to help pay for the walk, he told Steib that office was the appropriate avenue for a funding request.

“I thought there was a shift that instead of asking for Wisner money instead for y’all to try and get a grant from the culture fund ... which would make more sense for that board to be the ones to consider the type of grant,” King said.

But Steib said Cantrell insisted the money come from Wisner funding, and the group ultimately went in that direction.

Cantrell has previously used Wisner funds as a slush fund to finance groups either connected to the mayor or which she supported the work of. That, along with a deal Cantrell cut with the Wisner family over splitting the trust’s proceeds, prompted the council to sue Cantrell.

In 2022 a judge issued an injunction freezing the funds pending a resolution of that case, which is ongoing.

As for why the council is being asked for money when it initially seemed to be a privately funded project, Operation Restoration’s grant specialist Robin

Gaspard seemed to indicate that may have only applied to the demolition and repair aspect of parts of the planned walk which were already scheduled to be fixed as part of the city’s Super Bowl preparations.

“The sidewalks were already being refurbished for the Super Bowl, so there wouldn’t be a cost to us. But there has not been a commitment from the city to move forward and pay for installation,” Gaspard said.

OPENING GAMBIT

A second aspect of the project’s funding that clearly made council members unhappy is the fact that while the first 50 people were chosen strictly on their merits, all future honorees will have to apply for the “honor,” and pay a $250 application fee plus an additional $35,000 for maintenance.

That clearly upset Green. “Boy am I opposed to charging $35,000 to a community leader who might get recognized. Boy am I opposed to charging the family of [former state representative and civil rights icon] Dorothy Mae Taylor ... where would the family come up with that?” Green said.

But the normally conciliatory Green wasn’t done. Pointing to civil rights lawyer and icon AP Tureaud, Green continued “I can’t imagine going to the [AP] Tureaud family .,.. They need to come up with $35,000 ... that was the thing about him, he was an attorney who could have made tremendous amounts of money, but he worked in civil rights.”

Steib acknowledged that could be a burden and said the group would have a process for either waiving or reducing fees in some cases. She also said they would hope wealthy benefactors would step in to help pay for any honorees fees if they could not afford it themselves.

That didn’t seem to ease Green’s concerns. Expecting honorees to be able to pay those fees seems “elitist as opposed to trying to incorporate people who’ve made tremendous contributions.”

But she also stressed the walk of fame is designed to honor people born here but whose impact is beyond Orleans Parish.

That, however, didn’t seem to sit well with the council members either.

King noted that “living politicians” are being honored in what was a clear

reference to Cantrell, who is originally from Compton, California and made history as the city’s first Black woman mayor but has not had a national or global impact.

King also pointed to civil rights icon Ruby Bridges not being honored while Reece Witherspoon, who was born here but only spent a short part of her life in the city, being in the first group of honorees. “Ruby Bridges wasn’t born in New Orleans, but she’s done a lot more than other people ...Ruby Bridges, Reece Witherspoon. Who’s done more for New Orleans?” King asked.

Council Vice President Helena Moreno agreed. “Nothing against Reece Witherspoon, I think she’s a great actress. But Patricia Clarkson, she was born here and she’s definitely somebody who was left off and she’s constantly back in the city, always promoting the city of New Orleans.”

The committee ultimately decided to neither approve nor deny the funding request, and asked that organizers provide them with a detailed budget so the council can see what has already been spent and what exactly they expect of the city. Those funds would also likely not be available in the immediate future anyway since Wisner funding remains frozen.

Following the hearing, several council members told Gamnbit at this point if the request were to come before the full council it wouldn’t be enough votes to approve it. They also said it’s unclear whether that could change in the future given members’ concerns with selection criteria and the fact that people will have to spend huge amounts of money to be “honored.” — John Stanton

Gayle Benson accepts her NOLA Walk of Fame plaque as Master P holds Tom Benson’s plaque along side her

PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

BLAKE PONTCHARTRAIN™

@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com

Hey Blake,

Ye Olde College Inn restaurant on Carrollton Avenue says “Est. 1933” on the side of the building. What can you tell us about its history? Was it always located there?

Dear reader,

Ye Olde College Inn has always been located on South Carrollton near Earhart Boulevard, but its roots are in a walk-up barbecue and sandwich spot called the Pig Stand. According to a 1979 Times-Picayune article, Denis Rufin Sr. opened it on land where he had previously operated a dairy.

In 1933, the Pig Stand, closed and Rufin came up with the idea of the College Inn, named because of its proximity to Tulane and Loyola Universities and its popularity with students. In the 1940s, “Ye Olde” was added to the name to differentiate it from Bruno’s College Inn, now Bruno’s Tavern, on Maple Street.

In its early years, the restaurant was open 24 hours. According to a 1941 Times-Picayune advertisement, the restaurant made a specialty of “deliciously fried spring chicken as well as griddle-broiled steaks for which none but choice Western meats are used,” along with “barbecued meats and sandwiches.”

The restaurant offered patrons the option of either dining in their

cars (served by carhops) or a “nicely appointed dining room...air conditioned for summer and winter comfort … for those who prefer to leave their cars,” the ad said.

The menu included home-cooked dishes, fried seafood and sandwiches such as chicken fried steak and the Lone Eagle, with sliced turkey and bacon on bread cut to resemble an eagle in flight.

Denis Rufin brought his three sons, Albert, Denis Jr. and Emile, into the business. Emile Rufin worked there for decades long after his father and brothers died. In 2003, he sold Ye Olde College Inn to the Blancher family, proprietors of Rock ’n’ Bowl.

When Hurricane Katrina’s federal levee failures flooded the restaurant, John Blancher demolished the building and reopened Ye Olde College Inn in a building next door that the family once operated as a grocery store. Blancher later moved Rock ‘n’ Bowl to a building next door.

THIS WEEK WE CELEBRATE THE CENTENNIAL OF ONE OF THE CITY’S PIONEERING RADIO STATIONS, WSMB 1350 AM. It was New Orleans’ first commercial radio operation staffed by professional announcers and engineers, when it signed on the air April 21, 1925 — 100 years ago this week.

WSMB’s studios were located on the 13th floor of the Maison Blanche building at 921 Canal St., now the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. That connection explains the “m” and “b” in the station’s call letters. The “s” represents the nearby Saenger Theatre, which like the Maison Blanche department store also had an ownership stake in the station.

As an NBC and later ABC affiliate, WSMB was the local home of many wellknown shows in the golden age of radio. In the 1950s, when the station had a music format, it promoted its on-air personalities as the “Five Stars.” They were Jim Brown, Scott Muni, Marshall Pearce, Roy Roberts and Sid Noel, who would later become TV’s Morgus the Magnificent. Roberts was best known for the 27 years he and Jeff Hug co-hosted the station’s popular “Nut and Jeff” morning talk show.

Other WSMB hosts included political talk show host Keith Rush and Larry Regan, whose offbeat overnight show drew callers he nicknamed the “Rascals.” In 1988, the station would add restaurant critic Tom Fitzmorris, whose “Food Show” became the longest-running daily radio talk show in the city.

The WSMB call letters were retired in 2006, and the station is now “The Bet New Orleans,” featuring a sports betting format.

BLAKE VIEW

Ye Olde College Inn

PHOTO BY SARAH RAVITS / GAMBIT

JAZZ FEST JAZZ FEST

EIGHT DAYS OF MUSIC, FOOD, ARTS AND CULTURE AT THE NEW ORLEANS FAIR GROUNDS

AN EIGHT-DAY NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE

FESTIVAL has been a rarity for most of the festival’s run. But soon after the success of last year’s festival, which added a day to accommodate The Rolling Stones’ takeover of the Fair Grounds, festival producer-director Quint Davis announced an expanded Jazz Fest would stay — and with it all that extra music, food and art.

Jazz Fest 2025 will settle into its new eight-day format when it returns to the Fair Grounds Thursday, April 24, through Sunday, April 27, and again Thursday, May 1, through Sunday, May 4.

The 54th edition will be a big event, with 12 music stages and tents featuring touring acts and performers from New Orleans, South Louisiana and across the world. There’s also a kids’ tent, an interview stage, parades, performances in the Folklife Village, and hundreds of food and arts vendors. Headliners for the frst four days include Lil Wayne performing with The Roots, Kacey Musgraves, Dave Matthews Band, Gladys Knight, Harry Connick Jr., John Fogerty, Goose, Babyface, Haim, Diana Krall, Burna Boy and more. And there is a vast range of genres, from gospel, blues, funk and R&B to

the sounds that have defned New Orleans and South Louisiana, including traditional jazz, brass bands, zydeco and Cajun music. There also are many international bands showcasing music from their home countries.

The festival’s Cultural Exchange Pavilion this year highlights Mexican music and culture, and visiting bands play everything from mariachi music, marimba and norteño to rock and adventurous styles blending the traditional and the contemporary. There also are Mexican artists and a food booth near the pavilion serving Mexican dishes.

New in 2025, both Thursdays will be a Locals Thursday. And there are new discounts for Louisianans on single-day tickets still available. Read more about those details and the festival’s cashless policy on page 44.

On the following pages, Gambit previews the frst weekend at Jazz Fest 2025, with music picks for each day, an overview of food oferings, information about Mexican artists and more info to make the most out of your fest. There’s also a pullout section with a map of the grounds and daily schedules for all eight days. Visit bestofneworleans.com and Gambit’s social media for daily coverage from the fest.

Thursday 24

24 APRIL AT JAZZ FEST

Grupo FANTASMA

2:40-3:35 P.M

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

4:55-6 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILLION

When Prince asks you to back him and play his after parties, you know you’re operating in the upper stratosphere. Grupo Fantasma, a Grammywinning, genre-leaping Latin funk collective from Austin, Texas, has shared stages with everyone from Wu-Tang Clan to Spoon to Sheila E.

Aside from cumbia and Tex-Mex influences, Grupo Fantasma experiments with Turkish guitar psychedelia and Indian instrumentation, covers The Beatles and Chicago, and members even have a side project cover band called Brown Sabbath. Grupo Fantasma’s blend of virtuosity and party-starting energy promises some of Jazz Fest’s most infectious sets.

LIAM PIERCE

Karl Denso n ’ s TINY UNIVERSE

4:05-5:15 P.M.

Los Tremolo King s FEATURING MARGIE PEREZ

12:35-1:20 P.M.

LAGNIAPPE STAGE

Born in the back room of New Orleans Mexican restaurant Casa Borrega, Los Tremolo Kings bring a distinct spin to a classic Latin sound. To the untrained ear, the wah-wah pedal, tremolo, distortion and echo might sit exclusively in the surf rock section of the record store. But the more discerning will recognize the sound as a psychedelic, dub–style spin on more precise genres such as Peruvian 1960s cumbia (which was inspired by surf rock) and mariachi.

With guitarist Phil Vanderyken, bassist Rene Coman, drummer Doug Garrison and vocalist Margie Perez, the band’s sets have become mainstays at divey locals’ haunts like BJ’s Lounge and Madame Vic’s. Que divertido, indeed. — LIAM PIERCE

Sabine MCCALLA

1:40-2:30 P.M.

LAGNIAPPE STAGE

Sabine McCalla’s rich voice has the power to transport you to the past. The Haitian American singer moved to New Orleans in 2014 and has become a rising star in the city’s music community. She grew up playing the strings, including the violin, along with her sister and fellow New Orleans-based musician Leyla McCalla. You can hear the influences of places she lived in her music, like folk from her college days in North Carolina and New Orleans soul, inspired by artists like Irma Thomas and Ernie K. Doe. McCalla’s songs “Save My Soul” and “Roads We Wander,” both from her 2018 EP “Folk,” have garnered more than a million listens each on Spotify. McCalla also will be interviewed by Steve Hochman at 4 p.m. Thursday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. — KAYLEE POCHE

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

From his early work with Lenny Kravitz and the Greyboy Allstars to his long tenure helming his namesake Tiny Universe, reedman and singer Karl Denson has long used jazz and funk as springboards for explorations into new sounds, genres and ideas. That approach has served him well, sparking collabs with a diverse mix of musical stars — jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette, James Brown trombonist Fred Wesley and the Rolling Stones, to name a few — and putting Denson at the center of the acid jazz scene in the ’90s and the jazz-forward arm of the jam band world that followed.

In New Orleans, KDTU’s extended musical family includes Ivan Neville, and keep an ear peeled for

the band’s electric take on Cyril Neville’s “Gossip.” KDTU’s also covered a slew of Fela Kuti classics through the years, making their festival slot ahead of Seun Kuti prime time for a nod to the Afrobeat luminary.

Denson also will be interviewed at 2 p.m. Thursday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage.

JENNIFER ODELL

Dee Dee Bridgewate r

WITH BILL CHARLAP

4:15-5:30 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

Jazz singer and overall legend Dee Dee Bridgewater stars on musical and theatrical stages alike and often pays tribute to legendary artists who came before her. She infuses jazz classics with her own distinctive voice and flair.

