Gambit Digital Edition: Jazz Fest 2026 Week Two

®

April 27-May 3 2026

Volume 47 Number 17

Bernardo de Gálvez : The Louisiana Leader Who Helped Change the American Revolution How Loui siana aided the American Revolution

This ar ticle is brought to you by The Louisiana State Museum

When most people pict ure the Americ an Revolu tion, they think of the familiar name s and scenes of the East Co as t— George Washing ton, Philadelphia, and the Cont inen tal Ar my. Bu t the fght for independence was also shaped far from thos e ba tt le felds, in Sp anish Louisiana, where Governor Bernardo de Gálvez played a pi vo tal role in weakening Br it ish power and st reng thening the Amer ic an caus e.

The Louisiana St ate Museum’s ex hibi tion Gá lvez and Loui sian a in the Amer ic an Revolu tion, on view at the Cabildo in Jack son Square, br ings this le ss er-k nown stor y in to focus. It places Louisiana fr ml y wi thin the larger narrat ive of the na tion’s founding and reminds visi tors that the Revolu tion was no t only a colonial uprising, bu t an in terna tional confic t shaped by st ra tegy, diplomacy, and geography.

Born in 1746 in Macharav iaya, Sp ain, Gálvez became governor of Sp anish Louisiana in 1777. From New Or leans, he unders tood the region’s st ra tegic impor tance. Louisiana was a vi tal crossroads tied to trade, mili tary movement , and cont rol of the Mississippi Ri ver and Gulf Co as t. What happened here ma ttered far beyond the colony it self

Gálvez ’s milit ar y leader ship proved decisi ve During the war, he led successf ul camp aigns against Br itish force s at Ba ton Rouge, Na tchez, Mobile, and Pens acola. Thos e victo-

ries weakened Br it ish cont rol in the Gulf Sout h, secured major routes along the Mississippi, protec ted New Or leans, and forced Br it ain to fght on anot her fron t. His effor ts helped shi f the balance of the war in ways many Amer ic ans st ill do no t full y realize.

What make s the stor y especially compelling is that it is also a stor y abou t Louisiana’s di vers e societ y. The ex hibi tion show s that Louisiana’s role in the Revolu tion was shaped no t by one man alone, bu t by a broad mi x of people, including Sp anish and Creole re sident s, free people of color, enslaved Af ricans, Ac adians, Canary Islander s, and Indigenous allies.

At the Cabildo, this fuller histor y come s vi vidl y to li fe. The ex hibi tion invi te s visi tors to see Louisiana no t at the margins of the Revolu tion, bu t near it s center. In doing so, it offer s a richer unders tanding of Bernardo de Gálvez —not simply as a Sp anish governor or milit ar y commander, bu t as a key fgure in ex plaining how Louisiana helped make Americ an independence possible

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The temptress

GABRIELLE CAVASSA RELEASED SEVERAL SINGLES IN ADVANCE OF HER MAJOR LABEL debut on Blue Note Records, “Diavola,” which arrives Friday, May 1.

They include a dip into singing in Italian on “Angelo,” and she recorded her rendition of “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.” Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote the song for the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” and B.J. Thomas’ breezy version became a No. 1 single on Billboard’s charts in the U.S. and beyond.

Cavassa’s version is slower and sweet but more contemplative. It’s also sort of a sentimental choice for her.

“That song was on a music box that was given to me by my mom when I was little, and it was her music box when she was little,” Cavassa says. “So I had this little music box and I loved It. It’s one of the first songs I ever learned. It’s like it’s been stuck in my head my whole life, and I just love the song.”

The song’s sense of knowing things will get better also fits Cavassa’s sense of determination.

“I am a deep optimist cloaked in this Eeyore, melancholic-like attitude,” she says. “I don’t appear optimistic. I come across as dark and melancholic, but beneath that burns within me a deep and powerful optimism.”

Cavassa also describes herself as a bit of a perfectionist, and the vocalist’s often impassioned delivery of the songs on “Diavola” show the dedication paid off. Her voice shines on a collection of covers and originals with a spare, acoustic feel.

“Raindrops Keep Falling” also has a beautiful solo by saxophonist Joshua Redman, who co-produced the album with Don Was, president of Blue Note and producer of landmark albums by everyone from Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones to Iggy Pop and the B-52s.

Redman and Cavassa have been collaborating since he asked her to sing on what turned out to be his Blue Note debut, 2023’s “Where Are We,” an album of covers featuring songs about places.

Cavassa’s “Diavola” has a few lighter, sunnier songs. One of her original compositions is “Bossy Nova,” a tune she wrote on guitar drawing inspiration from Brazilian syncopation. The lyrics talk of a dreamy moment on Italy’s Amalfi coast and swimming naked in the ocean. It’s about both escapism and wanting more in life but also realizing a sense of satisfaction.

“It’s about ultimately choosing the dream and the path I am already on,” Cavassa says.

Some of the songs are about love, though not in a neat pop song kind of way.

“I believe in love,” she says. “I think it is the driving force of our lives. I don’t believe in the fairy tale of it. I know I often feel inclined to express the vulnerability that it brings. It’s not always pain, but there’s always vulnerability.”

“Angelo” is Luigi Tenco’s song about the end of a relationship as one difficult partner suddenly realizes they’ve pushed a partner too far. Cavassa sings it in the original Italian, in a robust and emotionally charged version.

Also in Italian is “La notte dell’addio,” a gentler break up song about being ready to move on.

The centerpiece of the album is the title track, which also takes some Italian inspiration. While “diavolo” means the Devil, “diavola” is a dangerous and powerful woman, with the connotation of a temptress.

Cavassa makes “Diavola” the name of a character she assumes in the song, she says.

“It’s like an alter ego that allows you to access greater honesty,” she says. “The truth of Diavola is that she’s flawed, and I don’t want to be. She is able to access things I am not able to. She can be vain and all these qualities I don’t want to see in myself.

“I wanted to evoke the feelings of wanting to trust somebody, but you don’t. You want to give yourself over, but then it was a bad idea.”

Cavassa wrote the song with Alexander Warshawsky, but it’s a showpiece for her singing. The band on the album includes drummer and former New Orleanian Brian Blade, bassist Larry Grenadier, guitarist Jeff Parker and pianist Paul Cornish, who’s in Redman’s band. Redman contributes solos on “Raindrops Keep Falling” and a cover of Barry Manilow’s “Could It Be Magic,” which Redman and Cavassa have performed often on tour.

Though Redman is from the Bay Area and Cavassa lived there before moving to New Orleans in 2017, they were first connected in New Orleans after his manager heard Cavassa sing at a wedding. Redman soon invited her to record an album with him, and it was recorded at New Orleans’ Esplanade Studios and later released on Blue Note. It was the first time he recorded an album with a vocalist.

Cavassa shared first place in the 2021 International Sarah Vaughn Jazz Vocal Competition. But the album and subsequent tour with Redman raised her profile and put her on top jazz stages. Since then, she’s done several shows with Redman, as producers often seek to book the two together. When Was wanted to sign her to Blue Note and do an album, Redman supported her.

If there was any pressure moving up to a major label, it helped.

“Luckily, I like pressure,” she says. “I do the best with pressure. I felt being part of a legacy that deep was important to me, I really wanted to make something worthy of it.”

This week, she’ll officially release the album with three nights of shows at New York’s legendary jazz club Birdland.

For more on “Diavola,” visit gabriellecavassa.com.

Chazfest

THE FESTIVAL WAS ORIGINALLY FOUNDED IN PART TO HIGHLIGHT MUSICIANS not invited to perform at Jazz Fest, and it was named for Chaz Leary. There hasn’t been a Chazfest every year, but on its 20th birthday, the festival moves to the Broadside and features Leary’s Washboard Chaz Trio, Happy Talk Band, Helen Gillet, Louis Michot and Leyla McCalla, Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers, TBC Brass Band, Rough Seven and more. There are two music stages, food and more at the Broadside. From noon to 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 29. Tickets $60 plus tax and fees via broadsidenola. com. Louisiana residents can get $50 tickets, plus tax and fees, at the gate.

Wilco

WILCO RETURNS FOR ANOTHER JAZZ FEST TIME visit with two shows at the Saenger Theatre. On its current tour Jeff Tweedy’s band is focusing on songs from recent EP “Hot Sun Cool Shroud,” 2023’s “Cousin” and reissued earlier albums “The Whole Love” and “A Ghost Is Born.” At 9 p.m. Thursday, April 30, and Friday, May 1. Tickets $49.50$99.50 via saengernola.com.

‘God of Carnage’

FRENCH PLAYWRIGHT YASMINA REZA’S COMEDY DRAMA “GOD OF CARNAGE” probes a simple matter of civility: If kids can’t get along on a playground, then their parents likely won’t get along either. That’s the test as Michael and Veronica invite Alan and Annette to their home after their sons get in a fight. The show opened in Zurich, then London and Broadway, and Roman Polanski directed a film adaptation. Le Petit Theatre presents the show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30, through Saturday, May 2,

Gabrielle Cavassa releases ‘Diavola’ on Blue Note by Will Coviello |

Washboard Chaz and Matt Perrine PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT

PROVIDED PHOTO BY ROEG COHEN

OPENING GAMBIT

Don’t be an idiot like our editor! Apply sunscreen early and often while festing!

THUMBS UP/ THUMBS DOWN

Monica R. Harris, a New Orleans theater actor, director and producer, will be recognized in May by the new Pat Bourgeois Awards for their work strengthening connections across the area’s theater community. Harris, who also is the board president of the New Orleans Fringe Festival, will receive the Sherri Marina Memorial Community-Builder Award, named for the late actor and educator who served as the chair of Dillard University’s theater department in the 2000s. The Pat Bourgeois New Orleans Theatre Community Awards, the Bougies, will be held May 18 at The Cannery.

Louisiana GOP races to keep an exonerated Black man from taking elected ofce in New Orleans

Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration misused a special fund meant to collect short-term rental fees to be used for city code enforcement, leaving more than $10 million in that revenue unaccounted for, Chief Administrative Officer Joe Giarrusso recently told the New Orleans City Council. Apparently, Giarrusso said, the last administration used the dedicated fund like a general fund — without the required council approval for withdrawals.

AS OF PRESS TIME APRIL 23, LOUISIANA REPUBLICAN STATE LAWMAKERS were advancing a series of changes to shrink New Orleans’ judicial system.

That includes rushing to pass a measure before May 4 in order to keep Calvin Duncan, a wrongfully convicted Black man who was elected clerk of criminal court last year, from taking office.

