New Orleans TubeNetters

[Craig Garner]

I will be making my fist trip to New Orleans in March, 2012. Obviously, I need to go listen to some music! What venues (bars, clubs, halls, etc) would you suggest that I "must go" to? And, you get extra credit if you can combine great music with great food! (I will try to ignore the issue of drinking on purpose, as it will likely dominate this thread )

Or, maybe there is a particular band I "must" hear (which might be your band). In which case, I can look up their performance schedule.

Thank you.

[David Richoux]

The best listings for clubs and bands are found in the local free weekly newspapers and Offbeat monthly - they also have on-line versions.
Offbeat, Gambit, the entertainment section of the Times Picayune and listen to WWOZ FM - they have a great radio station! (You can listen on the internet too - it is one of my go-to settings.)

The current center of interesting music seems to be on/around Frenchman Street, just outside the French Quarter in Faubourg Marigny - but there are many other neighborhoods that have clubs and bars featuring live music with tubas/Sousaphones. Be ready to party in the street. I don't know how much street action actually happens in late winter after Mardi Gras, (Feb 21st 2012) but there is usually something going on! and stay out late - the bands usually don't get rolling very early in the evening.

I would also suggest Panorama Jazz Band and anything Matt Perrine is playing in currently ( could be The Tin Men or several other bands ) if he is in town.

As for food and drink - it is very difficult to find bad food in New Orleans, as long as you stay away from the national chains (except Popeye's Chicken, which is actually local.) I have eaten at so many places that are great I cannot pick just one. Study the restaurant listings in the newspapers and try what looks interesting. It is tricky finding things like a healthy salad or organic food, but there are a few places.

As for places to drink...

[eupher61]

WWOZ plays their daily live music calendar at the top of the odd numbered hours, all day every day. It's also on their website http://www.wwoz.org

Frenchmen St is immediately downriver from the Quarter, actually the BMC (Balcony Music Club) is right on that corner of the Quarter proper. It's about 1.5 blocks from the BMC to the start of Frenchmen. Jon Gross and Tom Saunders play at The Spotted Cat quite a bit, Tom is as often on bass sax though. Matt Perrine plays with several groups, but find him with Tin Men or anything else with Washboard Chaz, especially. Aside from those 3 guys, and Bernie Attridge occasionally, most of the clubs use string bass exclusively. That was one thing I hadn't been told, or figured out ahead of time, when I tried moving there. The street bands use souzies, obviously, but not so much in the clubs. Other clubs are the Maison (aka 508 Frenchmen if it's still open), Snug Harbor (see if Ellis Marsalis is there on a Friday when you are...worth the money, but he sells out far in advance) has good stuff a lot of the time, and the food is good.

In the Quarter proper, Fritzel's on Bourbon, the Palm Court Cafe (FOOD), and one other (the name is evading me) are really about the only jazz/horn oriented places, and no tuba there usually. During the daytime, Royal St gets closed for a couple blocks and street bands take over--the Loose Marbles get a fair share of the time there. Street musicians on Bourbon have to quit at 8pm, but there are others going later in other parts of the FQ.

It's a great city, take time to ride the streetcar down St Charles, drive through the 9th Ward to see what the media doesn't report any more, and eat. Eat. Eat. and drink in moderation if you're able and legal. Go up to Treme' and see the neighborhood that inspired the tv series. You can't see the Mississippi Queen riverboat any more, it's been dismantled. But, go sit on the riverfront, and go to suburban Metarie, get a bag of shrimp, and sit on the Lakeside and eat 'em. A great way to relax and dig the scene away from the noise of the city.

[David Richoux]

I see Eupher61 is in agreement, mostly so it must be true!

One thing we both forgot to mention - You can stay away from most of Bourbon Street and not miss a thing. It is sort of like Fisherman's Wharf in SF - sure, there may be one or two good places, but overall it is a musical/food/drink waste of time and money. (I did see Banu Gibson on Bourbon back in 1980, but that was a long time ago...)

I usually wrap up my NOLA visits with a huge muffaletta at Central Grocery.