Over the course of her decades-spanning career, Bridgewater has won a Tony Award and three Grammys, including one in 2011 for her tribute to Billie Holiday, “Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie with Love from Dee Dee Bridgewater.” At Jazz Fest, Bridgewater will be joined by pianist Bill Charlap, known for his impressive interpretations of the Great American Songbook. Bridgewater also will perform as part of Detroit Brooks’ tribute to Danny and Blue Lu Barker on Friday, April 25. — SARAH RAVITS

Go ose

5:10-7 P.M.

GENTILLY STAGE

Goose may share jam lineage with Dead & Co., but their sound bends toward crisp, radio-polished indie hooks rather than noodle-heavy detours. The band’s funky, groove-laden jams often give way to earworm choruses, especially on studio tracks.

Dee Dee Bridgewater will perform with Bill Charlap on Thursday in the WWOZ Jazz Tent.

PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

Goose’s song “So Ready” is a good entry point: bright staccato twangs, a bassline dripping in funk and Top 40-ready lyrics build into a tightly packaged groove. Rick Mitarotonda’s guitar dances between clean structure and melodic exploration, all while his voice floats airily above.

The band’s Jazz Fest stop arrives just a day before the release of the new album “Everything Must Go.” — LIAM PIERCE

Joh n FOGERTY

5:30-7 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

Despite being a band made up of California rockers, Creedence Clearwater Revival had an obvious love and fascination for the blue-collar South and Louisiana in particular, with songs like “Born on the Bayou” and “Proud Mary” and albums titled “Bayou Country” and “Mardi Gras.”

As the band’s principal songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, John Fogerty was largely responsible for hits like “Bad Moon Rising,” the anti-war anthem “Fortunate Son,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and a number of other songs millennial Louisianans now know by heart because their dads played CCR on repeat in their trucks until the cassette tape broke. Fogerty has had a long, successful solo career since the band broke up in the early ’70s, but he’s

spending the spring playing many of CCR’s hits on tour. — JAKE CLAPP

Seu n Kuti & EGYPT 80

5:45-7 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE

When Fela Kuti died in 1997, the Afrobeat pioneer’s youngest son, Seun Kuti, took the reins of his father’s Egypt 80 band, a group the then-14year-old had been performing with for most of his life. Three decades later, the younger Kuti has both sustained and expanded Fela’s politically charged, high-energy blend of jazz, funk, highlife and traditional Yoruba rhythms by delving into modern R&B, reggae and hip-hop on originals. He also explicitly honors Fela’s legacy by keeping his classic tunes in their live sets.

The band’s new release, “Heavier Yet (Lays the Crownless Head)” — featuring Kamasi Washington, Janelle Monae, Damian Marley and POS — finds Kuti leading the large ensemble with bright-toned alto sax lines and hard-hitting socio-political messages. Speaking to Afropop Worldwide in 2024, Kuti called the album “a tale of class consciousness,” and he explained the title this way: “‘Heavy lays the head that wears the crown,’ fuck that. At least your head is lying heavy in a castle.” — JENNIFER ODELL

John Fogerty plays the Festival Stage on Thursday.

PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

25 APRIL AT JAZZ FEST

Friday

David Bandro wski & THE RHUMBA DEFENSE

11:15 A.M.-12:05 P.M.

ECONOMY HALL TENT

After launching his career in New Orleans in the early ’90s, banjo and guitar slinger David Bandrowski quickly became a local staple, working with a wide variety of artists as a go-to sideman with chops that translate seamlessly from traditional New Orleans jazz to blues to rock. His new album, “French Onion Souperman,” channels that experience through aesthetics he’s encountered while living and working in Argentina in recent years. — JENNIFER ODELL

Rosie LEDET

12:20-1:20 P.M.

FAIS DO-DO STAGE

With her soulful voice, powerful accordion playing and her affection for playful lyrics — often in the blues’ tradition of suggestive double entendres — Rosie Ledet has long since proved her mettle in a genre that’s historically been dominated by men. Ledet grew up in Church Point, a small town in Acadia Parish, and taught herself to play accordion and sing after seeing her (now-ex) husband sit in with Boozoo Chavis.

Rosie’s blues-soaked grooves and layered rhythms soon became key components of the ’90s’ zydeco scene in southwest Louisiana. While early originals like “Sweet Brown Sugar” helped earn her the nickname, “The Zydeco Sweetheart,” Ledet’s vampy lyrical wit in songs like “You Can Eat My Poussiere” deserves top billing, too — JENNIFER ODELL

Lila DOWNS

2:20-3:20 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILION

4:20-5:35 P.M.

FAIS DO-DO STAGE

Grammy–winning Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs rose to international fame with her 1999

album “La Sandunga,” named for the traditional Zapotec folk song. A culture bearer who sings in Indigenous languages, Spanish and English, Downs has advocated for the preservation of Indigenous Mexican languages, like Mixtec.

Downs’ extensive discography includes her version of traditional songs, like “La Cucaracha” and “La Bamba,” that will be familiar to most listeners. But she’s also not afraid to delve into social issues in her music, such as immigration and marginalization of and violence against Indigenous peoples. Her most recent album is 2023’s “La Sanchez.” — KAYLEE POCHE

Seratone s

2:40-3:35 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

The members of this Louisiana soul-rock band met while attending punk shows in Shreveport, but there isn’t much punk influence in their sound. Instead, lead singer and guitarist AJ Haynes’ voice is more intoned with R&B and even gospel inflections. Her delivery is sometimes sultry, sometimes searing, but always urgent.

As a former teacher and longtime reproductive rights advocate, Haynes writes lyrics that often touch upon social justice and abortion rights; she even draws lyrical inspiration from science fiction writer Octavia Butler.

While the Seratones’ music is hard to dissect along genre lines, Alabama Shakes and TV on the Radio make for a good triangulation. Produced by Cage the Elephant (another Jazz Fest headliner) guitarist Brad Schultz, their 2019 breakout album “Power” crackles with fearless momentum — a vibe that’s only amplified in their live performances. — LIAM PIERCE

Youssou N’DOUR

2:40-3:55 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

Senegalese singer-songwriter Youssou N’Dour is not only a household name in his home country, but he also is a prolific performer who has brought his act around the world, singing in multiple languages, including French, English and his native Wolof.

The Grammy winner has developed a globally influenced, eclectic style and often incorporates Senegalese percussion with Cuban rumba, hip-hop, jazz and soul. He is a staunch advocate for social justice issues and has collaborated with artists like Peter Gabriel, Wyclef Jean, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and Tracy Chapman. Earlier this month, N’Dour released the album “Eclairer le Monde – Light the World.” — SARAH RAVITS

New Orlean s Groovemaster s: HERLIN RILEY, SHANNON POWELL, JASON MARSALIS AND WEEDIE BRAIMAH

4:05-5 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

Good drummers aren’t just revered in New Orleans, they’re the very heart of the city’s sound, sustaining the throughlines from Congo Square to brass band and Black Masking Indian traditions to the Crescent City-specific sounds of modern jazz and beyond.

New Orleans natives Herlin Riley, Shannon Powell and Jason Marsalis, along with Ghana-born and

PJ Morton returns to the Congo Square Stage on Friday.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

St. Louis-bred percussionist and Djembe master Weedie Braimah, are among the best and brightest “groove masters” in the city today. Their unusual lineup generally features Marsalis rotating between vibraphone and drums and yields plenty of space for Powell’s unique feel for tambourine.

Whether they’re digging into playful funk grooves, updating New Orleans Songbook classics or reworking an old Lionel Hampton favorite, their set promises lessons in melodic drumming, New Orleans music history and endlessly contagious rhythmic flow. — JENNIFER ODELL

PJ MORTON

4:20-5:20 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

Few musicians wear New Orleans on their sleeve like PJ Morton. The five-time Grammy-winning soul singer, songwriter and longtime Maroon 5 keyboardist named his 2013 debut album “New Orleans” — fitting for a St. Augustine High grad and son of local gospel royalty Bishop Paul S. Morton. Morton has released a bounce-infused album, collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne and JoJo, and even reimagined the Bee Gees in slow-burning R&B. Congo Square is about to get blessed.

— LIAM PIERCE

Kacey MUSGRAVES

5:30-7 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

Even if you’re not a person who typically likes country music, Kacey Musgraves might be an exception. It’s hard not to enjoy the Texas native’s crystal-clear vocals and thoughtful songwriting.

Though Musgraves had some early success, she catapulted to broader fame with 2018’s “Golden Hour,” her no-skips fourth album for which she won an Album of the Year Grammy. The album included the tear-jerker of a single “Rainbow,” a heartfelt ode to the LGBTQ community.

She’s stayed on the charts since and last year released her most recent album, the tranquil and mature “Deeper Well.” Louisiana residents may relate to a line from the track “Dinner with Friends” where she lists out life’s joys, including, “my home state of Texas, the sky there and horses and dogs, but none of their laws.” —

KAYLEE POCHE

Gladys

KNIGHT

5:50-7 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

“The Empress of Soul” doesn’t need the Pips to bring the house down. Gladys Knight has been dazzling audiences since she won a TV talent contest at age

8 and still performs classics like “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “If I Were Your Woman” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” with regal power and polish. Her seven-decade career spans 38 albums and includes touring with a young Michael Jackson, opening for Diana Ross and the Supremes, and helping define an era of R&B. Jazz Fest comes just ahead of her Queens Tour alongside Patti LaBelle (who performs at the festival Sunday, May 4), Chaka Khan and Stephanie Mills. — LIAM PIERCE

GIMME, GIMME.

Kacey Musgraves plays the Festival Stage on Friday. PROVIDED PHOTO BY MARTA BEVACQUA

26

26 APRIL

Saturday

AT JAZZ FEST

Mem Shanno n & THE MEMBERSHIP

11:15 A.M.-12:05 P.M.

BLUES TENT

The opening slots on a festival stage can be tricky. Between folks still arriving, figuring out their schedule for the day and grabbing beers and a second breakfast, you’re not always assured much of a crowd. But that won’t be a problem for Mem Shannon & The Membership, whose set has been one of the Blues Tent’s highlights for decades.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Shannon began playing guitar at 15. Although he started playing out regularly, in the early ’80s he was forced to hang up his guitar and start driving a cab to make ends meet. But after a decade off the stage, Shannon returned to the local circuit in the ’90s, and by 1996 he’d retired from driving altogether. He’s developed a loyal following in the blues world ever since. Heavily inspired by B.B. King, Shannon has continued the classic electric blues style while developing his own unique sound. His set is a great way to kick off a Saturday at the festival. — JOHN STANTON

Za r ELECTRIK

3-4 P.M.

LAGNIAPPE STAGE

5-6 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILLION

You can unpack the contemporary mysticism of Zar Electrik from the name alone. “Zar” refers to an ancient spirit-healing ritual found in parts of Ethiopia and Egypt — a tradition rooted in rhythm, trance and connection to the unseen. The “Electrik” half speaks to the voltage in the French trio’s sound: synth-driven and pulse-heavy, brushing up against modern trance while anchored by traditional instruments like the guembri and oud.

saturday APRIL 26 Week One

The band’s pan-Mediterranean approach spans languages, including Arabic, French and occasionally Spanish, and Anass Zine and Arthur Péneau’s vocals weave Maghrebian harmonies through Didier Simione’s textured electronics. The result is a sound

that’s immersive, hypnotic and spiritually charged. LIAM PIERCE

Tan k AND THE BANGAS

3:30-4:50 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

Tank and the Bangas were already hometown heroes when they took home the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk contest trophy — but that national spotlight only amplified what New Orleans already knew. Tarriona “Tank” Ball’s poetry forefronts the band’s blend of hip-hop, soul, spoken word, rock, R&B and every space in-between. Since their Tiny Desk win, they’ve wrangled four Grammy nominations, including a win for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album earlier this year.

Tank and the Bangas’ live shows pulse with energy.

Tank takes on a theatrical presence, and the band sinks into deep grooves while also improvising to keep things fresh. Tank also will perform with Naughty Professor on Sunday, May 4. — LIAM PIERCE

Adonis Rose & THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ ORCHESTRA’S TRIBUTE TO FRANKIE BEVERLY AND MAZE

4:10-5:15 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

For multiple generations of festival goers, Frankie Beverly and Maze were synonymous with Jazz Fest. Though not from New Orleans, Beverly was one of the most locally beloved musicians for more than 30 years, and his music has been an integral part of cookouts and parties across the city. Originally from Philadelphia, Beverly came up as part of the Philly Soul movement but quickly

developed his own style of funk and soul. He played his final New Orleans show last May and was feted during a star-studded Maze show during Essence Fest. He passed away in September last year.

Beverly’s legacy is in good hands with Adonis Rose and the Grammy Award-winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. In addition to playing drums for the orchestra, Rose also is its creative director. Over his career, he’s played with a host of jazz greats, including Terence Blanchard, Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis and Marcus Roberts, among others.