Separate measures would eliminate a number of judgeships in the city, including some that are presently held by Black women. Those currently serving would be allowed to finish their terms.

committee approving it April 16. Though not explicitly stated in his bill, Morris has said that would happen by having current Civil Clerk of Court Chelsey Richard Napoleon become the sole clerk and eliminating the clerk of criminal court position before Duncan can formally take office May 4. Earlier this month, the Senate also passed Morris’ SB 197 to cut the number of Fourth Circuit of Appeals judges representing New Orleans from 12 to 10.

Louisiana public schools have seen a decline of more than 60,000 students over the last decade, and this school year, enrollment fell in more than 90% of school districts, The TimesPicayune reported. That drastic drop is forcing some districts to close schools, causing kids to travel further for education.

Republicans in the state legislature have undertaken the effort at the behest of Gov. Jeff Landry, who has longstanding animosity toward Duncan.

In the Senate, Republicans led by Monroe Sen. Jay Morris have been pursuing a series of measures to change the city’s courts.

Morris’ Senate Bill 256, which would put all city courts under one clerk of court, has made it furthest in the process, with a House

On April 20, the Senate approved Senate Bill 217, which would significantly reduce the number of judges in Orleans Parish, including cutting the number of criminal court division judges from 12 to nine. The vote was 27-9. Morris had also sought to cut the number of civil court judges but dropped that provision.

Royce Duplessis, a New Orleans Democrat and the sole senator to speak against SB 217 on the Senate floor, said the Republican attempts to remake New Orleans court system were part of an effort by state

14

THE NUMBER OF DAYS ON AVERAGE PEOPLE NOW WAIT FOR PERMIT APPROVALS IN NEW ORLEANS, DOWN FROM 40 AT THE START OF THE YEAR. C’EST WHAT

Mayor Helena Moreno announced the 26 day reduction in wait times as part of her first 100 days report touting her early efforts since taking office Jan. 12. New Orleans’ permitting approval system has been notoriously slow for years, in part due to a lack of employees and a convoluted permit process.

What’s the best annual Jazz Fest tradition?

9.1%

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry

PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

officials to exercise control over the city, which is majority Democratic and Black.

“It’s about control. It’s about power,” Duplessis said. “It’s about flexing on the city of New Orleans, and it’s about reinforcing the same old, tired tropes and stereotypes that the people of New Orleans are lazy, that the people of New Orleans are inefficient, that the people of New Orleans are corrupt, and we need someone from the outside to get New Orleans in line.”

Duplessis also brought up comments Morris made at a previous hearing about the bills only affecting Orleans Parish because New Orleans is “low-hanging fruit,” referring to the city being an outlier in case data he cited. A report the Orleans Parish District Clerk of Court filed to the Supreme Court in March shows more comparable different numbers between parishes.

Duplessis reiterated comparisons some opponents of the bill brought up of the “low-hanging fruit” comment evoking the Billie Holiday song

“Strange Fruit” about lynchings of Black people during the Jim Crow Era.

“That may have not been his intent, but I’m telling you the impact,” he said.

“I don’t think that all this emotional language is needed,” Morris replied, adding, “All the motives attributed to me are absolutely false. Anybody that’s served with me since I’ve been in the House, I’ve been all about trying to make things better and more efficient.”

Meanwhile, the House was also pursuing similar changes to the city’s court system. The chamber was expected to vote as soon as April 23 on House Bill 911, authored by Baton Rouge Republican Rep. Dixon McMakin. That measure would combine the city’s courts under one clerk and remove a number of judgeships.

Already, there are questions about what would actually happen if Morris bill to put the city’s courts under one clerk goes into effect.

Lawmakers aren’t supposed to shorten a politician’s term once they

start office, so backers of the bill are trying to avoid having Duncan take office before the bill becomes law and having to let him serve out a 4-year term.

During a House Judiciary Committee meeting April 16, Rep. Kyle Green, a Marrero Democrat, said he wondered if the governor signing the bill before May 4 would count as lawmakers cutting current Clerk of Criminal Court Darren Lombard’s term short.

“We’ll just have to see what happens in the courts, I guess,” Morris said.

In her testimony during the hearing, ACLU of Louisiana Executive Director Sarah Whittington also questioned whether the bill would require a new election altogether.

Morris has said Clerk of Civil Court Chelsey Richard Napoleon would simply become clerk of both courts. But Whittington argued the legislature is essentially creating an entirely new office of clerk of criminal and civil courts, which she said could require a new election to fill the position.

Duncan said he believed Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill were ultimately behind the push to get rid of his job. He was exonerated in 2021 after serving 28 years in prison, but he said the attorney general’s office, then under Jeff Landry and Murrill, pressured him to drop his petition for compensation for his conviction, threatening his law license.

During his election last year, Murrill wrote a letter to Duncan telling him to stop calling himself exonerated “to avoid further action” from the AG’s office.

“I sincerely and honestly believe I’m being targeted,” Duncan said.

Murrill told the Associated Press she had “no involvement” in the attempt to remove the office. However, Duncan said Morris told him the bill is “what the governor wants.”

Check bestofneworleans.com for the latest on this breaking story. — Kaylee Poche

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New Orleans court clerk Calvin Duncan is symbolically sworn in as La. GOP races to eliminate his office EVEN AS REPUBLICAN STATE LAWMAKERS SEEK TO ELIMINATE his elected position, Calvin Duncan, a former prison lawyer and newly elected clerk of criminal court, took his ceremonial oath of office April 21 on the steps of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.

Duncan, who was wrongfully imprisoned for nearly 30 years for a crime he didn’t commit, won the election in Orleans Parish in November by a longshot, beating incumbent Darren Lombard, a fellow Democrat.

OPENING GAMBIT

“I only had one motive: to make sure that this will be a better court,” Duncan told hundreds of supporters who cheered him on as he was sworn in by human rights attorney Bill Quigley.

Duncan ran on a campaign of transparency and has long said that his motivation for running was to make it easier for people to access public records and other court documents. His historic win as a wrongly incarcerated political outsider and civil rights advocate, however, has been overshadowed by the effort by GOP lawmakers to consolidate Orleans Parish courts at the behest of Gov. Jeff Landry, citing greater efficiency and cost-saving.

SB 257, sponsored by Monroe Republican Jay Morris, eliminates the Orleans Parish Criminal District Clerk of Court position. A related bill reduces the number of judges in Orleans Parish, who are also elected officials.

Critics, including state Sen. Royce Duplessis who spoke out against the bill, have said these bills undermine democratic principles and disenfranchise voters.

Duplessis earlier this month during a debate said cutting these elected positions wouldn’t actually save the state much money compared to its overall budget, which Morris did not dispute.

Duncan, meanwhile, maintains the bills are also retaliatory moves by Landry and his Attorney General Liz Murrill, who spoke out against Duncan during his campaign.

Tensions between Duncan and the governor go back years. When Landry served as attorney general

in 2023, he opposed a petition by Duncan to be compensated by the state for his wrongful conviction.

More recently, Landry’s successor and political ally, Murrill, threatened to take action against Duncan during his campaign. She also claimed he could not use the word “exonerated” in campaign materials.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, who was also in attendance, told reporters that the move by the GOP lawmakers undermines the will of the people. She said it’s also received bipartisan criticism.

“It sets a terrible precedent, and I’m hearing it from Republican lawmakers who are also very upset about it,” she said. “This is a situation where, all of a sudden, somebody doesn’t like who got elected and then the legislature comes in and abolishes the office. This sets a very scary precedent.”

“The electorate made this decision. They voted. This was a certified election, all of this was done correctly, and the people spoke,” she added.

One of his supporters, Hardell Ward, told Gambit that he doesn’t believe lawmakers are actually trying to make the Orleans Parish courts more efficient by removing elected positions.

“This is clearly just a power grab,” Ward said. “(Duncan) knows what happens when the system fails. They should be supporting him, not trying to take that away what power we the people gave him to make sure that justice is for all.” — Sarah Ravits

Calvin Duncan takes his oath of office April 21.

PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

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The Powerhouse: 40 Years of Energy Equity

This ar ticle is brought to you by Alliance for Afordable Energy. | info@all4energy.org

Wh en th e sm all bu t migh ty te am fo un de d th e Alli an ce fo r Aff orda bl e En ergy in th e 80 s, it wa s to ch alleng e th e high el ec tr icit y co sts , as well as th e la ck of tr an sp aren cy an d re gula to ry over sigh t wi th no acco un ta bi li ty to Ne w Or le an s re sident s. Fo rt y ye ar s la ter, we st ill sta nd wi th th e pe op le of Lo uisi an a, fght in g fo r a be tt er en ergy fu tu re fo r all of us Here at Th e Alli an ce, we re co gn ize th at th is wo rk is a ma ra th on an d no t a sp rint . Th is ye ar mo re th an ever, we’re remind ed th at our power co me s fr om p eo pl e. Over th e pa st few mo nt hs , we’ve felt th at power fr st ha nd Fr om wo rk in g wi th re sident s to en sure th eir voice is he ard at re gu la to ry me et in gs to ho st in g in -p er so n bi ll wo rk sh op s an d in fo rm at io na l webina rs , we’ve se en jus t how en ergizing it is wh en we co me to ge th er as a co mm un it y. In 2025 al on e, th e Alli ance en gag ed in over 20 re gul at or y do cket s at th e Lo uisi an a Pu blic Serv ice Co mm is sion (L PS C) fr st an d Ne w Or le an s Ci ty Council, repres en ting Lo uisia na re sident s at th e de ci sion -m ak in g ta bl e. It is ou r go al th at ever y Lo uisi an an ca n acce ss on e of th e mo st powerf ul to ols in th eir self-a dvoc ac y to olbox: ed uc at io n.

La st ye ar, we wo rked wi th ou r co mm un it y pa rt ners in supp or ting th e ca mp aign th at re sult ed in de fe at in g fo ur ha rm ful co ns ti tu tion al amendment s. Th is ye ar, we la un ch ed an ed uc at io n ca mp aign fo r ou r neighb or s in dist rict s th at are el ec ting ne w LP SC re gu la to rs th is fa ll

Our te am has gr ow n so th at we may be tt er an swer th e ne eds of ou r co mm un it y he ad -o n. We’ve ad de d ad vo ca te s wh o are re co gn ized as th ou gh t le ad er s on em erging is su es su ch as Ca rb on Ca pt ure & St or ag e (CCS ) an d da ta cent er s. Visi t ou r ta bl es at co mm un it y even ts , wh ere we have in fo rm at io n on curren t to pics im pa ct in g ou r co mm un it ie s, su ch as en ergy aff orda bi li ty Almo st on e in fo ur of ou r fell ow ci tizen s fn d th em selves ma king th e ch oice be tween paying th eir ut ilit y bi lls an d th eir ot her ba sic ne ce ss it ie s. Th e high co st of th es e bi lls le ad s to as sista nce pro gr am s re gula rl y ex ha us ting th eir fu nd s be ca us e th e ne ed fa r exce ed s th e abilit y to ad eq ua tely serve th e co mm un it y. We ta lk to co mm un it y memb er s wh o ca nn ot br id ge th at fn an ci al ga p da il y. Th e Alli an ce, of co ur se, en co ur ag es pr ogram s and in it ia ti ve s th at ca n lower co sts – th e st at e’s en ergy effi cien cy pr ogra m, ho me we at heriza tion , an d levelize d bi llin g

are a few ex am pl es We wi ll al ways pu sh ba ck ag ains t ra te hike s an d en sure th at re sident s are no t paying mo re th an th eir fair sh are. Bu t th ere is no wo rk ar ou nd fo r th e co st of ba sic ne ce ss it ie s exce ed in g a fam il y’s in co me, and ou r po si tion is th at ligh ts are no t a lu xury : th ey are a righ t. Re sident ia l discon ne ct io ns ca n be gin a cycl e th at , on ce en tere d, is ha rd to brea k. Fo r ou r neighb or s wh o rely on ho using as sista nce, discon ne ct io ns th at exce ed 30 days are co ns id ered a violat io n of th eir le as e an d pl ace th em in je op ardy of bein g ev ic te d. Discon ne ct io ns al so po se a public he al th risk , pa rt ic ul ar ly in th e even t of ex trem e we at her. No t on ly ca n ex is ting he al th pr ob lems be ex acer ba te d, bu t also ne w he al th pr ob lems ca n surf ace du e to co mp lica tion s su ch as toxic mo ld . We wi ll remain in th is fght to pr ot ec t our neighb or s fr om th es e ou tcom es fo r as lo ng as it ta ke s, un ti l it is en sure d th at we all have fair an d aff orda bl e acce ss to li fe -s us ta in in g ut ilit ie s. Id en ti fy in g effi cien t, cu tt in g ed ge te ch no logie s th at wi ll en sure a su st aina bl e en ergy fu tu re fo r ever yo ne is al ways th e go al Th is is on e of th e re as on s we en co ur ag e ou r re gu la to rs to stay th e co ur se on purs uing rene wa bl e en ergy op tion s th at are mo re econ om ic ally sta bl e and enviro nment ally fr iendly As th e in tere st in ma king Lo uisi an a a de st in at io n fo r da ta cent er s gr ow s, so do es ou r ne ed fo r in terven tion , as we en co ur ag e ou r re gu la to rs to ta ke a me as ured ap pr oa ch , ex am in in g th e so ci al and enviro nm en ta l as pe ct s of ra pid da ta cent er develo pm en ts acco mp an ie d by ex pens ive fo ss il fu el in fr as tr uc tu re We wi ll co nt in ue wo rk in g wi th re gu la to rs and co mm un it y members an d pa rt ners so th at we en sure th at pr ogre ss serves th e wh ol e and no t th e few. Mu ch ha s ch an ge d over th e la st 40 ye ar s. Yo u are likely re ad in g th is on yo ur po cketsize d co mpu t er ra th er th an a fo ld ed pa per wi th yo ur mo rn in g co ffe e. Bu t our mi ss io n at th e Alli an ce fo r Aff orda bl e En ergy ha s no t. Co me le ar n an d gr ow wi th us as we celebr at e 40 ye ar s of serv in g yo u - ou r neighb or. Also, sign up fo r ou r news le tt er so th at yo u ca n stay in fo rm ed ab ou t wh at ’s goin g on wi th en ergy po licy an d ed uc at io n in Lo uisia na If yo u’re alre ad y sign ed up, tell a fr iend an d have th em join us as well We didn’t ma ke it to 40 by fght in g al on e. Th is on ly ha pp en s wi th all of us wo rk in g to ge th er

JOHN STANTON

The fght against STRs spreads to once untouchable territory

“JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OUT, THEY PULL ME BACK IN” may be one of the most famous lines in cinematic history. Uttered by Michael Corleone (played by the great Al Pacino) in “The Godfather Part III” as he finds himself unable to break free from the grips of the mob, it’s become shorthand in American culture for being unable to escape drama or other problems.

It’s also an apt sentiment for New Orleans’ relationship with the short-term rental industry, which after a brutal, years-long fight with residents and the city council, is once again back for more — this time with an eye on the French Quarter.

For years, the multi-billion dollar STR industry has run roughshod over much of the city, often with the support of elected leaders like former Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

The spread of the industry has had disastrous impacts. It’s forced residents out of huge swaths of Treme, the 7th Ward, St. Roch, the Bywater and Marigny, turning the once vibrant communities that gave birth to much of the city’s culture into ghost towns for most of the week. Meanwhile, it’s forced rents across New Orleans to sky rocket and spawned a cottage industry of un-unionized cleaning companies that exploit poor, often undocumented workers.

The STR industry fought a bitter legal fight to stave off even the most modest of regulatory systems and refused

to do anything about the thousands of unpermitted, illegal rentals it profited from. Finally, last year, it seemed like the industry was finally giving in when it began complying with a city ordinance aimed at keeping illegal STRs off the market entirely.

But now those companies are looking to begin eroding one of the few longstanding restrictions it has faced in the city and expand its territory in the French Quarter beyond the few blocks of Bourbon Street where they are currently allowed. In fact, the City Planning Commission recently released a new study which, based on dubious conclusions, suggested such an expansion into a second part of the Quarter.

The council is expected to consider the CPC’s study and recommendations later this year, prompting the Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents and Association to put up billboards on I-10 opposing an expansion.

VCPORA is an enormously powerful group in the city, and the fact that they’re publicly advocating against the commission’s plan is a clear sign they are understandably worried, which should give everyone pause. Because while City Council President JP Morrell has been a strong advocate for our neighborhoods against the industry,

Residents

STR companies have deep pockets and plenty of influence, potentially enough to match that of the VCPORA.

Make no mistake, if the City Council approves the plan, it won’t be the last part of the Quarter the industry expands into.

This isn’t just about the French Quarter, which has frankly enjoyed legal protections from the predatory industry the rest of the city — and in particular historically Black neighborhoods — hasn’t received. As history has shown, the STR industry will never settle for the inch you give them. They want the whole mile and will use whatever opening they can find to spread back into the rest of the city.

STR companies don’t care about helping your auntie who owns her double make ends meet, no matter how much their propaganda claims they do. Like any other extractive industry, the STR sector is voracious and will use any chance to exploit New Orleans for profits, and in the process further erode the very nature of our community and culture — and the reason tourists come here in the first place.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

BLAKE PONTCHARTRAIN™

@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com

Hey Blake, Is the building at Magazine and Julia that houses Pêche a renovation of a historic building, new construction or a combination of both?

Dear reader, WHEN KATHERINE AND TONY GELDERMAN PUR-

CHASED The building at 800 Magazine St. in 2010, they launched a multi-million dollar effort to restore the property which dates to the mid-19th century.

Their work with architectural historian and building researcher Hilary Irvin detailed its history, including its years as F. Johnson and Sons, a funeral business that embalmed bodies, made caskets and rented out funeral carriages. The business even prepared the body of Confederate President Jefferson Davis for lying in state at Gallier Hall in 1889. Beginning in the 1920s, American Coffee Co. purchased the building as a facility to roast, store and distribute its products, including French Market Coffee. In 2008, Reily Foods Co. purchased American Coffee, and by 2010 the building was vacant.

That year, the Geldermans bought the building for $1.8 million and spent

BLAKE VIEW

more than $11 million to restore it with federal and state historic tax credits. Their work with Irvin and architect Peter Trapolin helped uncover more of the building’s ornate architectural elements, which they restored or recreated in new designs. “It’s an architectural marvel,” Gelderman told The Times-Picayune. “It’s not a small task for what’s been done here.”

Pêche Seafood Grill, part of Chef Donald Link’s Link Restaurant Group, opened there in 2013. The next year, the restaurant won the prestigious James Beard Award for best new restaurant in America. There are also residential units above the restaurant.

DURING THIS SECOND WEEKEND OF THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ AND HERITAGE FESTIVAL , step into the grandstand at the Fair Grounds to enjoy some special photo exhibits, while also honoring the man for whom the exhibit space is named: Sylvester “Hawk” Francis.

Francis, who died in 2020, was the founder and curator of the Backstreet Cultural Museum in Treme, which chronicles the history of the city’s Black Masking Indian, second line, Baby Doll and Skull and Bones gang traditions. He founded the museum in 1999, but his collection of photographs, suits and memorabilia dates back to the late 1970s.

According to his 2020 Times-Picayune obituary, the idea to start a collection was sparked when Francis paraded with Gentlemen of Leisure, a social aid and pleasure club. He didn’t have a photo of himself in his outfit, but a photographer offered to sell him one for $35. Writer Katy Reckdahl explained that Francis then resolved that he would document the culture himself through video and photographs. He later expanded his collection to Mardi Gras Indian suits donated by friends. In 1988, Francis began displaying his photographs and suits in his two-car garage in the “back streets” of Treme. With the help of his friend and former employer, Joan Rhodes, his collection expanded into a former funeral home building on St. Claude Avenue. That building was heavily damaged in Hurricane Ida, and in 2022 Francis’ family relocated the museum to a new building at 1531 St. Philip. The Jazz Fest grandstand exhibit space was named in his honor that same year.

This year’s exhibits focus on the 100th anniversary of the births of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Cosimo Matassa as well as the centennial of Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven bands. There is also an exhibit on the artistry of blacksmiths from the Hermann-Grima and Gallier Historic Houses.

Peche Seafood Grill at 800 Magazine St. PHOTO BY WILL COVIELLO / GAMBIT

APRI L2 3- MAY3

JAZZ fest 2026 WEEK

AFTER A LITTLE BREATHER, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival picks back up Thursday, April 30, for its second long weekend. There will be hundreds of performances, plenty of food and a lot of Louisiana culture happening on the Fair Grounds until the 2026 edition comes to an end Sunday, May 3.