— JOHN STANTON

Gregg Staff

4:30-5:30 P.M.

ord’s JAZZ HOUNDS

ECONOMY HALL TENT

Fans come from far and wide to see 71-year-old trumpet and cornet legend Gregg Stafford play, typically at intimate jazz clubs in the French Quarter like Preservation Hall and Mahogany Hall. And with a repertoire of traditional tunes performed with a signature swagger, Stafford is able to get a crowd of all ages dancing and second-lining during his Jazz Fest sets, too.

Stafford is a fourth-generation musician and a former student of the late Danny Barker and, in fact, took the helm of Barker’s backing band, The Jazz Hounds, when he died. Stafford also is active in the city’s second-line community and co-founded the Black Men of Labor social aid and pleasure club.

Stafford’s Young Tuxedo Brass Band performs next weekend. — SARAH RAVITS

Gregg Stafford’s Jazz Hounds perform in the Economy Hall Tent on Saturday.

PHOTO BY SHAWN FINK / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

Orleans teen under Cash Money Records’ Bryan “Baby” Williams’ mentorship. He went on to form the Hot Boys

churned out a string of critically acclaimed albums, with

combination of jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop and rock — and

setlist are anything like their 2024 collab, Jazz Fest is in saturday APRIL 26 Week One

The Roots will join Lil Wayne on the Festival Stage on Saturday.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

27 APRIL

Sunday 27

AT JAZZ FEST

Jake SHIMABUKURO

12:45-1:45 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILION

4:25-5:40 P.M.

FAIS DO-DO STAGE

Composer and ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro is a native of Hawaii who began to gain traction more than 25 years ago as a member of the group Pure Heart. In 2006, he became a breakout star when a video of him playing George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral on YouTube. Soon the requests from musicians like Jimmy Buffet, Cyndi Lauper and Yo-Yo Ma started pouring in, and he has stayed busy ever since.

Shimabukuro has published songbooks, released dozens of albums and soundtracked a couple of Japanese films. His performances typically include a variety of genres, incorporating jazz, pop, blues, funk, rock, classical, folk and flamenco. In his spare time, he runs a charity that helps people heal from trauma through music. — SARAH RAVITS

Etra n de l’Aï r OF NIGER

1:40-2:35 P.M.

BLUES TENT

3:40-4:40 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILION

Etran de L’Aïr hails from Agadez, Niger, a city in the Sahara known as a crucible for desert guitar music. But where many Tuareg bands lean hypnotic and brooding, Etran brings a celebratory, wedding-party energy.

three guitarists even swap their bass and trebles throughout performances — along with galloping rhythms and joyous vocals. While they first played on battered amps and hand-me-down instruments, they’ve now honed a thrilling live show that radiates heat and communal spirit. — LIAM PIERCE

Charlie & the Tropicale s

FEATURING MIREYA RAMOS

1:50-2:45 P.M.

LAGNIAPPE STAGE

Vocalist and trombonist Charlie Halloran brings a vibrant ’50s- and ’60s-style Caribbean flair to the stage with his band, The Tropicales. The Tropicales deliver a retro-subtropical sound, blending calypso and cumbia into a dance-filled experience. The band’s lineup is fluid, but bassist Pete Olynciw, guitarist Nahum Zdybel, saxophonist Tomas Majcherski, trumpeter David Navarro, percussionist Joel Guzman and drummer Jafet Perez have all been frequent collaborators with Halloran.

Halloran and The Tropicales will be joined by Mireya Ramos, a Latin Grammy Award–winning vocalist and violinist best known as a founding member of the all-women mariachi group Flor de Toloache.

— MADDIE SPINNER

Boy friend

2:40-3:35 P.M.

GENTILLY STAGE

Singer-songwriter and producer Boyfriend had a conservative Christian upbringing in Nashville as the daughter of country music songwriter Monty Powell. But the New Orleans artist went in a totally different direction with her stage persona, exploring sexuality and gender in her music, dubbed “rap cabaret,” and in the past sporting curlers and vintage lingerie on stage.

Boyfriend released her first full-length album “Sugar & Spice” in 2022 and followed it in 2023 with “And Everything Nice.” Her next album, “In the Garden,” out May 9, is a retelling of the Adam and Eve story from Eve’s perspective and features Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters as Adam, Big Freedia as God, Peaches as the serpent and Billy Porter narrating.

KAYLEE POCHE

Loui s Ar mstrong HOT 5 AND 7

CENTENNIAL

3:05-4:15 P.M.

ECONOMY HALL TENT

Burna Boy headlines the Congo Square Stage on Sunday.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Charlie Gabriel & FRIENDS

4:40-5:35 P.M.

The band started off playing weddings 30 years ago, long before rising to accolades like earning The New Yorker’s music critic Amanda Petrusich’s album of the year in 2020 for their release appropriately titled, “No. 1.”

Their name means “Stars of the Aïr,” a nod to the Aïr Mountains that surround their hometown. Etran de L’Aïr brings bright, interlocking guitar lines — their

Clarinetist Michael White and multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Payton, here focusing on the trumpet, will be the featured performers during a 100-year celebration of Louis Armstrong’s influential Hot 5 and Hot 7 recording sessions.

Between 1925 and 1928, Armstrong and his Hot 5 and Hot 7 groups recorded a series of sessions that left a lasting impact on music, especially through Armstrong’s impressive solos and scat singing. White and Payton will be joined by an all-star band to revisit Armstrong’s repertoire. — MADDIE SPINNER

ECONOMY HALL TENT

Few, if any, New Orleans musicians living and working in the city today have helped shape the sound of New Orleans music the way Charlie Gabriel has. At 92, the saxophonist and clarinet master is widely regarded as the soul of his main group, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Gabriel began playing New Orleans jazz at age 11, picking up gigs during the war, a pivotal time in American jazz. Today, his bandmates often point to Gabriel’s past work with icons ranging from Aretha Franklin and Tony Bennett to Lionel Hampton and George Lewis, as evidence of his unmatched ability to bring the musical history imprinted on his playing into all that he does. As a leader, Gabriel gets even more room to stretch out and show off the love in his heart and music in his ears.

— JENNIFER ODELL

Dav e Matthews BAND

5-7 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

Guitarist and vocalist Dave Matthews was working as a bartender in Charlottesville, Virginia, when he pulled together his band in the early ’90s — including bassist Stefan Lessard and drummer Carter Beauford, who have been mainstay members. Thirty years on and millions and millions of albums sold, it’s safe to call the Dave Matthews Band an institution in American music.

DMB released its 10th album, “Walk Around the Moon,” in 2023 and it peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart — the band’s first album not to debut at No. 1 since 1996’s “Crash,” which is still DMB’s best-selling album. All that to say, despite any jokes directed their way, the rock band are big festival scene favorites, especially among jam band fans. —

JAKE CLAPP

Burna BOY

5:20-6:50 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

Over the last decade, Burna Boy has emerged as one of the biggest musicians on the world stage. Originally from Nigeria, he’s part of a new generation of African musicians that have taken up the torch from luminaries like Fela Kuti and Youssou N’Dour (who plays the festival Friday, April 25).

Burna Boy plays what he calls Afro-fusion, which combines hip-hop, Afrobeat, R&B and reggae into a style that has caught the attention of critics and audiences alike. It’s

a unique sound that reflects Burna Boy’s pan-Africanist activism, which seeks to reconnect African and Africandiaspora cultures across the globe. — JOHN STANTON

HAIM

5:30-7 P.M.

GENTILLY STAGE

California sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim began performing together as kids in a cover band with their parents. The trio went on to form the indie rock outfit HAIM in 2007, and immediately hit the mainstream with their first album, 2013’s “Days Are Gone.”

Their most recent album, 2021’s “Women in Music Pt. III,” featured Taylor Swift on the track “Gasoline,” and Swift included HAIM on her song “no body, no crime.”

HAIM has released two singles in 2025, “Relationships” and most recently “Everybody’s trying to figure me out,” the latter which Danielle called her “favorite song we’ve written in the last couple years.” —

KAYLEE POCHE

Branford Marsalis QUARTET

5:45-7 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

Over the course of 40-plus years in music, saxophonist Branford Marsalis has consistently approached his work with a sense of musical adventure, taking stylistic risks within jazz while also exploring funk and R&B with his band Buckshot LeFonque and rock with his tenures alongside Sting and Bruce Hornsby. Such pursuits never seemed to hamper the eldest Marsalis brother’s ability to innovate at the highest level in his work composing and performing within the confines of post-bop; if anything, those interests only fueled his creative ability to think outside the box. Marsalis, who recently returned to New Orleans to take over as artistic director at the Ellis Marsalis Center, is touring in support of his new album, “Belonging,” a chamber-focused take on pianist Keith Jarrett’s groundbreaking ECM release. His set will feature pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner. — JENNIFER ODELL

The Dave Matthews Band plays the Festival Stage on Sunday.

PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

Jazz FESTIVUS!

BY JOHN STANTON | GAMBIT EDITOR

THE FIRST LEG OF THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FES-

TIVAL begins this week, and with it comes the annual migration to the city of Jazz Dads and their unironic, if occasionally cringy, love of cargo shorts and Grateful Dead swag.

For locals, this traditional transit of outside hordes into the city is also a happy, if hectic, time. It’s the culmination of festival season in South Louisiana, the last few weekends when the weather gods keep temperatures and rainfall at generally tolerable levels. Huge bands that either are cost prohibitive for many to see or might otherwise not come to the city, descend on New Orleans. And while tickets to the festival are always on the rise, 95 bucks for a local to get into a day of music with a descent view of a national headliner is a hell of a lot better than $300 for obstructed view nosebleeds at the Eagles.

Jazz Fest also is one of the key mile markers in the income race folks in the service industry have to make each year. Along with Mardi Gras and Halloween, Jazz Fest is one of the only times each year bartenders, servers, restaurants, musicians and artists can bank on, well, making bank.

Over the next two weeks, millions of dollars will be spent by tourists in

New Orleans. With the economically brutal summer just ahead, it’s a make-or-break moment for a huge part of our city.

For most New Orleanians, Jazz Fest has been around for almost their entire lives. Not having the festival is as incomprehensible as not having crawfsh to boil every spring or local politicians who inevitably disappoint you.

As a result, it can be easy to take Jazz Fest for granted and, like any institution older than your roof, easy to hate on. And boy, do some of y’all love to hate on it. Like clockwork, with the announcement of the year’s lineup came the complaints. It’s too Gen X. It’s too new. It’s too rock. It’s not rock enough. It’s too boring. It’s too much. And of course, it’s too Jazz Dad.

To a degree, I get it. Part of the fun of Jazz Fest is in dissecting the lineup, nitpicking choices and lamenting how the festival has changed over the years. Who doesn’t love turning it into a fantasy sport with your friends at the bar?

While you might get more out of a single-day ticket compared to a show at the Smoothie King Center, the cost can be a real problem. If you’re not griping about the price of tickets and beer, you’re living in a tax bracket

most New Orleanians can only dream of. Long gone are the days when most residents could aford to see an entire weekend, let alone both weeks.

And yes, Jazz Fest super fans are ... a lot. Like the weary Irish exhausted by American tourists detailing their marginal Irish ancestry, extreme festers who insist on telling you about your own city can be a bit much.

The thing is, for whatever faults you might be able to fnd in Jazz Fest, it is still one of the most special cultural events in the world because at its heart, the festival is a celebration of New Orleans culture. Despite some post-pandemic contraction, there’s frankly a glut of festivals out there today. There’s even a whole circuit of Cajun, zydeco and jazz themed festivals around the country. So it’s not like music lovers have to come to Jazz Fest.

It’s also insanely diverse, which makes going to the festival a chooseyour-own musical adventure experience. Nowhere else are you going to be able to see legendary Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour, Pearl Jam, Flagboy Giz, Joan Jett and George Porter Jr.

While other big festivals are increasingly leaning into nostalgia — Coachella was headlined by Green Day, after all — they’re still pretty specifc in terms of what you’ll get. Bonnaroo is for the jam band stoners, Riot Fest in Chicago caters to hardcore punk heads and Coachella is for super rich infuencers.

People come to Jazz Fest because they want to. Because they’ve come before and those memories are so special, they count down the days every year before the next festival. And most of all, because our city, with all its problems and faults, remains the coolest place to be in the United States.

Obviously, people are gonna complain. But in an increasingly hostile, corrupt and pothole flled world, it’s important to also hold on to whatever joy and happiness you can fnd, if only to help you get back up and fght another day.

So happy Jazz Fest to all those who celebrate — and those who don’t.

April 18-20

Million dollar stuffed shell pasta with asidesalad

Paneedporkloinsandwichonbun with caramelized onion pepperjack andbrown gravywith fries Jazz fest flatbreadcheddar mozzarella crawfish caramelized onionsand jalapeños

Smoked lemongarlicsalmon with mushroom orzo andveg

Trout almondine with friesand greenbeans

Lobsterkatieobster

Shortribs with baconcorncasserole

Gritsand grillades

Lobstermushroom crabmeatomelette Boiled Crawfish EverY Thursday!

PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

NEIGHBORS NEIGHBORS Southern

JAZZ FEST 2025 CELEBRATES

MEXICAN MUSIC AND CULTURE

BY LIAM PIERCE

Carlos Santana returns to Jazz Fest on Thursday, May 1. He’s one of the many Mexican-born musicians playing this year’s festival.

THE CULTURAL EXCHANGE

PAVILION has hosted countries that require a healthy spin of the globe — say, South Africa in 2013 and Japan in 2010. But this year, the U.S.’s neighbors to the south are taking center stage in a celebration of all things Mexico and Mexican American.

The undisputed Mexican-born heavyweight in Jazz Fest’s lineup is Carlos Santana (Thursday, May 1, on the Festival Stage), but don’t sleep on the chart-topping, 17-person Banda MS de Sergio Lizarraga (Sunday, May 4, on the Congo Square Stage) and Mexican traditional music and rock-infuenced vocalist Lila Downs (Friday, April 25, on the Fais Do-Do Stage). They have gigantic followings throughout the Mexican diaspora. When it comes to selecting from the staggering 19 other Mexican and border-straddling acts, we’ve got you covered.

The frst weekend will include the horn-heavy band Mixateña de Santa Cecilia, which delivers tidy boleros and cumbias native to Guerrero and Oaxaca that can sound almost Balkan at times. Don’t miss Corpus Christi, Texas’ El Dusty & The Homies, who blend hip-hop and Latin music in a style they call cumbia crunk.

Son de Madera represents the genre of son jarocho, which features the jarana, a small, 8-string, guitar-like instrument native to Veracruz. The Grammy-winning Los Texmaniacs rep deep South Texas with a sound that wouldn’t be out of place at a crawfsh boil or a quinceanera.

During the second weekend, look for Grammy-winning Los Angeles band La Santa Cecilia, who were featured on the “Coco” soundtrack. They will be playing Thursday only, so defnitely catch their modern spin on traditional Latin music.

Mexico City’s Son Rompe Pera takes the traditional marimba and runs it through a punk-rock flter, mixing in cumbia, ska, garage and surf rock. Mexican Institute of Sound, also featured on the “Coco” soundtrack, is almost like a Mexican RJD2 with lyrics. El Conjunto Nueva Ola performs new wave (“nueva ola”) covers with a cumbia beat — all in lucha libre masks.

Beyond the music, Jazz Fest will showcase artisan crafts, including guitar-making, embroidery, muralists and more. There will be musical parades across the festival grounds, dance demonstrations and cultural talks throughout both weekends. And if we’re talking Mexico, then we need to talk food. Tempero’s Market Kitchen will be serving dishes near the Cultural Exchange Pavilion, and the menu includes traditional tamales, ceviche and veggie tostadas, fautas and more.

PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

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JAZZ FEST JAZZ FEST

JAZZ FEST

Week One

Friday, Saturday or Sunday are $129 in advance or $135 at the gate. Weekend passes are $369 in advance. Various weekend passes with added amenities are available, starting at $679. Visit nojazzfest.com/tickets for details about tickets.

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Festing up APPETITE appetite

JAZZ FEST BRINGS BACK FOOD FAVORITES AND OFFERS NEW BAR OPTIONS

BY KAYLEE POCHE

FOR SOME FESTIVAL-GOERS, the food at Jazz Fest is as much of an attraction as the music. Many of us seize the opportunity to treat ourselves to all our favorite eats that we only get to indulge in this time of year. And this year, there’s a whole new range of beverage options to raise a glass, or canned beverage, to celebrate.

It’s always fun to try new vendors, and this year’s newbies include all-vegan vendor Sweet Soulfood Vegan Cuisine in Food Area 2 (facing the Cultural Exchange Pavilion). They will serve sweet potatoes, sweet-heat caulifower, collard greens and cornbread (see page 55). Meanwhile, in Food Area 1 (running between Economy Hall and the Jazz & Heritage Stage), Cafe Dauphine will have fried bell pepper

bites stufed with crabmeat and shrimp as well as crawfsh and shrimp stufed egg rolls.

The third new food vendor is oyster farmer and pop-up Lady Nellie Oysters, which will have oysters on the half-shell with a satsuma mignonette. While that’s your only option to get raw oysters at the fest, TCA Brocato’s sells fried oysters with barbecue or Bufalo sauce, and Vucinovich’s Restaurant will have fried oyster po-boys and a fried oyster spinach salad.

The Cultural Exhange Pavilion presents the music, art and culture of Mexico this year (see page 31), and there is a food vendor next to the tent. The menu includes chicken mole, fautas flled with chicken or cheese and potatoes, Gulf shrimp tostadas and

a vegetarian option, huitlacoche and vegetable tostadas. The Pavilion bar will have frozen blood orange Palomas, micheladas, margaritas and more.

As always, there are festival staples everybody needs to try at least once, like Big River Foods’ crawfsh Monica, Walker BBQ’s cochon de lait po-boy, Ms. Linda’s yakamein, Caluda’s crawfsh strudel and WWOZ’s mango freeze.

Patton’s Caterers will have its original Jazz Fest holy trinity of crawfsh sacks, oyster patties and shrimp beignets. After skipping Jazz Fest in 2023, crawfsh bread vendor Panaroma Foods returned last year. Not to worry, they’re back for 2025.

For those looking to branch out from the Southern classics, check out Congo Square for Palmer’s Jamaican Cuisine, Gambian Foods and Bennachin’s mix of West and Central African dishes.

At the Food Heritage Stage, there will be daily food demonstrations between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and that means the possibility of snagging free samples. There will be demos by local pop-ups, including Catawampus, Greta’s Sushi, Xanh Nola and Que Pasta Nola, as well as chefs Abigail Velazquez Azuara and Irma Cortés Ramírez from Veracruz, Mexico, who will do a full day of demos on Sunday, May 4.

Festival beer tents ofer a range of options, from Miller Lite to Blue Moon Belgian White, Sol and Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, as well as seltzers.

Jazz Fest added more bars this year and expanded oferings at normal spots. A new Blues Bar near the Blues Tent will serve draft beer, canned

cocktails and cocktails with Tito’s vodka and Casamigos tequila.

Tito’s and Casamigos both have their own tents with special cocktail menus. And their spirits will be available at many bars, including in the Grandstands and Rhythmpourium.

Wine stations now also ofer canned cocktails from Jack Daniels and Sun Cruiser Vodka Iced Tea. The Rhythmpourium bar ofers sparkling wine, mimosas and froze, and wine by the glass or carafe.

There are vendors with non-alcoholic drink options, including cofee, iced teas and strawberry lemonade, but there’s an option to add vodka to the latter. And a mocktails tent will have drinks from Tap Truck, and frozen drink stations have non-alcoholic Blue Raspberry.

Will Coviello contributed to this article.

A festival-goer digs into crawfish bread at Jazz Fest 2024.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Festival attendees line up for Jazz Fest eats.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Fo the kids KIDS

BY SARAH RAVITS

and activities.

JAZZ FEST HAS BECOME SUCH A FIXTURE in New Orleans that it appears to be making its way into our collective DNA.

Lots of longtime festival-goers who grew up going to Jazz Fest are now in turn bringing along their own kids or grandkids to join in on the annual pilgrimage to the Fair Grounds. It’s probably only a matter of time before BayouWear launches a kid’s line of mini-Jazz Dad attire.

So, it’s ftting that the festival has expanded its oferings for young people.

“There are more people that come to Jazz Fest with their kids than ever,” says Dana Perry, Jazz Fest’s director of administration and special projects. “So we’ve been upping the ante.”

In addition to live performances in the Ochsner Children’s Tent, there are a lot of hands-on activities for kids of all ages in the Ochsner Children’s Activity Area, like arts and crafts and a sound-making station, where young people can play instruments and record songs.

There’s also an area where kids can engage in STEM-related activities, like listening to their heartbeats on a stethoscope and learning more about the environment.

The area is colorfully decorated and welcoming. The Banner Project showcases art by local students and there are several interactive installations.

JAZZ FEST 2025 Week One

The Peace Garden, which started last year, also is a highlight. It’s

where families can partake in yoga sessions and other mindfulness activities — or simply just relax and even snooze.

The biggest draw, however, is the stage, located under a large tent.

The lineup features musicians, puppeteers, and other performers who have tailored their acts to younger audiences, including sets by local musicians Donald Lewis, Glenn Hartman and Washboard Chaz. There also will be Mexican parading groups coming through, Native American storytelling and more.

Many of the performers are young people themselves who are involved in the arts. For example, the Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary Jazz Orchestra and Performing Arts Ensemble will kick of the frst weekend on Thursday.

There also are performances by International School of Louisiana students involved in the circus arts program as well as dance routines showcasing diferent styles by the New Orleans Dance Collective.

“We are trying to celebrate the festival child in all of us,” Perry says. “This is about creating special moments, where kids are introduced to music they haven’t experienced before, and to allow families to bond, dance and create art side by side.”

Children under 2 get into Jazz Fest for free. Tickets are $5 for ages 2-10.

Jazz Fest has kid-friendly performances

PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

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Charming Brutto

WHEN IT COMES TO RUNNING RESTAURANTS BIG ON FLAVOR, vibe and hospitality, chef Brian Burns and business partner Reno De Ranieri are a time-tested dynamic duo. With the opening of Brutto Americano, they have a counterpart to their two Uptown spots, the Spanish restaurant Costera and the Italian restaurant Osteria Lupo.

Open for just more than a month, the new restaurant takes over the space formerly home to Josephine Estelle in what used to be the Ace Hotel. The hotel is now The Barnett hotel, a boutique Hyatt brand, and the restaurant was part of the change in direction. A placeholder restaurant, Trattoria Barnett, was in place until March 14.

“They reached out to us about a year ago,” De Ranieri says. “We believe our hospitality sets us apart, and after multiple visits, they agreed and asked us to come onboard. We’re thrilled and proud of that.”

Although the restaurateurs already have an Italian place, Brutto Americano, which means “ugly American” in Italian, takes a different spin.

“We respect traditional Italian food and we love the wine, but this menu is a little more modern and lighter,” Burns says. “And not too many traditional Italian places have char-grilled oysters with Parmesan and chili flakes on the menu.”

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a hotel welcoming tourists and group business. Guests can start the day with Tuscan avocado toast or a cheese omelet with provolone. There also are beignets, lemon pancakes and steak and eggs.

“It’s a different clientele, for sure,” Burns says. “Not every cuisine lends itself to breakfast, but Italian does. We’re not done exploring those connections.”

The all-day menu includes a section of house-made pasta. One dish, the blue crab radiatori, made the jump from the Uptown restaurant.

“When I was racking my brain for new menu items, I just figured I’d

landed on something fantastic, why would we not include it?” Burns says.

One of the new dishes is gemelli with roasted duck. Burns says it wasn’t something he thought would be a “runaway hit.” But it’s an instantly memorable dish, with confit duck crisped in a hot pan like carnitas along with garlic, shallots, jalapeno and fresh herbs. The pasta is sauced with reduced jus from braising the duck.

Antipasti includes steamed Prince Edward Island mussels in a nduja and tomato broth bright with herbs.

“When I was learning to cook at Martinique, moule frites were on the menu there,” Burns says. “It’s a great shareable dish that’s all but disappeared. We wanted it back.”

There also are beef and pork meatballs with ricotta and seared

Gulf tuna with mint, lemon and artichoke gremolata.

This isn’t a red gravy Italian restaurant, so there’s no eggplant Parmesan or lasagna in sight. Instead, secondis feature seared scallops in Parmesan broth, a 24-ounce rib-eye and pan-roasted chicken with sun-dried tomato tapenade and sautéed broccoli rabe. There’s also a half-pound burger, in this case topped with roasted mushroom, provolone and pickled peppers. There’s a four-course tasting menu for $70. “A table of four can taste half of our menu that way,” Burns says. “It’s a fun way to eat.”

For dessert, there’s tiramisu and panna cotta, but also a Sicilian-style cannolo and affogato, a bracing pick-me-up that pairs Maderia ice cream with French Truck expresso.

The gorgeous Art Deco space has soaring ceilings, a marble bar and an open kitchen; The only change they made was changing the formerly black walls to cerulean blue with white accents and adding gorgeous green velvet banquettes and leather and wood dining chairs.

The pair also are taking over banquets and in-room dining.

“We’ve leaned on a lot of long-time staff members,” Burns says. “We were trying to hold onto as many people as possible. If you’re opening a restaurant, you’re hiring people and bringing them into your place. This was us coming into their space. They are really helping with the transition.”

The partners also are providing the food and beverage for High Five, the beautiful rooftop bar, formerly called Alto. Brunch and happy hour are on the horizon.

Zony

Mash to close

NEW ORLEANS BREWERY ZONY MASH BEER PROJECT, known for hosting popups, live music and other community events, will close June 1.