This week’s big acts include the Eagles, Lainey Wilson, The Black Keys, Widespread Panic, Earth, Wind & Fire, Alabama Shakes, Ziggy Marley and T-Pain. And, as is tradition, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue close out the Festival Stage again this year.

With 12 stages of music, the days will be full of touring musicians and Louisiana acts playing music of all kinds. Plus, there’s a kids’ tent, an interview stage, culinary stage, parades and performances in the Folklife Village.

This year’s fest is highlighting Jamaica, with performances in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion and on other stages, New Orleans restaurant Afrodisiac serving Jamaican dishes,

folk parades and artists demonstrating their craft.

Single-day tickets and weekend passes are still available, and Louisiana residents will find cheaper prices. Read more about those details and some of the festival’s policies on page 45.

On the following pages, Gambit previews the second weekend out at Jazz Fest 2026. There are interviews with The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes, New Breed Brass Band and our cover feature Robin Barnes. We make our recommendations for musicians to see and give an overview of the programs giving local kids and teens stage time at Jazz Fest. There’s also a pullout section with a map of the grounds and the daily “cube” schedules.

For Jazz Fest info, head to nojazzfest.com. And keep up with Gambit’s daily coverage from the fest at bestofneworleans.com and on our social media pages. Remember to wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water. Happy Festin’!

New Breed Brass Band

3:55-5:05 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

FOR THEIR 2025 ALBUM “SECOND LINE SUNDAY,” New Breed Brass Band and Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews wanted to capture the feeling of hitting the streets on a Sunday with a social aid and pleasure club.

The musicians of New Breed, which started in 2013, have played many second lines over the years, and there was careful thought put to the order of the songs.

“We were going for the vibes we feel at a second line,” says snare drummer and bandleader Jenard Andrews. “How it may start off, how when we get to this point in the second line, we cooling down and just vibing. And when we get to this point, we’re doing this. And when we get under the bridge, we’re going up. (If) somebody was going to a second line, that would be the roller coaster ride of it.”

With features by vocalists Gussy Corleone and Big Chief Romeo Bougere of the 9th Ward Hunters, “Second Line Sunday” is full of energetic brass band music that balances tight musicianship with the ease and grooves of a street performance. The album earned a Grammy nomination for best regional roots music album earlier this year — New Breed’s third nomination, following its 2023 debut release and a live album recorded at the 2024 Jazz Fest. New Breed will perform many of those “Second Line Sunday” tracks when they hit the Congo Square Stage at 3:55 p.m. Thursday. Andrews says he’s trying to lock in a special appearance from Trombone Shorty, his uncle, for the show.

Along with Jenard Andrews, whose father is storied New Orleans trumpeter James Andrews, New Breed at Jazz Fest will include Jenard’s cousins Revon Andrews on trombone and Rodgerick Andrews on bass drum, Damian Thomas

also on trombone, trumpeters Alijah Jett and Cameron Clark, Michael Brooks on tuba and saxophonist Orlando Gilbert. New Breed came out strong in 2023 with its first full-length, “Made in New Orleans,” rolling Caribbean styles, R&B, funk, hip-hop and different beats into its sound. The album was produced by Trombone Shorty and featured the trombonist and vocalist on several tracks along with Nicholas Payton, Kango Slim and Jeff Coffin.

“Made in New Orleans” introduced a band willing to press the boundaries around brass band music. But on “Second Line Sunday,” Jenard Andrews says, New Breed wanted to get back to their roots in street music. The musicians would get together at Shorty’s recording studio in the Lower Garden District, write new music and play it until it felt right, and the new album came together quickly, Andrews says.

“We wanted to still keep our identity … but let’s pay homage to the second lines in the streets because that’s where we come from and we wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for those performances,” he adds.

New Breed released “Second Line Sunday” on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the federal levee failures. The group wanted the album to honor the people lost during the storm and its aftermath. Trombone Shorty also dedicated the album to his mother, cultural icon Lois Nelson Andrews, who died in 2021 at the age of 69.

“We wanted to also give the city some honor. It almost could have been a thing that we never was able to do again,” Andrews says. The album “pays respect to something we almost lost, to pay homage to the fact that we can’t take this culture for granted.”

New Breed also opens for Dumpstaphunk at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at Tipitina’s. Find the band at newbreedbrassband.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY JUSTEN WILLIAMS

THURSDAY APRIL 30

30 APRIL

THURSDAY

AT JAZZ FEST

OperaCreole

11:30 A.M.-12:25 P.M.

LAGNIAPPE STAGE

Founded by mother and daughter Givonna Joseph and Aria Mason, OperaCreole for 15 years has diligently unearthed and performed operas written by people of color, including Creole composers from New Orleans. At Jazz Fest this year, the ensemble will perform a set including sacred Creole folk songs, grand works by New Orleans-born composer Edmond Dédé and Lucien Lambert’s work “Le Spahi.” — LIAM PIERCE

The Rising Suns

12:40-1:50 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILION

3:40-4:40 P.M.

LAGNIAPPE STAGE

This stripped-down, harmonizing reggae trio’s name pays direct homage to lyrics from Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.” It’s appropriate not just because of the play on threes, but also because one member, Quan-Dajai Henriques, portrayed teenage Marley in the 2024 biopic “One Love.” Henriques plays guitar alongside fellow guitarist Irie Soljah and Matthew Malcolm on percussion. The group is sure to deliver vintage reggae classics in a chill and intimate set. The Rising Suns also perform Friday at 1:10 p.m. in the Rhythmpourium and at 3:30 p.m. in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion. — LIAM PIERCE

Steve Masakowski

Family & Friends

1:35-2:35 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

Guitarist Steve Masakowski has been a fixture of New Orleans’ contemporary jazz scene for decades as a bandleader, a member of Astral Project and a sideman to many. Now 71, his latest release — last month’s “Two Worlds” — brings aboard his daughter, vocalist Sasha Masakowski, and son, bassist Martin Masakowski, as part of the album’s sextet. With eight original compositions and a version of James Black’s “A Love Song,” the album highlights the family’s sophisticated jazz artistry and innovation. — BRAD RHINES

Jesse Royal

1:50-2:50 P.M.

JAZZ & HERITAGE STAGE

3:50-5 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILION

Roots reggae artist Jesse Royal began to build his name around his native Jamaica in the 2010s through a series of mixtapes and an EP and his 2017 fulllength debut. But he seems to have hit his stride in the last few years, earning Grammy nominations for his 2021 album “Royal” and last year’s “No Place Like Home” and touring extensively. Royal blends hip-hop, soul and electronica into his sound, creating a modern style that has earned him attention among reggae fans. — JAKE CLAPP

Batiste Brothers Band

2:20-3:30 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

The Batiste family has been a cornerstone of New Orleans music for generations, including the Batiste Brothers Band, which started recording and touring in the 1970s. The band’s 2024 fest appearance was a tribute to the late drummer Russell Batiste, son of original keyboardist David, and last year the family lost another principal member, Paul Batiste. Expect this year’s appearance to be another celebration of classic New Orleans funk and soul from the multigenerational family that continues to keep the flame.

— BRAD RHINES

Lettuce

2:45-4 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

These Berklee-bred funk scholars have burned down many a Jazz Fest aftershow, and in 2026, Lettuce makes its official fest debut. The band is known for its rhythmic psychedelic soul mixed with hip-hop breakbeats, and last December turned up the heat with its latest full-length album, “Cook.” The band also hosts the post-fest show “Rage! Fest” at 9 p.m. Thursday at the Joy Theater. — LIAM PIERCE

Micah McKee

3:35-4:20 P.M.

RHYTHMPOURIUM

Much of Micah McKee’s music is steeped in the sweet and soulful sounds of singer-songwriters from the ’70s. Long ingrained in Americana and roots music circles in New Orleans, he’s been part of numerous bands and projects and has had standing gigs at neighborhood spots like Saturn Bar, Banks St. Bar and MRB. Earlier this year, McKee’s Lonesome Wilde released “Beautiful Animal,” showcasing his knack for down-to-earth songcraft and easygoing melodies.

— BRAD RHINES

Grace Bowers

3:45-5 P.M.

BLUES TENT

It was easy to bandy the word “prodigy” around about Grace Bowers, who released her well-received debut album in 2024 when she was 18. And the guitarist — who went viral last year for playing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” alongside Peter Frampton and Phish’s Trey Anastasio — has forged a meteoric career that has traces of blues yet leans into a grittier, punk-inflected sound. Enjoy watching her shred on songs about getting stoned and seeing UFOs. — LIAM PIERCE

Widespread Panic

4:30-7 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

The Southern jam band returns to the Fair Grounds with an epic two-and-a-half hour headlining slot on Thursday. Widespread Panic announced earlier

Martin, left, Steve and Sasha Masakowski PROVIDED PHOTO BY NOÉ CUGNY

WEEK TWO THURSDAY APRIL 30

this year that guitarist Jimmy Herring would be sitting out this tour sidelined by throat cancer (the prognosis is positive, and Herring should return soon). For now, Nick Johnson is filling in, and if fans were skeptical at first, reports from recent shows — including a threenight run in St. Augustine, Florida, that featured a rare cover of the Meters’ “Just Kissed My Baby” — have been all good news.

— BRAD RHINES

Lake Street Dive

5:30-7 P.M.

GENTILLY STAGE

Lake Street Dive’s sunny, jazz-steeped pop dates back to 2004, when singer Rachael Price, bassist Bridget Kearney, drummer Mike Calabrese and former guitarist Mike “McDuck” Olson launched the band as New England Conservatory students. That pedigree was more noticeable when they were a bit less polished, but 20 years later, there’s still plenty of playful musical risk-taking. Price’s impossibly strong and soul-fueled voice, clever lyrics and quirky covers make this music fun, while unexpected harmonies and collaborative songwriting keep depth built into their sound. The band’s latest EP is 2025’s “The City Winery Sessions.” — JENNIFER ODELL

Leela James

5:35-6:55 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

Leela James’ voice is steeped in retro soul with a raw, gravelly edge, and early on, it earned her a flurry of Etta James comparisons. And Leela in 2012 released an Etta tribute album featuring an impressive array of updated takes on the late singer’s classic tunes. Strong as it was, Leela James sounds more at home now that she’s mostly recording original work. It’s a welcome shift for an artist who writes songs with the same kind of

Fred Wesley & His New J.B.’s

5:45-7 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

If James Brown was the Godfather of Soul, then his “right-hand man,” trombonist Fred Wesley, was soul and funk’s chief engineer. As Brown’s musical director from 1968-1975, Wesley led and arranged some of the singer’s greatest works while contributing deeply syncopated, intensely flexible solos that helped define the sound of funk. Wesley went on to work with George Clinton and the Count Basie Orchestra, but he’s consistently returned to various incarnations of the “Doin’ It To Death”-era J.B.’s. Now 82, he leads the New J.B.’s and remains an essential voice in jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop. Wesley also will be interviewed by Melissa Weber, the venerable DJ Soul Sister, at 3:45 p.m. Thursday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. — JENNIFER ODELL

Alejandro Escovedo

5:50-7 P.M.