The brewery announced in a social media post April 14 that it will shut its doors after more than five years of operating in the historic GEM theater off South Broad Street.

“It’s been an amazing five years, but it’s time to call it a wrap on this project,” the brewery’s bar manager Branna Elenz wrote on Instagram.

“We’re so proud of all that we have accomplished together: fun and exciting beers, a badass place to hang out, all of the amazing food and great events we’ve hosted over the years. We couldn’t have done it without all of you,” she added.

Over the next month, Zony Mash will operate as normal with “plenty of beer, cocktails and THC seltzers in the cooler and lots of awesome things going on over the next month and a half.”

The brewery was opened in 2019 by Adam Ritter and Mitch Grittman, who named it after a Meters album of early tracks and B-sides.

It became a space for beer drinkers to try different varieties of new brews and other drinks. But it also became known as a welcoming community space.

During the Covid pandemic, it was especially hospitable to customers — and their dogs and young children — as well as pop-ups, musicians and other performers who were able to use its outdoor space. It also hosted art markets, film events and trivia nights and was home to King Cake Hub in recent years.

It is unclear why the brewery is shutting down.

The beer garden at Zony Mash Beer Project

Brutto Americano opens in the Barnett hotel by Beth D’Addono |

Chef Brian Burns (left) and Reno De Ranieri opened Brutto Americano.

PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER / GAMBIT

“We will all find new homes throughout the city to continue doing what we all love to do,” Elenz wrote. “So keep your eyes peeled for your favorite events or your favorite beers to star in their own spin-off series on another network.”

On Sunday, June 1, Zony Mash will host a farewell party coinciding with its regular trivia night event, which will be Mike Judge themed. There will be screenings of “Beavis & Butthead,” “Office Space” and “Idiocracy.” Screenings start at noon and trivia is at 6 p.m.

“You made our dreams come true and that is what we want to celebrate – the joy and love and community that’s become family over the years,” Elenz said. — Sarah Ravits

Anita’s reboot

IT SEEMED LIKE THE END OF THE ROAD FOR ANITA’S GRILL when the old school diner closed in 2024 after nearly 70 years. But now a new Anita’s is preparing to open in a different location, this time downtown, in a building with its own vintage character.

This rendition of Anita’s Grill will be on the ground floor of the Howard, the flat iron-shaped building at 833 Howard Ave. It’s slated to open around the middle of May, pending permitting.

It will be operated by Sean McCormick. His father Arnold McCormick was a partner in Anita’s Grill for decades. Now 89, the senior McCormick is on board to advise while his son takes the helm.

The aim is to bring back the feel of the old diner and serve the same role. It will serve many of the same dishes, like liver and eggs, pork chops and grits, red beans and fried chicken.

“People like that greasy spoon, that home-cooked meal, and that’s what we’re sticking with,” Sean McCormick says.

Some employees from the old restaurant will be back, and McCormick says he is trying to hire more staff for the new restaurant.

The new Anita’s will open with an early breakfast and lunch schedule to begin, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., with evening hours to come. McCormick is exploring the possibility of 24-hour service, once a hallmark of Anita’s, if he can staff more shifts and there is sufficient demand. That would join a growing trend of late-night hours for New Orleans restaurants.

Some of the changes to the operation are intended to bring the operation up to the times. Previously cash only, the restaurant will take cards and also add takeout and use third-party delivery services.

FORK & CENTER

“My dad was always old school, didn’t want to do any of that, so we’re going to tap into what we didn’t do before,” McCormick says. “Times are a little tough, but with some changes I think we can make it.”

The original diner was near the corner of Tulane Avenue and South Galvez Street, at an address that had been a restaurant since the 1920s. Anita Jackson bought it in the 1950s and changed the name. Arnold McCormick and business partner Robert Wise took over in the 1980s.

Eventually, the sign over the door read “The World Famous Anita’s Grill,” and to its fans the diner was indeed legendary. It came by its retro vibe honestly, between its open kitchen, swivel stools and familial service. People found quick meals at fair prices at a spot that exuded New Orleans soul.

In its 24/7 rendition, Anita’s drew plenty of people after a night on the town, but also musicians and service industry workers after late shifts and staff from nearby hospitals. The courthouse supplied many regulars too.

The all-night hours were curtailed after Hurricane Katrina and higher prices for food started cutting into Anita’s old business model. The end came last fall after the restaurant’s landlord sold the property and a clutch of contiguous lots to the LSU Board of Supervisors, which acquired it for future expansion of the adjacent LSU Health complex. The old Anita’s building has since been leveled.

The outpouring of goodwill and fond memories of Anita’s after the diner closed eventually convinced McCormick to give the restaurant another shot.

“It seemed pretty unlikely we’d reopen. But I kept getting calls, people giving me leads on new locations,” McCormick says. “I thought, look we had a following, people know us, let’s bring it back. We have to try.” — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

Relaxonour TR OPIC AL CO UR TYAR D OR SIDE WA LK SE AT IN G with afresh cocktail, wine or dinner!

The former Anita’s Grill has been demolished.

PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

Chetwan Smith

Chef

by Will Coviello

CHETWAN AND ANTHONY SMITH

OPENED SWEET SOULFOOD to serve vegan versions of their favorite local dishes. They got their start serving food at festivals and events before opening their brick and mortar spot at 1025 N. Broad St. This year, they’ll make their debut at Jazz Fest, with a booth in Food Area 2 (near the Cultural Exchange Pavilion). The restaurant normally is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but it will be closed on Jazz Fest days. For more information, visit sweetvegansoulfood. com or nojazzfest.com/food.

How did you become vegan?

CHETWAN SMITH: I don’t call myself a vegan. I call myself a freetarian. It’s the freedom to choose. Sometimes I am a vegetarian. Or I might eat a piece of birthday cake. I don’t want my life to be so strict. I am a free spirit to the core.

I got into vegan food because I was pregnant. I was about to have my daughter. I was at home. I was on YouTube. The doctor kept saying, you have to watch your blood pressure. I was in mommyhood. You’re in this care-about-everything mindset; you want the best for your kids.

I had to be my best self. If that was letting animals go at the time, that’s just what I had to do. My problem is sweets. I love sweets. They can bring everyone together.

My daughter is 16 now. I’ve been doing this for a while. It’s evolved a lot. I have been on the journey. We’ve been here for eight years now. Most of our customers are not vegan. We’re not preachy. We have to show love and compassion, humility and humanity to everyone. A lot of people want me to be preachy about animals and all of that. But I am not going to do that. I feel like that’s not loving. We need to have compassion for everyone.

What do you serve at the restaurant?

S: We are 100% vegan. Some items have soy in it. Vegetarian means milk, butter and eggs. We’re vegan, so we have no dairy and no eggs. We do use vegan butter, and we use a lot of coconut milk.

We do things that are New Orleansbased. You have to do New Orleans food. You have to cook what people are already eating, just veganize it. I can make everything I cook vegan.

The eggplant lasagna, cauliflower and cashew mac are popular. And the bread pudding. We also have ice cream.

We prepare salads. We started that this month. We have a garden salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. We may add jerk cauliflower or vegan cheese. We make our own dressings. We have a Creole ranch, creamy balsamic and honey mustard. We’ve had a salad bar, but that wasn’t popular. We also made salad one of the side items you can get. We make our own remoulade sauce as well. We do fried mushrooms on Fridays and Saturdays and serve it with that.

We have specialty items every day. We have lasagna on Tuesday. We have stuffed bell peppers on Thursday. We have red beans on Monday.

The restaurant has been very demanding. I don’t think people realize. We’re open six days a week. I am here at 5 a.m., and we open at 11. We make fresh food daily. This is not fast food, although we serve food fast. It’s

a lot that goes into what we do. We may go through 12 cases of cauliflower in a day sometimes, 40 cases a week. That’s a lot. This is a touristy spot. A lot of Uber drivers and hotels recommend us. We’re thankful for that.

What will you serve at Jazz Fest?

S: When they contacted us, we thought about it. My husband and I talked it over. We thought we had to jump at the opportunity. We’ve always done festivals, but with the restaurant, we have to mind the baby. With Jazz Fest, we have to close the restaurant. That is why we haven’t done a lot of festivals. We are taking this leap. Our restaurant customers may not be too happy for a few days. They came and ate our food. They tried our dishes. And these are our most popular dishes. They are the things we make the most every day.

The greens are collards and cabbage. I cook them until they’re briny. There’s a little smoked paprika that gives it a kick. When you brine, it makes things stronger. Our flavors tend to be intense.

Our sweet potatoes are simple. There’s organic brown sugar or cane sugar, and that’s it — no cinnamon or anything else. We want you to taste our sweet potatoes. They’re not out of a can. But there should be a little sweetness.

We have our cauliflower. It’s like chicken. With the sweet heat, we make our own barbecue sauce. It has hot sauce in it, but it’s not spicy. It’s more for flavor.

And we’ll have our cornbread. It’s kind of a cake-y cornbread, but not too cake-y.

Most of our items taste normal. It’s old-fashioned, going back to basics. Like farm to table, authentic food. I feel like that’s why we’ve had such a good response. When you use real food, it just tastes organically better.

WI NE OF THE WEEK

Anthony and Chetwan Smith

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHETWAN SMITH

Out to Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are for New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream. com — This Mid-City sweet shop serves its own gelato, spumoni, Italian ices, cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and more. There also are coffee drinks. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $ Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant.com — Gulf Drum Yvonne is served with brown butter sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. There also are seafood pasta dishes, steaks, lamb chops and more. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$

Bamboula’s — 514 Frenchmen St.; bamboulasmusic.com — The live music venue’s kitchen offers a menu of traditional and creative Creole dishes, such as Creole crawfish crepes with goat cheese and chardonnay sauce. Reservations accepted. Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. $$

The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 118 Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001; 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 2842898; thebluecrabnola.com — Basin barbecue shrimp are served with rosemary garlic butter sauce over cheese grits with a cheese biscuit. The menu includes po-poys, fried seafood platters, raw and char-grilled oysters, boiled seafood in season, and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lakeview: Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Slidell: Lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$ Broussard’s — 819 Conti St., (504) 581-3866; broussards.com — The menu of contemporary Creole dishes includes rainbow trout amandine served with tasso and corn macque choux and Creole meuniere sauce. Brunch includes Benedicts, chicken and waffles and more. Reservations recommended. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$ Cafe Normandie — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The menu combines classic French dishes and Louisiana items like crab beignets with herb aioli. Sandwiches include po-boys, a muffuletta on flatbread and a burger. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch Mon.-Sat., dinner Fri.-Mon. $$

The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 2741850; thecommissarynola.com — A smoked turkey sandwich is served with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. The menu includes dips, salads, sandwiches, boudin balls, fried oysters and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$ Curio — 301 Royal St., (504) 717-4198; curionola.com — The creative Creole menu includes blackened Gulf shrimp served with chicken and andouille jambalaya. There also are crab cakes, shrimp and grits, crawfish etouffee, po-boys and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

Dahla — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 766-6602; dahlarestaurant.com — The menu includes popular Thai dishes like pad thai, drunken noodles, curries and fried rice. Crispy skinned duck basil is prepared with vegetables and Thai basil. Delivery available. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$

Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — A menu full of Gulf seafood includes char-grilled oysters

$ — average dinner entrée under $10

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topped with Parmesan and herbs. The menu also includes po-boys, po-boys, gumbo, blackened fish, fried seafood platters and more. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$

Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House — 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse.com — There’s a seafood raw bar with raw and char-broiled oysters, fish dip, crab fingers, shrimp and more. Redfish on the Half-shell is cooked skin-on and served with crab-boiled potatoes, frisee and lemon buerre blanc. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$

Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse — 716 Iberville St., (504) 522-2467; dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com — The menu includes a variety of steaks, plus seared Gulf fish, lobster pasta, barbecue shrimp and more. A 6-ounce filet mignon is served with fried oysters, creamed spinach, potatoes and bearnaise. Reservations recommended. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$

El Pavo Real — 4401 S. Broad Ave., (504) 266-2022; elpavorealnola.com — The menu includes tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, ceviche. tamales and more. Pescado Vera Cruz features sauteed Gulf fish topped with tomatoes, olives, onion and capers, served with rice and string beans. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and early dinner Tue.-Sat. $$

Juan’s Flying Burrito — 515 Baronne St., (504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-9950; 8140 Oak St., (504) 897-4800; juansflyingburrito.com — The Flying Burrito includes steak, shrimp, chicken, cheddar jack cheese, black beans, rice, guacamole and salsa. The menu also includes tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, nachos, salads and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$

Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, ham, cheese and pickles. The eclectic menu also includes chargrilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

Kilroy’s Bar — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The bar menu includes sandwiches, salads and flatbreads, including one topped with peach, prosciutto, stracciatella cheese, arugula and pecans. No reservations. Lunch Fri.-Mon., dinner daily. $$

Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and a NOLA Style Grits Bowl topped with bacon, cheddar and a poached egg. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$

Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes filets mignons and bone-in rib-eyes, as well as burgers, salads and seafood dishes. Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$

Luzianne Cafe — 481 Girod St., (504) 2651972; luziannecafe.com — Boudin Benedict features two poached eggs over boudin and

an English muffin, served with green tomato chow chow and hollandaise. No reservations. Delivery available. Breakfast and lunch Wed.-Sun. $$

Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado and snow crab. The menu also has noodle dishes, teriyaki and more. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$

Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and specialties including chicken a la grande, shrimp Mosca, baked oysters Mosca and chicken cacciatore. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys dressed with sliced cabbage and Creole favorites like jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$

Neyow’s Creole Cafe — 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827-5474; neyows.com — The menu includes red beans and rice with fried chicken or pork chops, as well as shrimp Creole, seafood platters, po-boys, char-grilled and raw oysters, salads and more. Side items include carrot souffle, mac and cheese, cornbread dressing, sweet potato tots and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$

Nice Guys Bar & Grill — 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504) 302-2404; niceguysbarandgrillnola.com Char-grilled oysters are topped with cheese and garlic butter, and other options include oysters Rockefeller and loaded oysters. The creative menu also includes seafood bread, a Cajun-lobster potato, wings, quesadillas, burgers, salads, sandwiches, seafood pasta, loaded fries and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$

Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers cheese boards and appetizers to nosh with wines. The menu includes Creole pasta with shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$

Palace Cafe — 605 Canal St., (504) 523-1661; palacecafe.com — The contemporary Creole menu includes crabmeat cheesecake with mushrooms and Creole meuniere sauce.

Bourbon House (144 Bourbon St., 504-522-0111; www. bourbonhouse.com) serves seafood, Creole dishes and a large selection of bourbon and American whiskies.

Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Breakfast and lunch Wed.Fri., dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$$

Parish Grill — 4650 W. Esplanade Ave., Suite 100, Metairie, (504) 345-2878; parishgrill.com — The menu includes burgers, sandwiches, pizza and sauteed andouille with fig dip, blue cheese and toast points. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$

Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — At brunch, braised short rib grillades are served over grits with mushrooms, a poached egg and shaved truffle. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.Mon., brunch Sun. $$

Rosie’s on the Roof — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The rooftop bar has a menu of sandwiches, burgers and small plates. Crab beignets are made with Gulf crabmeat and mascarpone and served with herb aioli. No reservations. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 934-3463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, littleneck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$ Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes raw and char-broiled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, fried chicken, crab and corn bisque and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 733-3803; 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza.com — A Marilynn Pota Supreme pie is topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. There also are salads, sandwiches, wings, breadsticks and more. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily. $ The Vintage — 3121 Magazine St., (504) 324-7144; thevintagenola.com — There’s a full coffee drinks menu and baked goods and beignets, as well as a full bar. The menu has flatbreads, cheese boards, small plates and a pressed veggie sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Jazz Fest flms

The first Jazz Fest in 1970 featured Duke Ellington, Mahalia Jackson, Danny Barker and Pete Fountain and many more performing in Congo Square. Former WDSU cameraman Don Perry captured the event on 16mm film, and in 1978 he donated the reels to the Louisiana State Museum. The Friends of the Cabildo screens seven of those films, and there’s music by Band-in-a-Pocket Jazz Trio. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Tickets $25, or $15 for Friends of the Cabildo members, via friendsofthecabildo.org.

Take Me To The River All-Stars

The Take Me to the River project has produced two documentaries about music traditions in Southern cities, one focused on Memphis, Tennessee, and another on New Orleans, released in 2022. The past few years, many of the musicians featured in the New Orleans documentary have come together for a special show during Jazz Fest. The Take Me To The River All-Stars return to the Joy Theater at 9 p.m. Sunday, April 27, for a show featuring Cyril Neville, Taj Mahal, Ivan Neville, Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr., Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph and many others. Tickets start at $44.50 via thejoytheater.com.

C.C. Dash Rip Cock

Guitar slinger C.C. Adcock and his roaring band The Lafayette Marquis square up with the cowpunks in Dash Rip Rock for a brawling melee of “South Louisiana Cow Punk Swamp ‘n’ Roll.” The two bands will be sharing the Chickie Wah Wah stage and trading licks back and forth one or two songs at a time after the first day of Jazz Fest. Showtime is 11 p.m. Thursday, April 24. Tickets are $35 advance via chickiewahwah.com and $40 at the door.

Fest Du Void: Day Zero

Fete Du Void each fall throws a twoday music festival over in Oakdale, but in recent years, the group has been hosting more single-day fests at home in New Orleans. They’ll now throw a pre-Jazz Fest party on Wednesday, April 23, at the Broadside. Fest Du Void: Day Zero will feature music by The Magic Beans, NOON, Mike Dillon and Punkadelick, Bakey’s Brew and more. Things get rolling at 2 p.m. Tickets are $43.27 advance via broadsidenola.com and $53.81 day of show.

David Ramirez

Austin, Texas, singer-songwriter David Ramirez combines country, folk and blues in his Americana blend. His latest album, “All the Not So Gentle Reminders,” released in March, features fuzzy guitars, heartfelt ballads and soaring choruses on songs about taking stock of life. At 9 p.m. Monday, April 21, at Gasa Gasa. Tickets $24.96 via gasagasanola.com.

The Coven

New Orleans’ witchy supergroup of femme vocalists The Coven aims to take the power back with their next musical ritual on Thursday, April 24, at the Broadside. The show, “Revolution,” will feature The Coven and their familiars, Some Men Playing Instruments, digging into protest songs, from Rage Against the Machine and the Beastie Boys to Sharon Jones and Merry Clayton. The Coven includes Debbie Davis, Arsène DeLay, Kimberly Kaye, Mia Borders and more, with special guests Susan Cowsill and Mykia Jovan. An arts market opens at 7 p.m., and music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $32.73 advance via broadsidenola. com and $38 at the door.

Escher Quartet

New York’s Escher String Quartet returns to New Orleans for a program of works by Dvorak, Mendelssohn and Samuel Barber. They’re joined by pianist Terrence Wilson. Presented by Friends of Music at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at Tulane University’s Dixon Hall. Tickets $10-$35, and free for students with school ID. Find tickets and information at friendsofmusic.org.

DJ Questlove

The musician, producer and leader of The Roots, the house band for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, is in town for a Jazz Fest set with Lil Wayne. He drops into the Dew Drop Inn for a DJ set. Antwigadee also DJs. At 9 p.m. Friday, April 25. Tickets $59-$149 via dewdropinnnola.com.

Napalm Death and Melvins

Metal fans won’t find much ax-grinding at Jazz Fest, so this showcase arrives right on time. British grindcore pioneers and death metal stalwarts Napalm Death share a bill with Washington sludge metal and grunge veterans Melvins. Guitarist and vocalist Buzz Osborne and the Melvins released “Tarantula Heart” last year and just released “Thunderball,” both combining muddy riffs and some of the

band’s experimental flair. Stoner metalists Weedeater and Napalm bassist Shane Embury’s Dark Sky Burial also perform. At 7 p.m. Monday, April 21, at House of Blues. Tickets $35-$75 via concerts.livenation.com.

‘Ricky Graham’s

New Orleans Fairy Tales’

Many of the Grimm’s fairy tales were given “happily-ever-after” endings in Disney films. But only Ricky Graham could put a yatty spin on them. A show of newly updated Grimm stories adds local wisdom in “Hansel and Gretna,” “Rouxpunzel” and “Little Woods Riding Hood.” The cautionary tales are aimed at adults and older kids. At Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 27. Tickets $35 via rivertowntheaters.com.

Band of Heathens

Austin, Texas, rockers Band of Heathens blend rock, blues and blueeyed soul. While their early output included many live albums, in recent years, they’ve spent more time in the studio, releasing “Simple Things” in 2023. At 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at Chickie Wah Wah. Find information via chickiewahwah.com.

Black Uhuru

Formed in Kingston, Jamaica, Black Uhuru were reggae ambassadors in the 1970s and ’80s, and Derrick “Duckie” Simpson still leads the band. At 11 p.m. Friday, April 25, at Chickie Wah Wah. Tickets $69.20-$164.99 (including fees) via chickiewahwah.com.

Acid Bath

For any kid starting to dig into metal and punk music, especially a kid growing up in South Louisiana, it doesn’t take much time at all to find Acid Bath. The band from the Houma area had a relatively short run in the ’90s before bassist Audie Pitre died in a car accident. But Acid Bath’s two full-lengths — especially “When the Kite String Pops,” with the self-portrait painting by John Wayne Gacy on the cover — left a lasting influence on sludge and doom metal that has rippled out across the country with growing intensity ever since. Original members Dax Riggs, Sammy Duet and Mike Sanchez are now on a string of reunion shows and play The Fillmore on Friday, April 25, and again Wednesday, April 30. Both shows quickly sold out, but resale tickets are available via thefillmorenola.com.

FO

MUSIC

To learn more about adding your event to the music calendar, please email listingsedit@gambitweekly.com

MONDAY 21

30/90 — Margie Perez, 6 pm; Piano Man “G”, 9 pm

ALLWAYS LOUNGE Betsy Propane’s Smokeshow, 7 pm

APPLE BARREL Mark Appleford, 6 pm; Decaturadio, 10:30 pm

BAMBOULA’S The Rug Cutters, 12 pm; Jon Roniger & The Good For Nothin’ Band, 5:30; Sugar & The Daddies, 9 pm

BJ’S LOUNGE — Red Beans & Blues with Dayna Kurtz & Robert Mache, 9 pm

BJ'S LOUNGE BYWATER — Dayna Kurtz and Robert Maché, 9 pm

BOURBON O BAR — Vince Henningfeld Duo, 4 pm; Blue Horn Jazz Band, 8 pm

BUFFA’S — David Doucet, 7 pm

CAFÉ NEGRIL Gumbo Funk, 7 pm

CAPULET — Nanci Zee, 6 pm

CARROLLTON STATION — Biscuits n’ Jam: With Meryl Zimmerman & Friends, 10 pmCHICKIE WAH WAH — Michigan Rattlers, 8 pm

COLUMNS HOTEL Stanton Moore Trio, 6:30 pm

D.B.A. Secret Six Jazz Band, 6 pm; The Jump Hounds, 9 pm

DA JUMP OFF LOUNGE Big Six Brass Band, 9 pm

DOS JEFES — John Fohl, 8:30 pm

FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Matinee All Star Band, 1 pmTin Men, 5 pm; Richard "Piano" Scott and Friends, 8 pm

GASA GASA David Ramirez, 9 pm

HOLY DIVER — DJ Reverend Robert Sinewave, 10 pm

HOUSE OF BLUES — Napalm Death & Melvins, 6 pm

THE MAISON — Aurora Nealand, 5 pm; Gene’s Music Machine, 8 pm

MAPLE LEAF BAR — George Porter Jr. Trio, 7 pm; 10 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE — Very Good Mondays, 9 pm

TUESDAY 22

30/90 — Richard Rourke & The Easy, 6 pm; Higher Heights, 9 pm

BAMBOULA’S — Swingin’ with John Saavedra, 12 pm; Giselle Anguizola Quartet, 4:30 pm; Wolfe John’s Band, 9 pm

BJ’S LOUNGE Anna Laura Quinn & Ed Barrett Duo, 6 pm; Bruisey’s Bottoms Up Open Mic, 9 pm

BOURBON O BAR — Dr. Zach, 4 pm; Shawan Rice Trio, 8 pm

BUFFA’S Alex McMurray, 7 pm

CAPULET — Lady O & The Expats, 6 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH Luke WinslowKing, 8 pm

D.B.A. — Kid Chocolate + the Free P.O.C, 9:30 pm

DOS JEFES Kris Tokarski, 8:30 pm

FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB —

Richard “Piano” Scott, 1 pm; Colin Myers Band, 5 pm; Fritzels All Star Band w/Jamil Sharif, 8 pm

THE GOAT — Scott H. Biram, Dirty Rotten Snake In The Grass, 8 pm

HOLY DIVER The Amazing Henrietta, 8 pm

MAPLE LEAF BAR — GuitArmy, 9 pm

NIMS FINE ARTS CENTER, ACADEMY OF THE SACRED HEART Calum Graham, 7:30 pm

NO DICE Wormrot + No/Mas, 9 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE — Rebirth Brass Band, 10 pm

SALON SALON Salvador Avila, 7 pm

SATURN BAR — Slow Slow LLoris + Klaas Hubner, 9 pm

SNUG HARBOR — Trumpet Mafa, 7:30 pm; 9:30 pm

SPOTTED CAT Chris Christy, 2 pm; Sweetie Pies, 6 pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 9:30 pm

WEDNESDAY 23

30/90 Jef Chaz Blues Band, 6 pm; The Budz, 9 pm

BAMBOULA’S — J.J. & The A-OK’s, 12 pm; Boardwalker & The 3 Finger Swingers, 4:30 pm; The Queen & Friendz, 9 pm

THE BARNETT WATS After Party with DJ Madspinnz, 8 pm

BLUE NILE — Yoshitaka “Z2” Tsuji, 8 pm; New Breed Brass Band, 10 pm

BOTANICAL GARDEN AT CITY PARK

Evenings with Enrique , 5 pm

BOURBON O BAR — High Standards, 4 pm; Serabee, 8 pm

BRATZ Y’ALL Ron Hotstream & Dean Zucchero, 5 pm

BROADSIDE — Fest Du Void: Day Zero, 2 pm

BUFFA’S Davis Rogan, 7 pm

CAFE DEGAS — Double Whisky & Friends, 6 pm

performs a gospel set at The Dew Drop Inn Saturday, April 26 at 9 p.m.