FAIS DO-DO STAGE

Born into a large musical family in San Antonio, singer, songwriter and guitarist Alejandro Escovedo’s musical output since the 1970s has spanned punk, cowpunk, no-wave, art rock and even strains of chamber jazz. But he’s best known for the solo music he’s recorded since the early ’90s — a mashup that’s alternately subtly provocative or gritty, heartbreaking or straight rock and rock and roll, sometimes in one song. On 2024’s “Echo Dancing,” he reimagines deep cuts and classics with heavy electronics to take the angst quotient straight back to first-wave Escovedo.

— JENNIFER ODELL

BY MATT SAKAKEENY

This ar ticleisbrought to youbyHot 8Brass Band.

It wasbandleader Bennie Pete who held theHot 8Brass Band together.Fromthe daytheyfounded in 1996,“BigTuba” brought together players from theLooneyTunes and High Steppers brassband to buildsomething new. It was nevergoing to be easy, butno onecould have prepared forthe losses:the murder of trumpeter JacobJohnson in 1996,the death of trombonist Demond Dorsey in 2004,the police killingoftrombonist“Shotgun Joe” Williams,and the murder of snaredrummer Dinerral Shaversin2006. Yetsomehow Bennie held it together,leading the Hot8tonew heights, includingan internationalrecorddealand tours around theworld.Sowhenitwas histimetogo, on September6, 2021 from longterm health problems exacerbatedbyCOVID-19, thequestionnoone ever wanted to confront wasnow unavoidable. Howcould theband go on withoutBig Tuba holdingitdown? We needn’thaveworried.The Hot8isabandofbrotherswho hadeachother to lean on through theloss. They also racked up a series of wins,securingaGrammy Awardin2022for theirfeature on John Batiste’sAlbum of The Year We Are, whichfollowedthe nomination of theirown TheLife &T imes Of…for Best Regional RootsAlbum in 2013.Bythe followingyeartheywereback across thepond, sellingout shows in Europe for theiracclaimed The BossmanTour. Andthey’ve stayed connected to hometown crowds, playingevery Sunday nightatthe Howlin’Wolfcluband of course hittingthe streetsfor second line paradesthroughoutthe year. BigBennie’sabsence lefver y, very bigshoes to flland theHot 8calledontrumpeter and singer AlvarezHuntley to step into the leadershiprole. “Big Al”isthe band’s longestser ving member, and he’s kept thecrowdsrocking to theHot 8’ssignature blend of heav ybeats,inter woven horn lines,and spit freverses, chants,and harmonies. Taking up theempty spotinthe back

is Andrew Perrone, agraduate of SlidellHighSchool whohad tutoredunder Bennie beforehis death. Theband also includes longtime members TyrusChapmanand Larr ybrown on trombone,Chris Cotton on trumpet, GreshirenBritton on snaredrum, Andrew Calhounonsax,Darrayl McGowanonbassdrum. Making anew record wasa challengethe Hot8set outfor themselves,and when that hurdle wascrossed in 2025 it couldonly be called BigTuba. Thealbum featuresHot 8’strademark blendof neworiginals (“BigTuba” ), throwback covers (AlGreen’s “Let ’s Stay Together ”and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine)and even a traditionalNew Orleansfuneral hymn (“Westlawn Dirge” ). TheLP’s linernotes draw upon theirfallen leader ’s commitment to preser ve againstall odds:“Bennie helped all of us endure,tohealbyencouragingustocontinuetoplayour musicdespite anyadversities.” 2026 mark sthe 30 th anniversary of this band that simplycan’t be held down.They’re celebratingwiththe BigTubaTourthat brings them across theU.S.and returningtoEuropethissummer. TheJazzFestseason is marked with therelease of anew video of “WestL awnDirge,” honoring Bennie with appearances by his mentorsMichael White, Roger Lewis, andGregg Stafford. It ’s asomberrefec tion on life and loss,befttingalegendgonefar toosoon. ButintrueNew Orleans st yle, thedirge will lead to the upbeat second line dance, and an opportunit ytoshake off ourtroubles to thesubterranean bedrock sounds of theone andonlyHot 8.

CatchthematJazzFestonMay 1, or near your town in US andUK/Ireland this spring andsummer, seetour datesathot8brassband.com/tour

Watchthe premiere of “WestLawnDirge” musicvideo on Youtubehere:

grit, power and heart she pours into her voice. — JENNIFER ODELL

Widespread Panic

PHOTO BY MATTHEW HINTON / THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE

AFTERTHE FEST,

WEEK TWO FRIDAY MAY 1

The Black Keys

5:30-7 P.M.

GENTILLY STAGE

THE BLACK KEYS’ DAN AUERBACH AND PATRICK CARNEY are fervent record crate diggers. And for the last few years, the duo have played many of those 45-rpm vinyl gems in their collections during their Record Hang series of pop-up dance parties at small clubs around the country.

Auerbach and Carney are often joined by DJ El Michels — Black Keys touring member Leon Michels, who also leads the cinematic soul outfit El Michels Affair — for late-night DJ sets full of deep cuts from across genres, from the blues and rock ’n’ roll that have influenced The Black Keys’ sound to funk, soul, R&B, pop, Latin styles and hip-hop.

In the last six months, they’ve popped into New Orleans twice for Record Hangs at Saturn Bar, playing songs by Doris Troy, The Detroit City Limits, Zé Roberto and, showing some local love, Professor Longhair.

“The one at Saturn Bar was good. It was a little bit packed there. We’re trying to find the ideal spot because the real idea is for it to be a dance party,” Carney says. “But the deeper thing is that it’s basically turned into an unspoken competition between Dan and I and whoever else we’re inviting to [DJ]. It’s basically a competition to see who can bring some records that neither one of us have heard.”

And that’s harder than you’d think, Carney says with a laugh. “My 45 collection is now on Discogs — I log everything in there to keep track of what I have, but it’s like I could buy a Porsche with what I’ve spent on these things.”

The Black Keys are back in New Orleans to close out the Gentilly Stage at Jazz Fest on Friday, May 1. And Auerbach and Carney will host a post-fest Record Hang at 11 p.m. that night at Toulouse Theatre with guest DJ Alix Brown.

May 1 also is the release date for The Black Keys’ 14th studio full-length, “Peaches!,” a covers album influenced by Auerbach and Carney’s love for

searching through blues and soul records and sharing their finds. Carney, a drummer, and vocalist-guitarist Auerbach formed the band in 2001 in Akron, Ohio, and they both now live in Nashville, where Auerbach runs Easy Eye Sound.

With songs like “Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire” by Willie Griffin, R.L Burnside’s “Fireman Ring the Bell” and “You Got To Lose” written by Earl Hooker and recorded by Ike Turner and George Thorogood, The Black Keys put its raw garage rock touch to tracks rooted in Memphis and north Mississippi. “Peaches!” also includes “Nobody But You Baby,” by north Mississippi bluesman Junior Kimbrough, who The Black Keys have covered a number of times over their catalogue.

The song “It’s a Dream,” Carney says, “Dan and I both found that record separately. Dan played it, and I pulled it out of my record bag, like I just found it, too. It’s a pretty obscure song, and that’s the fun thing about this.”

The Black Keys have often shown their influences over the years. Songs by Burnside and bluesman Sleepy John Estes appeared on their first album, “The Big Come Up.” Their 2005 EP “Chulahoma” is all songs by Kimbrough. And their 2021 covers album “Delta Kream” focused on Hill Country Blues and is a kind of sister album to “Peaches!,” Carney says.

“I think this record is an homage to all that stuff that’s influenced us, and I think that’s important,” Carney says.

As a teen in the ’90s, Carney listened to recordings by indie rock band Galaxie 500 and guitarist-vocalist Dean Wareham, and that led to him learn about French vocalist Serge Gainsbourg and opened new doors.

“It was basically thanks to Dean, I got exposed to this whole other world of music,” Carney says. “And I think that’s the kind of spirit of records like ‘Delta Kream’ and ‘Chulahoma’ and ‘Peaches!’ for us.”

The Black Keys also will be at Peaches Record Store for an album signing at 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 1. Find more info at peachesrecordsandtapes.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY ROMEO OKWARA

01 MAY AT JAZZ FEST

FRIDAY

Rickie Lee Jones

12:45-1:40 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

Rickie Lee Jones first popped off in 1979 with the single “Chuck E.’s in Love,” a jazzy bit of folk-pop that eschewed the breezy sounds of Laurel Canyon in favor of the more eclectic downtown L.A. scene. Following her own muse, she gained a fair share of success and recognition along the way, including a 1990 Grammy for her duet with Dr. John, “Makin’ Whoopee.” At 71, Jones, ever the troubadour, is still delighting audiences with unmistakable originals and reinterpreted songbook standards. — BRAD RHINES

Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns

12:45-1:50 P.M.

BLUES TENT

Meschiya Lake’s toe-tapping take on vintage jazz, blues and swing music has made her an in-demand performer, from busking on Royal Street to appearances across the international jazz festival circuit. The throwback crooner can cover a range of styles, but she’s probably best known for her work with trad jazz ensemble the Little Big Horns. Together they’ve recorded three full-length albums of originals and classics that bridge the gap from the roaring ’20s to the 2020s. — BRAD RHINES

The Skatalites

2-3:10 P.M.

GENTILLY

5-6 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILION

This legendary ensemble initially began in 1964 when a group of Kingston, Jamaica, studio musicians — many of them pioneers of what would become known as ska — came together to form their own band and had a brief but highly influential year-long run before disbanding. A couple of reunions occurred in the ’70s,

and The Skatalites reformed in 1983 to reintroduce the ska pioneers into the cresting 2Tone wave. Most of the original lineup has since passed, but The Skatalites is still led by vocalist and founding member Doreen Shaffer, and the band carries on its originators’ legacy. The Skatalites also perform Saturday at 2:05 p.m. in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion, and members will be interviewed by music journalist Alex Rawls at 4:30 p.m. on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. — LIAM PIERCE

Runkus & Royal Blu with Dub Squad

2:10-3:10 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILION

4:25-5:25 P.M.

JAZZ & HERITAGE STAGE

Kingston rapper Runkus and singer-songwriter Royal Blu bring a sharp, lyrical edge to Jazz Fest — backed by the heavyweight riddims of the Dub Squad. Runkus, the son of reggae veteran Determine, is known for a high-speed, technical flow. Add in Royal Blu’s melodic precision, and the set promises a raw, bass-heavy modern Jamaican sound that brings live instrumentation and rapid-fire wordplay to the fore. The group also performs Saturday at 12:50 p.m. on the Congo Square Stage and at 3:35 p.m. in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion. — LIAM PIERCE

Lawrence Sieberth presents Da Groove

3:40-4:55 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

New Orleans-based pianist and composer Lawrence Sieberth plays jazz the way it’s meant to be played: improvisationally and experimentally. His projects over the years have dabbled in a range of styles. He’s experimented with electronics and written pieces for orchestra. Now, Sieberth collaborates with fretless guitar trailblazer David Fiuczynski and master percussionist Danny Sadownick for a project called Da Groove. — LIAM PIERCE

Sue Foley

3:50-5:05 P.M.

BLUES TENT

Sue Foley may hail from Canada, but she can swing in Texas style, moan the Delta blues and pick flamenco with equal swagger. The veteran guitarist, who has appeared with B.B. King and Buddy Guy, typically favors either her pink Fender or a handmade Mexican Salvador Castillo. Foley also has a Ph.D. in musicology and has an upcoming book, “Guitar Women: Conversations with the Heroines of Guitar,” set to release in June. — LIAM PIERCE

Ziggy Marley

PHOTO BY SHAWN FINK / THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE

Lainey Wilson

5:20-7 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

Now a Grammy-winning country star and “Yellowstone” actress, Louisianaborn Lainey Wilson got her start impersonating Hannah Montana as a teen. In April, the Nashville-based singer-songwriter announced a “full-circle moment” on Instagram: She’d recently recorded “Younger You,” a duet with “Hannah Montana” star Miley Cyrus. Wilson also has a string of hits under her belt, including “Somewhere Over Laredo,” “Heart Like a Truck” and “Things a Man Oughtta Know.” A new documentary about her life, “Keepin’ Country Cool,” debuted at SXSW in March.

— JENNIFER ODELL

Ziggy Marley

5:30-7 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

The eldest son of Bob Marley already has nine Grammy Awards under his belt and has been a busy activist for decades. Ziggy Marley is now fresh off the April 18 vinyl record release of “Brightside,” his first new studio album in eight years. For the introspective album, Marley recorded at a meditative 432 hertz, a frequency shift that only deepens the reggae groove. Expect a set that balances these new textures with his bigger songs and his father’s timeless classics. Marley also will sit for an interview with Jonathan McHugh at 2:15 p.m. Friday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. — LIAM PIERCE

Terence Blanchard & Ravi Coltrane

5:30-7 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard rose from the “young lions” ranks in the 1980s to become one of jazz’s premier players. Acclaimed for his expansive compositions, provocative operas, Oscar-nominated film scores and haunting tone, the seven-time Grammy winner is touring with saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, whose father, John Coltrane, along with Miles Davis, would have turned 100 this year. At recent performances, Blanchard and Coltrane have been celebrating that shared centennial with new arrangements of the late musicians’ legendary works. Blanchard and Coltrane also will be interviewed by Ashley Kahn at 3:15 p.m. Friday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. — JENNIFER ODELL

Big Chief Juan & Jockimo’s Groove

5:50-6:40 P.M.

JAZZ & HERITAGE STAGE

On Friday, Big Chief Juan Pardo of the Golden Comanches, backed by the rhythmic funk of Jockimo’s Groove, offers a glimpse into the Black Masking Indian ritual and the excitement of taking to the streets on Mardi Gras morning. The multigenerational tribe’s vibrant handcrafted suits will be on full display, showing off immaculate beadwork and feathered plumage, led by Pardo with his signature braids and powerful vocals. — BRAD RHINES

Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

WEEK TWO

Alabama Shakes

IN 2024, ROCK BAND ALABAMA SHAKES ANNOUNCED A SURPRISE REUNION SHOW, ending an eightyear hiatus, sparking an extensive tour and leading to the group’s third album, due later this year.

The band, which formed in 2009 in Athens, Alabama, returns to Jazz Fest on Saturday for the first time since 2017 with new music in tow, including its new single “American Dream,” released earlier this month.

The song is a gritty, dystopian track described by vocalist and guitarist Brittany Howard as a “snapshot” of life in 2026. It addresses gun violence, environmental disaster and a general sense of disenfranchisement.

The single is a “bit more on the heavy side” than the band’s previous work, Howard told Gambit. “A lot of us are waking up every day and asking ourselves, ‘Is this real?’ We keep hoping that this will end soon. Sonically, it feels like new ground for us.”

The new album has been teased as an experimental and improvisational project, expanding far beyond the band’s Southern blues and rock and roll roots. But the journey into uncharted territory isn’t entirely surprising.

After all, the group, which includes bassist Zac Cockrell and guitarist Heath Fogg, has always been adventurous when it comes to blending a variety of styles into their music. (The band cut ties with drummer Steve Johnson in 2021.)

Howard has cited personal influences that range from Prince and David Bowie to Black Sabbath, Nina Simone and Led Zeppelin. And the band has incorporated garage rock, soul, Southern blues and psychedelia into their sound.

In 2012, their hit single “Hold On,” off the debut album “Boys & Girls,” launched them into the national spotlight and earned the artists critical acclaim — including Grammy nods. Their 2015 follow-up LP, “Sound & Color,” debuted at the top of the Billboard charts and won the group three Grammys, including Best Rock Song for “Don’t Wanna Fight.” Alabama Shakes won another Grammy in 2018 for a cover of Memphis Minnie’s “Killer Diller Blue” from the documentary “The American Epic Sessions.”

After deciding to take a break from the band in 2018, Howard carved out

a successful solo career. Her 2019 record “Jaime” was a tribute to her late sister that allowed her to get deeper into personal storytelling. In 2024, she released another solo record, “What Now.”

Howard also collaborated with others, embarking on a short tour across the South with the acoustic-forward indie trio Bermuda Triangle in 2018 and then launching the hardcore punk/ metal band Kumite in early 2025.

But Alabama Shakes wasn’t ever finished. The group reunited for a surprise show in Tuscaloosa in 2024, and several months later they announced on social media that they were going to work on new material and start touring again.

“It had been a long time, and honestly, we all just wanted to have a little fun playing shows and hanging out,” Howard says.

When Howard, Fogg and Cockrell returned to the recording studio, they got right back into the swing of things.

“A lot of the writing happened in the studio,” Howard says. “We also wanted to experiment a bit with improvising and jamming in the studio, and you will hear that in the songs.”

There was a lot of momentum.

“We ended up deciding to go into the studio to record a new song, and next thing we knew we had three songs, then five, then seven, and then a full album,” Howard says. “We have been really trying to fine tune it over the last several months. We are excited for the world to hear it soon.”

Taking time away from the band put things into perspective and gave members a renewed appreciation for how much of an impact they’d had on their fans.

“Hearing stories about how those songs impacted people’s lives really means the world to us and is why we do this,” Howard says. “It’s been emotional seeing and feeling people’s reactions to these songs again.”— SARAH

RAVITS

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MAY 2

02 MAY AT JAZZ FEST

SATURDAY

Mia Borders

11:20 A.M.-12:20 P.M.

GENTILLY STAGE

New Orleans native Mia Borders has become a staple of her hometown’s live music scene, where she performs a roots and blues-driven brand of soulful rock and funk. The singer, songwriter and guitarist’s latest album, “Firewalker” features a title track collaboration with George Porter Jr. Later on Saturday, Borders also will play an acoustic trio set at 2:25 p.m. in the Rhythmpourium tent. — JENNIFER ODELL

Dee-1

11:20 A.M.-12:25 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

New Orleans-born rapper Dee-1 has been hustling as an independent artist for more than 15 years, steadily reaching a bigger and bigger audience across more than 20 albums and EPs and features on tracks with Juvenile, Mac Phipps and Lupe Fiasco. The former educator keeps a positive, often religious message in his music, and his most recent album, “Hipocritical Hop,” focuses in on his critiques of the “glorification,” he says, of violence and drugs in rap — criticism that has brough some pushback from rappers like Rick Ross and Joe Budden. — JAKE CLAPP

C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band

12:40-1:40 P.M.

BLUES TENT

C.J. Chenier was part of the team that earned a 2026 Grammy Award for “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco,” which honored his late father Clifton Chenier at the 100th anniversary of the zydeco pioneer’s birth. On the album, C.J. Chenier is credited alongside artists like Taj Mahal and The Rolling Stones, but those fancy names bow down in homage to the Creole dance genre. With The Red Hot Louisiana Band, Chenier plays his own originals along with many of his father’s classics. — LIAM PIERCE

Mark Braud’s New Orleans Jazz Giants

1:45-2:45 P.M.

ECONOMY HALL TENT

Trumpeter Mark Braud may be best known for his roles with Preservation Hall, where he now leads Preservation Brass, and for the generations of musicians on both sides of his family. But he’s also a charismatic performer whose onstage demeanor feels more lighthearted than his c.v. might suggest. Sometimes that translates to revisiting the bawdier side of early jazz and blues tunes or almost visibly changing an audience member’s mind about traditional jazz. Other times, it means lobbing Steven Wright-style one-liners to the crowd: “My new album is about to go copper,” he deadpanned at the Jazz Museum in March. — JENNIFER ODELL

Jemere Morgan

1:45-2:45 P.M.

JAZZ & HERITAGE STAGE

5-6 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILLION

Reggae singer Jemere Morgan hails from a massive musical family best known for the Morgan Heritage family band, which Jemere now fronts. His reggae-meets-R&B solo work often features positive messages about love and peace and includes the sunny, conscious pop tune “Try Jah Love” and the Damian Marley-produced “Higher We Go.” Morgan also performs Sunday at 11:20 a.m. on the Festival stage and at 3:25 p.m. back in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion. — JENNIFER ODELL

Leo Nocentelli

2:10-3:10 P.M.