CAPULET Nahum Zydbel, 6 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH — Helen Gillet with Special Guest Skerik, 7:30 pm; The Band of Heathens, 10 pm

D.B.A. — Stephen Walker N’ Em, 6 pm; Lagniappe Brass Band, 9 pm

DOS JEFES — Bryce Eastwood & Jeremie Henan, 8:30 pm

FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard "Piano" Scott, 1 pm; Bourbon Street Stars, 5 pm; Fritzels All Star Band w/Kevin Ray Clark, 8 pm

GASA GASA Olivia Valentine Release Show + Across Phoenix + Chef Menteur, 9 pm

GENERATIONS HALL — Jazz & Heritage Gala, 6 pm

HOWLIN’ WOLF — George Brown Band ft. Terrence Houston, 7 pm; Skylar Rose + Paul Faith & The Barstool Prophets + David Taylor Cofe, 9 pm

JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Funkin’ It Up with Big Sam, 7 pm

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MUSIC

LAFAYETTE SQUARE — Wednesdays at the Square ft. George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners + Mia Borders, 5 pm

LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ Isaac Eady & Third Moon, 10 pm

MAPLE LEAF BAR Happy Organ Hour with Joe Ashlar, Stanton Moore and more, 6 pm; Pete Murano Band, 10 pm; (1am) AX3 with Ari Teitel, Andriu Yanovski & Alvin Ford Jr., 12 pm

NO DICE — Kings of Brass + Odd the Artist + 54 Millz, 9 pm

NOPSI HOTEL — Nell SimmonsBradley, 6 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE — Adam Deitch Producer Set, 9 pm

SATURN BAR — Basher + Shakespeare & The Blues, 9 pm

SIBERIA La Luz + Color Green, 9 pm

TIPITINA’S — St. Paul & The Broken Bones + Sugadaisy, 9 pm

VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE — Robin Rapuzzi’s Glo Worm Trio, 8:30 pm

THURSDAY 24

30/90 Feral House Cats ft. Dave Hamilton, 6 pm; Brass Flavor, 9 pm

APPLE BARREL Johnny Mastro & Blue Midnight, 10:30 pm

BAMBOULA’S — Felipe K-rrera Music Group, 12 pm; Cristina Kaminis & The Mix, 5:30 pm; Wolfe John’s Band, 9 pm

BANKS STREET BAR Wallace + The Drupes, 9 pm

BAR REDUX Jacky Blaire & The Hot Biscuits, 9 pm

BEANLANDIA Treme Brass Band, 6 pm

BJ’S LOUNGE Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, 9 pm

BK HOUSE — Rhythm & Roses Concert Series ft. Amina Scott, 6 pm

BLUE NILE — Eddie Roberts Birthday Bash, 11 pm

BMC — French Quarter Pounders, 5 pm; Maurice Cade & The E.S.S. Band, 9 pm

BOURBON O BAR Tifany Hall , 4 pm; Audrey & The CrawZaddies, 8 pm

THE BROADSIDE The Coven, 8 pm; Eric Johanson, 10 pm

BUFFA’S — Tom McDermott & Aurora Nealand, 8 pm

CAFÉ ISTANBUL — Current Futures ft. Robert Walter, Stanton Moore, Will Bernard and more, 9:30 pm

CAFÉ NEGRIL Sunny Side, 6 pm; Armani Smith & Soul Ties, 10 pm

CAPULET Coyote Anderson, 6 pm

CARROLLTON STATION — Mahmoud Chouki & Friends, 8 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH Sonny Landreth and The Iguanas, 8 pm; CC

Adcock, The Lafayette Marquis and Dash Rip Rock, 11 pm; Psyche Cumbia: Money Chicha & Gitkin, 12 am

D.B.A. — Honey Island Swamp Band, 8 pm; Brad Miller, Adam Deitch, Nicholas Payton & More, 11 pm

DEW DROP INN — Dew Drop Nights ft. Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, 10:30 pm

DOUBLE DEALER BAR — John Saavedra, 9 pm

THE FILLMORE — Trampled by Turtles, 8 pm

FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB

Richard "Piano" Scott, 12 pm; Doyle Cooper Band, 2 pm; John Saavedra Band, 5 pm; Fritzels All Star Band w/ Caleb Nelson, 8 pm

GASA GASA Abby & The Arsonists + Twin Sugar + Drugstore Lipstick, 9 pm

GOOD MEASURE Jaime Woods & Friends, 8 pm

HISTORIC BK HOUSE & GARDENS

Amina Scott, 5:30 pm

HOUSE OF BLUES

Mac Sabbath, 8 pm

HOWLIN’ WOLF — Brass Queens Album Release, 8 pm

JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Brass-AHolics, 7:30 pm

LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — The Soul Rebels, 11 pm

THE MAISON — Stephen Walker N’em, 4:30 pm; Single Malt Please, 8:30 pm

MAPLE LEAF BAR — Luciano Leães, 6 pm; Monsters: Brad Walker, Chris Senac, Andriu Yanovski and more, 8 pm; Johnny Vidacovich w/ George Porter Jr. and Eric Krasno, 10 pm; Alex Wasily’s Very Good Band ft. Ian Neville, Nigel Hall, TJ Norris and more, 1 am

MARIGNY OPERA HOUSE The Harp Machine: Worldly Rhythms & Soulful Vibes ft. Leonard Jacome, Willy B & more, 8 pm

NO DICE — Atom Cat + Basch J ernigan Band + Megan Martinez & Friends, 9 pm

ORPHEUM THEATRE — Esperanza

Spalding, 8 pm

POOL CLUB AT THE VIRGIN HOTEL

— The Last Note: Kiana Tenille, Ryan Batiste, Legatron Prime, and Aliyuhhh, 8 pm

THE PRESS ROOM AT THE ELIZA

JANE D’Batiste & Friends, 5 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE — Mobetta’s All Funkin’ Night Jam with Maurice “Mobetta” Brown & Friends, 11 pm

ROCK 'N' BOWL — Geno Delafose plus Jefery Bourssard, 8 pm

Let t GOD FOD

SALON SALON — Robin Rappuzi’s Glo Worm Quartetto, 7 pm

SANTOS BAR — Tainted Love 80’s Night with DJ Shane Love, 10 pm

SATURN BAR — Ashley’s Diferent Animal EP Release Party, 9 pm

TIPITINA’S St. Paul & The Broken Bones + Sugadaisy, 9 pm

TOULOUSE THEATRE Zack Feinberg + Crowe Boys, 9 pm

VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet, 10:30 pm

FRIDAY 25

30/90 — Rosalie & Her Studs, 2 pm; Decaturadio, 5 pm; Ado Soul & The Tribe, 8 pm; Colin Davis & Night People, 11 pm

BAMBOULA’S The Rug Cutters, 11 am; Felipe Antonio Quintet, 2:15 pm; Les Getrex & Creole Cooking, 6:30 pm; Bettis + 3rd Degree Brass Band, 10 pm

BANKS STREET BAR — Chase Wayne & The Honkly Tonk Machine, 9 pm

BJ’S LOUNGE — Little Freddie King, 9 pm

BLUE NILE — Kermit Rufns & The BBQ Swingers, 10:30 pm; Big Sam’s Funky Nation, 1 am; Toubab Krewe (upstairs), 11 pm

BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — Toubab Krewe, 11 pm

BOURBON O BAR — Mem Shannon Trio, 8 pm

BOURBON O BAR — Ellen Smith & April Spain, 4 pm

BOURBON STREET HONKY TONK The Bad Sandys, 8 pm

BROADSIDE Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, 8 pm; Pimps of Joytime, 11 pm

BUFFA’S — Ragtime Piano with Adam Rogers, 6 pm; Jamie Bernstein, 8 pm

CAFÉ NEGRIL — The Silver Lining Serenaders, 2 pm; Jamey St. Pierre & The Honeycreepers, 6 pm; Higher Heights, 10 pm

CARROLLTON STATION — Midrif + The Bloomies, 8 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH — Sonny Landreth with Rodie Romero & Juan Manuel Nunez, 8 pm; Black Uhuru, 11 pm; Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge, 1 am

CIVIC THEATRE — Dumpstaphunk with The Soul Rebels & The Headhunters, 9 pm

D.B.A. — Trumpet Mafa, 6 pm; Vegas Cola Band ft. glbl wrmng, 9 pm; Funk Noire ft. Khris Royal, Sput Searight and Bobby Sparks, 1 am

DEW DROP INN Dew Drop Nights ft. DJ Questlove, 9 pm

DOS JEFES — The Afrodiziac’s Jazz, 9 pm

THE FILLMORE Acid Bath with EyeHateGod, 8 pm

FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB

Richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Sam Friend Jazz Band, 2:30 pm; Woodis/ Lange Band, 6 pm; Fritzels All Star Band w/Kevin Ray Clark, 9 pm

GASA GASA LeTrainiump EP Release Show, 9 pm

GOOD MEASURE Cavalier, 9 pm

HOLY DIVER — Rik Slave’s DarkLounge Ministries, 8 pm; Filth Abyss with DJs Mange & Scythe, 10 pm

HOUSE OF BLUES — The Record Company, 8 pm; The New Mastersounds, 11:45 pm

JOY THEATER Soulive with Lyrics Born, 9 pm

LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Bo Dollis Jr. & The Wild Magnolias, 10 pm; Hash Cabbage, 12 am

THE MAISON Swinging with John Saavedra, 4 pm; Shotgun Jazz Band, 7 pm; Dirty Dozen Brass Band, 10 pm

SATURN BAR — Valparaiso Men’s Chorus, 10 pm

SEAWITCH OYSTER BAR & RESTAURANT Richard Rourke, 5 pm

TIPITINA’S The Dip: Love Direction Tour Part II, 9 pm; The Iceman Special, 11:45 pm

TOULOUSE THEATRE — Cool Cool

Cool Presents: A Madonna and Prince Tribute, 9 pm

VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE Tuba Skinny, 8 pm

SATURDAY 26

30/90 — Bossa Namaste, 2 pm; Sean Hobbes + The Hi Res, 5 pm; Hotline, 8 pm; Bettis + 3rd Degree, 11 pm

ARORA — Late Night Radio with Phyphr, 10 pm

BAMBOULA’S — The Jaywalkers, 11 am; Boardwalker & The 3 Finger Swingers, 2:15 pm; Johnny Mastro Blues, 6:30 pm; Paggy Prine & Southern Soul, 11 pm

BEANLANDIA La Louisiane Series ft. Forest Huval Band, 6 pm

BJ’S LOUNGE — Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, 6 pm; Silver Synthetic Release Party + Chris Acker & The Growing Boys + The Tangle, 9 pm

BLUE NILE — The Rumble, 10 pm; Dirty Thirty, 2 am

BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM —

Corey Henry & the Treme Funktet, 11 pm

BOURBON O BAR Brian Wingard, 4 pm; The Blues Masters, 8 pm

BUFFA’S — The Dirty Rain Revelers, 8 pm

MAPLE LEAF BAR Mia Borders, 8 pm; New Orleans Suspects, Jennifer Hartswick & Brandon Taz Neiderauer, 10 pm; Kid Chocolate & The Heart Attacks Celebrate Trumpet Black, 1 am

MARIGNY OPERA HOUSE

Siren Song featuring Maggie Koerner & More, 7:30 pm

MRB — Silver Lining Serenaders, 7 pm

NO DICE Parrotfsh + Dana Ives + Beach Face, 9 pm; Kidd Love, 12 am

NOLA BREWING — Honey Islands Swamp Band w/The Sweet Lillies, 5 pm

POOL CLUB AT THE VIRGIN HOTEL

The Last Note: glbl wrmng, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Quadry, Lareezy, 8 pm

THE PRESS ROOM AT THE ELIZA

JANE — Or Shovaly Plus, 3 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE — Fleetmac Wood, Leather & Lace Disco, 10 pm

THE REPUBLIC — Voodoo Dead, 10 pm

ROCK 'N' BOWL — Cowboy Mouth plus LVVRS, 8:30 pm

SANTOS BAR — Deltaphonic, 10 pm

CAFÉ ISTANBUL Grateful Dead Tribute, 10 pm

CAFÉ NEGRIL — Soul Tribe, 1:30 pm; Jason Neville Funky Soul Band, 6 pm; Bon Bon Vivant, 10 pm

CARROLLTON STATION

Cortland Burke & His Close Company + Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Revue, 8 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH Sonny Landreth and Kevin Gordon, 8 pm; Durand Jones, 11 pm; Ghalia Volt Band with Sgt. Splendor, Eric McFadden, Kate Vargas and more, 1 am

CIVIC THEATRE — Samantha Fish & Tab Benoit + Sierra Green & The Giants, 9 pm

COURTYARD BREWERY — Sariyah Idan, 5 pm

D.B.A. — Tuba Skinny, 6 pm; Dirty Dozen Brass Band, 10 pm; TG & The Smack City All-Stars - Babyface After Hours ft. Nigel Hall, Thomas Glass & more, 11:45 pm

DEW DROP INN — Dew Drop Nights ft. Big Freedia’s Gospel Revival, 9 pm

Little Freddie King performs at BJ’s Lounge Friday, April 25 at 9 p.m.

PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

DOUBLE DEALER BAR — Sean Riley, 9 pm

DOS JEFES — Betty Shirley, 9 pm

THE FILLMORE Better than Ezra, 8 pm

FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB

Steve Detroy Band, 1 pm; Bourbon Matinee All Star Band w/Chuck Brackman, 5 pm; Fritzels All Star Band w/Jamil Sharif, 9 pm

GOOD MEASURE AT THE BARNETT — Jamison Ross, 9 pm

HOLY DIVER Jail & Bilge, 9 pm

KERRY IRISH PUB Crescent & Clover, 5 pm

LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Smoker’s World, 10 pm; Cardboard Cowboy, 12 am

NO DICE — T Marie & Bayou Juju + Night Howlers, 9 pm; Mikey Ofine, 12 am

NOPSI HOTEL — Jazz Brunch, 9 am

POOL CLUB AT THE VIRGIN HOTEL

— The Last Note: Pell, Dawn Richard, Denisia & more, 8 pm

THE PRESS ROOM AT THE ELIZA

JANE — Or Shovaly Plus, 4 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE — Soul Brass Band with Special Guest Nigel Hall, 7 pm; DJ LOGIC with Marc Brownstein, Nick Cassarino, Aron Magner & more, 11 pm

THE REPUBLIC Voodoo Dead, 10 pm

SAENGER THEATRE — Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Treme Threauxdown, 8 pm

SANTOS BAR — Dead Boys, Burn Kit and The Bills, 10 pm

SATURN BAR — Cuba Heat, 10 pm

TIPITINA’S Galactic ft. Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph + Lyrics Born, 9 pm; The Greyboy Allstars, 11:45 pm

TOULOUSE THEATRE Worship My Organ ft. Ivan Neville, Robert Walter, Adam Deitch + Skerik, 9 pm

VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE Charlie & The Tropicales, 9 pm

SUNDAY 27

30/ 90 Scotty Yost & The Most, 3 pm; Andre Lovett, 6 pm; Manic Mixtape, 9 pm

ALLWAYS LOUNGE Sunday Swing with Tuba Skinny, 9 pm

BAMBOULA’S Aaron Levinson & Friends, 10:30 am; Youse, 1:15 pm; Midnight Brawlers, 5:30 pm; Les Getrex & Creole Cooking, 9 pm

BANKS STREET BAR — Hash

Cabbage, 9 pm

BAR REDUX T Marie & Bayou Juju, 9 pm

MUSIC

BJ’S LOUNGE — Alex McMurray + James McClaskey & The Rhythm Band, 9 pm

BLUE NILE Krasno Moore Project, 11 pm; Xavier Lynn & The Ruckus On 118th, 11:45 pm

BOURBON O BAR Amber Rachelle & The Sweet Potatoes, 8 pm

BOURBON STREET HONKY TONK

The Bad Sandys, 8 pm

THE BROADSIDE The Motet + Toubab Krewe, 8 pm

CAFÉ ISTANBUL — Garaj Mahal, 9 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH Andrew Duhon, 8 pm; Brian Stoltz and Eric McFadden, 10:30 pm

DEW DROP INN Teedra Moses, 8 pm

FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB

Marty Peters Band , 1 pm; Sazerac Jazz Band, 5 pm; Fritzels All Star Band w/Mike Fulton, 8 pm

GASA GASA — Crawfsh Boil with DJ G, 3 pm; Mike Dillon & Punkadelick, 9 pm

GOOD MEASURE Jon Cleary + Pedro Segundo, 8 pm

HOLY DIVER Head Cannon + Die With Nature + The Pause, 9 pm

HOUSE OF BLUES — Hot 8 Brass Band, 10:30 pm

HOWLIN’ WOLF — Rebirth Brass Band and Kermit Rufns, 8 pm

JOY THEATRE Cyril Neville, Taj Mahal, Omari Neville & More + The Soul Rebels, 9 pm

THE MAISON — Mike Clement, 3 pm; Jenavieve & The Winding Boys, 6 pm; Flow Tribe, 10 pm; Higher Heights, 12 am

MUSIC IN THE GARDEN — Loose Cattle, 7 pm

NO DICE — Shmoo + IMY3 + New Holland, 9 pm

ROCK 'N' BOWL Chapel Hart plus Zach Edwards & the Medicine, 8 pm THE RABBIT HOLE Compersion Quartet, 10 pm

SANTOS BAR — Blue Sweetie Pies, 9 pm

SATURN BAR — Cumbia Cósmica with C’est Funk, Gitkin and Money Chicha, 9 pm

TOULOUSE THEATRE Nate Smith ft. Kiefer + Carrtoons with Special Guest Eric Gales, 9 pm

VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE Domino Record DJs, 8 pm

Make

‘Bout time

by Jake Clapp

SILVER SYNTHETIC HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OPEN about their influences.

When Jack White’s Third Man Records released the band’s first full-length album back in 2021, the self-titled record was praised for its uncluttered, catchy sound that built on a love for the best of ’60s and ’70s rock ’n’ roll: The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Neil Young, T. Rex. The band itself would use some of those influences as shorthand while writing and rehearsing.

Now on “Rosalie,” Silver Synthetic’s recently released second album, the band is starting to sound more like itself, says guitarist Kunal Prakash.

“Some of the songs on the first record, I’d be like, ‘Oh, this is kind of Stones-y,’ or ‘This is Beatles-y’ or something,” Prakash says. “There are more songs this time around that I felt were really Silver Synthetic. They were really us with some of those details synthesized into its own thing.”

“Rosalie” was released in early March on Curation Records, but Silver Synthetic will finally celebrate the new album with two shows on Saturday, April 26. The band first plays at 4:20 p.m. on the Lagniappe Stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and then has an album release show at 9 p.m. at BJ’s in the Bywater. The Tangle and Chris Acker will open, and Greazy Alice’s Alex Pianovich and Connor Dion will join Silver Synthetic on piano and pedal steel, respectively.

Silver Synthetic — Prakash, vocalist and guitarist Chris Lyons, bassist and pianist Ben Jones and drummer Lucas Bogner — still wear their influences on their sleeves on “Rosalie.” But with a little more Americana, psychedelia and softness, there’s a patient, lived-in feeling to the nine tracks on the record. It’s a comfortableness that comes from the band refining its sound as well as some maturing.

“For songs on the first record, I started on those in like 2017,” Lyons says. At the time, he was playing in the New Orleans garage punk band BottomFeeders and had written up a few songs that didn’t quite fit. So he turned to BottomFeeders drummer Bogner, Prakash — who was then playing with Nashville rockers JEFF The Brotherhood — and Silver Synthetic’s original bassist, Pete Campanelli, to flesh things out.

Silver Synthetic played its first show at the opening of Man Ray Records on Decatur Street in 2018 and by late 2020 had the attention of Third Man for its first EP release and full-length follow-up.

In 2020, Lyons was already working on songs that would eventually go onto “Rosalie.” Like the majority of musicians, he was grappling with the pandemic, but he also was mellowing out a little bit more. It wasn’t anything intentional, but Lyons’ songwriting was matching his mood.

“I became more interested in the possibilities of slowing things down and what that offers in terms of creative directions,” Lyons says. “It was that, but also I think emotionally I was feeling more mellowed out, probably depressed as hell during the pandemic, low energy.”

After pandemic restrictions relaxed, Silver Synthetic was finally able to tour on their full-length release. After a string of shows in Europe in 2022, the band decided to tackle their second full-length. They demoed the tracks this time, which helped Silver Synthetic try new things and further grow its sound on “Rosalie,” Prakash says, and they recorded the album that fall at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville.

But then, nothing. Silver Synthetic had a deal with Third Man for two records, but things with the label were taking “a little too long, suspiciously long,” Prakash says. The band was getting frustrated and asked to be let go, and Third Man agreed to part ways without any mess.

“They said, yes, which was cool. We don’t owe them anything and we got a record — but then it became, ‘Oh, shit, now we have a record,’ ” Prakash says.

The band started shopping the record around. It took a while, but they eventually clicked with Curation Records, a Los Angeles label that leans toward country rock, cosmic Americana and some alt-rock. Eventually, “Rosalie” finally dropped March 7.

“I just feel super satisfied and happy with what we did with this record,” Lyons says.

Find “Rosalie” and tour dates at silversynthetic.com.

Silver Synthetic PROVIDED PHOTO BY JAKE ORRALL

Su m er DINING GUIDE

Jam brand

by Will Coviello

THERE’S A VERY WORN SET OF WOODEN DOORS in the heart of JAMNOL A. Amid the attraction’s explosions of neon color, giant alligator jaw passageways and towering silver busts of local music legends, the reclaimed wood is not the most conspicuous enticement. But it’s the not-entirelysecret entrance to the Big Easy Speakeasy.

JAMNOLA co-founder Jonny Liss slips inside, and points to walls covered in upside down writing. There’s what look like short bar stools, but they’re actually radiating from an upside-down chandelier. He takes a seat and kicks his legs up. If you take a photo of someone sitting on the chandelier stools and flip the image upside down, the writing on the wall is legible, and the person appears to be hanging from the ceiling.

“This JAMNOLA is what we wanted,” Liss says. “This is our wildest dreams.”

JAMNOLA closed its original Royal Street location and moved to a bigger space at 940 Frenchmen St., a couple blocks down from the strip’s music clubs and bars. The $5.4 million expansion now fills the former home of the Alois J. Binder Bakery, and the attraction grew from the previous 17 installations to 29, by more than 100 contributors enlisted with the help of Where y’Art’s Catherine Todd and Collin Ferguson.

JAMNOLA is New Orleans’ first experiential museum, in the vein of immersive attractions like Meow Wolf and San Francisco’s candy colored Museum of Ice Cream. Liss and co-founder Chad Smith’s attraction is steeped in local culture, especially New Orleans music, Carnival float-style decor and interactive or selfie-friendly flourishes.

The plan for the original JAMNOLA on Royal Street called for tactile and interactive installations, but Covid struck and changed the plan, leading to more of a focus on local artists’ installations and smartphone-friendly tech.

The new JAMNOLA is still very smartphone friendly, but it’s grounded in more irreverent fun in some areas and celebrating local landmarks. A few K&B drugstore knick-knacks and popular local food brands offer local appeal.

The entrance to the installations begins in what’s styled like an underground canal. The room tells the story of the 90,000 tons of Mardi Gras beads clogging up New Orleans’ drainage pipes, an offbeat introduction to the City that Care Forgot.

Attendees then progress through the belly of a monstrous alligator. Turn the corner and the massive body of the gator snakes off in another direction. Its scales are in part made with bread pans salvaged from the former bakery. All sorts of small rooms and niches branch off into different parts of New Orleans culture and history. There’s the Speakeasy and a Storyville room bathed in red light.

A cluster of listening rooms are modeled like different clubs, including Tipitina’s, Preservation Hall, the Dew Drop Inn and Candlelight Lounge. Melissa Weber, aka DJ Soul Sister, curated short playlists for each one. There are tiny replicas of more than 20 music venues, and the ones no longer open are painted in ghostly white.

An extensive Black Masking Indian area has suits from Gina Montana, who come up with the concept, and Bo Dollis Jr. of the Wild Magnolias. Art from numerous tribes will rotate through the space. There’s also an area of Indianmade art and souvenirs in the gift shop, and all its proceeds go to the Indians.

The space is designed to be an engaging funhouse, not a museum, Liss notes. But via the app that visitors get, they can dig into more information about local musicians, noted landmarks, like Preservation Hall, and contributing artists.

The finishing touches are being put on one exhibit, and a second-floor event space also is nearing completion. It’s been a challenge, with delays caused by the snowstorm and a fire in February. But after getting the chance to re-imagine their attraction, Liss has printed t-shirts that read “Freshly baked on Frenchmen Street.”

For information, visit

JAMNOLA co-founder Jonny Liss

PHOTO BY WILL COVIELLO / GAMBIT

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