GENTILLY STAGE

Guitarist and founding member of the Meters, Leo Nocentelli is funk royalty in New Orleans. His solo sets embrace the legacy he’s known for and feature hits like “Hey Pocky A-Way,” but they also give the talented player an opportunity to indulge his jazz influences and the softer songwriter side revealed on Nocentelli’s 1971 country music-inspired album “Another Side,” a nearly forgotten gem that was unearthed and finally released in 2021.

— BRAD RHINES

Dianne Reeves

4:15-5:30 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

Five-time Grammy winner and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Dianne Reeves remains one of the golden voices of jazz, but she also handles R&B, blues, gospel, Latin or pop with ease. Reeves last year recorded a John Coltrane centenary tribute with the Branford Marsalis Quartet, and the album will be released by Blue Note in September. — LIAM PIERCE

Sierra Hull

4:20-5:35 P.M.

FAIS DO-DO STAGE

Crossing over from the bluegrass scene to the mainstream, mandolin virtuoso Sierra Hull has shared the stage with fellow travelers like Bela Fleck and Billy Strings, shining a light on traditional string band music. Last year’s self-released record “Tip Toe High

Eagles

PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

Wire” earned Hull four Grammy nods and appearances on NPR’s Tiny Desk and Austin City Limits. This year, the songwriter and multi-instrumentalist breaks more new ground with “The Movements,” a three-part bluegrass concerto released last month. Hull also will be interviewed by Mollie Farr at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage.

— BRAD RHINES

Midnite Disturbers

4:25-5:15 P.M.

JAZZ & HERITAGE STAGE

The Midnite Disturbers is one of the annual “miss it and you’ll regret it,” only at Jazz Fest shows. The New Orleans supergroup — started by Stanton Moore and the late Kevin O’Day — includes a dozen or so of the city’s best brass and funk musicians jamming on songs like “Gimme My Money Back” and “Buck It Like a Horse.” The lineup is always fluid, but some regulars include Galactic’s Moore and saxophonist Ben Ellman, Big Sam Williams and the Dirty Dozen’s Roger Lewis, and past years have featured Glen David Andrews and Mike Dillon. Also take note of the band members’ shirts, which give shout-outs to influential musicians and gone-too-soon peers.

— JAKE CLAPP

Eagles

4:45-7 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

After playing together in Linda Ronstadt’s backup band, the members of the Eagles left the nest in 1971 and immediately took off. Their debut release launched three smash singles — “Take It Easy,” “Witchy Woman” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling” — and the hits kept coming. After disbanding

in 1980, the group later reunited and underwent a few lineup changes before embarking on a farewell tour that started back in 2023. But this really might be it, as founding member Don Henley told “CBS This Morning” earlier this year, as the band sets out on a short spring tour called “The Long Goodbye, Act III.” — BRAD RHINES

Little Feat

5:30-7 P.M.

BLUES TENT

Co-founder Bill Payne and the core members of Southern rock stalwarts Little Feat have kept moving forward since the death of Lowell George in 1979. The newest lineup is fronted by Scott Sharrard of the Greg Allman Band on guitar and also includes the addition of drummer Tony Leone from the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. Their latest release, last year’s “Strike Up the Band,” is a vitalized effort of blues- and gospel-tinged jams with bright horns and syncopated grooves. The new batch of tunes follows nicely in the Feat-steps of classics like “Dixie Chicken” and “Fat Man in the Bathtub.” — BRAD RHINES

T-Pain

5:55-6:55 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

If you’re expecting T-Pain’s set to rely on auto-tune, you’re stuck in 2005. While those signature digital harmonies will likely anchor club classics like “Buy U a Drank,” the Tallahassee, Florida, native appears at Jazz Fest as a newly minted BMI President’s Award winner. He won over metalheads with a viral cover of “War Pigs” on his soulful 2023 album “On Top of the Covers” and celebrated two decades of hits last year. —

Little Feat

PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

JAZZ FEST JAZZ FEST

APRIL23RD –MAY 3RD,2026

JAZZ Fest 2026

INFO

THERE’S A LOT TO NAVIGATE BEFORE YOU GET TO THE MUSIC STAGES AT JAZZ FEST. Below is a quick guide on tickets, accepted forms of payment, accommodations for disabled fest goers and what attendees can bring to the fest. For more information, see the FAQ page at nojazzfest.com/faq.

Tickets

JAZZ FEST HAS A VARIETY OF TICKET OPTIONS, from single tickets to weekend and VIP passes. Online purchase requires setting up an account on axs.com. Ticket prices include fees. Tickets for children ages 2-10 are $5 at the gate.

Louisiana residents (with Louisiana billing address zip code) can get single-day tickets for Thursdays for $65 in advance or $75 at the gate. Friday and Sunday tickets are $109 in advance and $119 at the gate, and Saturday tickets are $129 in advance and $139 at the gate.

Non-Louisiana residents can purchase Thursday tickets for $109 in advance. Single-day tickets for Friday and Sunday are $139 in advance and Saturday tickets are $159 in advance.

Weekend passes are $379 for Louisiana residents in advance and $459 for non-residents in advance. Various weekend passes with added amenities are available.

Visit nojazzfest.com/tickets for details about tickets

On the Grounds

▶ Jazz Fest is cashless. The box office and food and other vendors accept credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

▶ Jazz Fest is accessible to people with disabilities. There is information on nojazzfest.com/faq about available resources. To get further information in advance of the festival, email access@nojazzfest.com. There is an Access Center with information on services and facilities. It is located in front of the Grandstand. Limited parking in an accessible lot is available for $65-$75 per day.

▶ There are two medical tents on the festival grounds. One is near the edge of the track between the Gentilly and Fais Do-Do stages; the other is on the edge of the track between the Festival Stage and Jazz & Heritage Stage.

▶ Water filling stations: There are water refilling stations near the Rhythmpourium and at the end of the Food 2 area on the Grandstands side.

Allowed on the Grounds

Below is information on what Jazz Fest allows and prohibits on the grounds. There are metal detectors and bag searches at the entrances.

JAZZ FEST PERMITS:

▶ Small bags and backpacks (17 by 12 by 10 inches) and 12-pack soft coolers

▶ Single, collapsible chairs

▶ Wheelchairs and medical scooters

▶ Push strollers for children

▶ Blankets and small tarps not exceeding 6 by 8 feet

▶ Factory-sealed bottled water and snacks for personal consumption

▶ Hand-held, personal-sized umbrellas

▶ Fully trained service animals to assist attendees with disabilities

JAZZ FEST PROHIBITS:

▶ Large or hard-sided coolers and soft or rolling coolers larger than 12-pack size

▶ Rolling bags

▶ Wagons and carts

▶ Pets

▶ Glass

▶ Outside beverages except factory-sealed water

▶ Personal tents

▶ Playpens or portable cribs

▶ Shade canopies, shelters or beach or pole-style umbrellas

▶ Athletic games, kites and throwing discs

▶ Large chairs with rockers, foot rests, side tables, etc.

▶ Inserting stakes, poles or any other objects into the ground, or use of ropes, cords, tape, etc. to reserve space

▶ Bicycles or other wheeled personal transport devices (e.g. skateboards, scooters, hoverboards, go-peds and Segways) are not allowed inside the gates

▶ Inflatable items

▶ Drones

▶ Video- and audio-recording equipment

▶ Unauthorized vending or promotional items

▶ Weapons, illicit drugs and other contraband

Transportation

There are many ways to get to and from the Fair Grounds. Here’s info on the most common options.

▶ BICYCLES: Limited bicycle parking is available near the Gentilly Boulevard and Sauvage Street entrances.

▶ TAXIS: There are designated taxi stands near both entrances. The Stallings Playground hub is near the Gentilly Boulevard gate. The other is at Walter Wolfman Washington Memorial Park on Esplanade near the Mystery Street entrance. There also is a taxi stand for ADA passengers.

▶ RIDESHARE: Attendees can use rideshare apps such as Uber and Lyft to get near the Fair Grounds. To limit the traffic in blocks surrounding the Fair Grounds, the city created a perimeter outside of which rideshare vehicles can drop off and pick up passengers. Find more info at nojazzfest.com/faq.

▶ JAZZ FEST EXPRESS

SHUTTLE: Gray Line’s Jazz Fest Express operates continuous round-trip transportation from various pick-up locations onto festival grounds. Pick-up locations include the Sheraton Hotel (500 Canal St.), Steamboat Natchez Dock (400 Toulouse St.), 601 Loyola Ave. in the CBD, and New Orleans City Park (Wisner Boulevard near Filmore Avenue) beginning at 10:30 a.m. and ending when all patrons have left the festival grounds. Single day tickets are $29. Fourday passes are $96. For more information, call (504) 569-1401 or visit graylineneworleans.com/ jazz-fest-express.

▶ RTA: There are several public bus lines that have stops near the Fair Grounds, including on Esplanade and St. Bernard avenues and N. Broad Street. The streetcar line ending on Esplanade Avenue at City Park also is near a festival entrance. Visit norta.com for information on routes and service.

PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT

Robin Barnes & the FiyaBirds

4:55-6 P.M.

LAGNIAPPE STAGE

FOR GENERATIONS, Robin Barnes’ family has passed down its stories and recipes from daughter to daughter. A New Orleans native and a ninth generation Louisianan, Barnes grew up surrounded by her family’s traditions. But before Barnes could learn some key recipes, her grandmother passed away. An irreplaceable link to family history was gone.

There was “a lineage of nine generations of cooks,” Barnes says. “Diving into my ancestry, we saw that in slavery, my ancestors were cooks. That’s such an important part of our tapestry that’s gone, just because it was oral tradition and the person holding it had passed.”

music side of it,” Barnes says. “I wanted to create this beautiful multimedia gift to my daughters, but the more that I did it for my family, I started seeing everyone had this longing for connection. Whether it’s the bridging of Louisiana and New Orleans or just the feeling of home — we all come from a beautiful tapestry of our heritage.”

As Barnes worked on “Louisiana Love,” the full-length album evolved from a dive into her family’s history — although that’s still an important part — to a cross-genre, guest-filled celebration of Louisiana culture.

The 15-track album plays almost like a road trip across Louisiana from Acadiana to New Orleans. Early on, Louisiana French fiddler and vocalist Louis Michot joins Barnes for the anthemic title track before zydeco musicians Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and Dwayne Dopsie add some heat for the danceable “Eh Ma Belle.”

As Barnes drives East, through Lafayette and the Atchafalaya Basin, fiddler Jourdan Thibodeaux and accordionists Rusty Metoyer and Cedric Watson are featured on songs that touch on zydeco, Cajun music and Creole history. Barnes sings in English, Louisiana French and Creole across the tracks.

Barnes spent three years working on “Louisiana Love,” she says, researching and trying to learn more about the state’s cultural traditions. She “found so many of the artists that are on the album were very open and warm to teach me more about Acadiana or Creole (culture).”

and Chief J’Wan Boudreaux of the Golden Eagles and drummer Herlin Riley.

Keys player and vocalist Ivan Neville joins Barnes for the funky, late-night groove “Doctah,” and The Soul Rebels keep things playful on “Saw My Baby.”

The section closes with “Hey Na (Iko Iko),” a version of the New Orleans classic given a bounce flair with Big Freedia and HaSizzle.

Bookending “Louisiana Love” are spoken word and percussion tracks by Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and the North Side Skull & Bone Gang. The old Black masking tradition starts Mardi Gras Day by knocking on doors in Treme and holding a ceremony calling for people to hold life sacred and live fully.

Robin Barnes felt it was fitting to open her album with Skull & Bone calling on the ancestors “to bring everyone the journey throughout the album.” And ending with “Skull & Bone, they are now reminding us here is what we have in our culture and it’s now your turn,” she says.

“Louisiana Love” is Barnes’ first full-length, but it follows her 2013 debut EP and a 2016, jazz-focused EP that hit No. 5 on the Billboard jazz chart. Nicknamed the “Songbird of New Orleans” — a play on her name, her strong, versatile voice and her love for feathered outfits — Barnes has been a regular, expressive presence at festivals and local clubs, performing a mix of R&B, jazz and funk. And she often performs with her husband, bassist Pat Casey.

Barnes, a busy vocalist and songwriter who has been part of the New Orleans music community for going on 15 years, had been thinking about how family history is not only exchanged but how it can be preserved. With her own two young daughters, she was considering how to teach them the stories. And then a health scare prompted Barnes into creative action, leading her into research and the new, meaningful album “Louisiana Love,” out Friday, May 1. Barnes also has a connected docuseries about the state’s cultural traditions in the works and is planning album events through the summer.

“I really wanted to dig deep into my lineage and genealogy but also the

Taking a road trip break, the album’s middle portion turns to motherhood and the memories of the women in Barnes’ family. There’s a Creole lullaby, and “A Mother’s Love” includes a beautiful spoken word feature by poet Sunni Patterson. And on the song “Dey Say Run,” Barnes’ two daughters help her sing the sweet tune.

“That one is an ode to my grandmother,” Barnes says. She remembers growing up and playing outside until it was dark, and her grandmother calling for her to come home.

“Now I’m doing that with my daughters when it’s time to come back inside,” Barnes adds. “And that parallel just gives me chills … I’m passing it to my daughters, so having them on the track is a representation of the older generation, my generation and now them going forward.”

When “Louisiana Love” gets back on the road, it heads straight into New Orleans with an energetic funk track featuring Big Chief Monk Boudreaux

A few years ago, Barnes was performing at French Quarter Fest when a photographer friend noticed an unusual lump on her leg. It turned out to be a tumor, and Barnes underwent surgery and a lengthy recovery. The scare galvanized Barne’s desire to leave a legacy for her daughters.

Recently, the tumor returned, and Barnes in early April underwent an MRI. She hasn’t shared any results, but she’s staying optimistic during a scary situation, she says. The album release has kept her busy.

“I’m putting my entire energy into the album and the docuseries,” Barnes says. “I don’t want to feel like I didn’t complete what I wanted for my family and as a culture bearer in a young generation.”

Before her Jazz Fest set on Sunday, Barnes plays an album release show at 9:30 p.m. Friday, May 1, at d.b.a. Find more info at robinbarnesmusic.com. — JAKE CLAPP

PROVIDED PHOTO BY SHELBY URSU

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SUNDAY

03 MAY AT JAZZ FEST

SUNDAY

Chiefs of the Indian Nation

12:40-1:20 P.M.

JAZZ & HERITAGE STAGE

Putting aside friendly rivalries between Black Masking Indian tribes, a contingent of Big Chiefs take the stage together on Sunday, including Chiefs Terrance Mitchell of the Creole Wild West, Shaka Zulu of the Golden Feather Hunters, and Juan Pardo of the Golden Comanche in a colorful explosion of traditional Indian music. Pardo told Gambit to expect “drums for the culture and the diaspora, music from origin story to present-day vibes.” The chiefs also will be interviewed by Matt Sakakeeny at 4 p.m. Sunday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. — BRAD RHINES

Deacon John

12:50-1:50 P.M.

BLUES TENT

Louisiana Blues Hall of Famer “Deacon” John Moore helped develop New Orleans’ classic R&B sound as a session guitarist on most of the Minit Records hits that came out of the Crescent City in the early 1960s. In addition to the guitar tracks he laid down for songs by Lee Dorsey, Ernie K-Doe, Irma Thomas, Fats Domino and more, “Deac,” as he’s known around town, led his group, the Ivories, during a long stint as the Dew Drop Inn’s house band. His voice, meanwhile — gospel-ready and blues-heavy — is well-steeped in the so-called “New Orleans sound” that helped spawn early rock and roll. — JENNIFER ODELL

RAM from Haiti

2-3 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILION

Formed by Richard A. Morse in 1990 in Haiti, RAM has evolved into a cultural touchstone for many in the Caribbean nation, combining traditional Haitian instruments and rhythms with electric guitars and big rock beats. Over the decades, the Creole-language band has weathered political turmoil and violence, natural disasters, and — most recently — creative differences. After splitting from his longtime wife and collaborator Lunise, Morse last month released a pair of new songs, “Ti Mal O” and “Kenbe’m,” that reflect RAM’s new sound and direction. — BRAD RHINES

Lila Ike

2:10-3:20 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

5-6 P.M.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PAVILION

Lila Ike toiled away at plenty of singles and EPs in the last few years, but her debut full-length album “Treasure Self Love” earned her a nomination for the 2026 Best Reggae Album Grammy, the lone female artist in the category. She also got the spotlight at the ceremony while singing Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic “Shining Star.” Her sound is roots-reggae meets R&B and dancehall, and she sings it with crystalline vocals and sharp social commentary. — LIAM PIERCE

Trumpet Mafia feat. Keyon Harrold

2:15-3:20 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

Ashlin Parker’s Trumpet Mafia collective emerged in 2013 from a group of fellow trumpeters he’d invite to his house for practice sessions. A jazz educator and alumnus of Ellis Marsalis’ quintet, Parker welcomed players with a variety of experience levels into the group to maximize all members’ learning potential. That open approach has allowed Trumpet Mafia to expand continuously — and internationally — yielding the multi-generational army of horn players that’s now an annual WWOZ Jazz Tent highlight.

Trumpeter and vocalist Keyon Harrold, whose resume includes extensive work in hip-hop and neosoul as well as jazz, played Miles Davis’ trumpet parts in the biopic “Miles Ahead.” He joins Trumpet Mafia for a centennial tribute to Davis’ groundbreaking work.

— JENNIFER ODELL

Teddy Swims

4:05-5:20 P.M.

FESTIVAL STAGE

Face-tatted Teddy Swims arrives in New Orleans at a career-high. He’s fresh off a Coachella set and the announcement of his 2026 “Ugly Tour.” Known for his single “Lose Control” — streamed nearly 2.5 billion times on Spotify alone — the Georgia native’s powerful vocals bridge classic R&B with a modern pop grit. Backed by his band Freak Freely, Swims is currently promoting his latest 2026 single, the soul-searching “Mr. Know It All.” But he just might play you his version of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One.”

— LIAM PIERCE

Davell Crawford’s Fabulous Friends Forever

4:05-5:05 P.M.

GOSPEL TENT

A grandson of James “Sugar Boy” Crawford, Davell Crawford was raised within the city’s gospel and R&B traditions. This performance brings the “Piano Prince” together with some of his mentors and friends, including Cyril and Charmaine Neville and Wanda Rouzan. Crawford’s style — a mix of Baptist church organ, funk and modern jazz — serves as the backbone for a set that highlights deep ties among New Orleans musical families. — LIAM PIERCE

Tedeschi Trucks Band

5:20-7 P.M.

GENTILLY STAGE

The Tedeschi Trucks Band operates like a well-tuned machine, a 12-piece ensemble churning out laid back jams with seemingly effortless precision. Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, the blues rock power couple, get top billing for good reason, thanks to her powerful gospel-inspired vocals and his incendiary slide guitar chops. But the band’s chemistry and

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cohesion make this outfit something special, from blistering, horn-heavy blues numbers to soulful grooves, all of which is on display with the band’s most recent release, the 2026 album “Future Soul.” — BRAD RHINES

Earth, Wind & Fire

5:40-7 P.M.

CONGO SQUARE STAGE

There’s something magical about swaying to Earth, Wind & Fire’s laidback soul grooves, soft-yet-lavish orchestration and falsetto-spiked vocal harmonies beneath the first strands of sunset over the Congo Square Stage. The iconic group’s hits include the smooth chart-topper “September,” the synthed-out funk jam “Let’s Groove” and the endlessly sampled “Shining Star.” The current lineup’s longtime EWF members include bassist Verdine White, singer and percussionist Ralph Johnson and Phillip Bailey, whose gospel-ready falsetto has been central to their sound since 1972. — JENNIFER ODELL

Herbie Hancock

5:40-7 P.M.

WWOZ JAZZ TENT

One constant running through Herbie Hancock’s astounding musical output since the 1960s has been the elastic nature of his creative genius. The pioneering pianist and composer behind crossover hits like “Chameleon” and new jazz standards like “Maiden Voyage” and “Watermelon Man” has long touted his appetite for new ideas as a key to the unexpected directions he routinely builds into his work. Fans of Hancock’s modal jazz masterpieces, for example, maybe didn’t see “Rockit” coming from a former member of Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet. Speaking of Davis, Hancock’s band at the fest includes trumpeter Terence Blanchard, whose current tour honors the work of Davis’ First Great Quintet. — JENNIFER ODELL

Steve Earle feat.

Anders Osborne

5:40-7 P.M.

FAIS DO-DO STAGE

Before kicking off a solo acoustic tour later this month, billed as “51 Years of Songs and Stories,” Steve Earle returns to Jazz Fest along with hotshot New Orleans guitar player

Anders Osborne. Earle gained a following for his outlaw-country songwriting with hits like “Copperhead Road” and gained a reputation for outlaw antics that ended with stints in jail and rehab in the mid-1990s. With a deep back catalog and plenty of stories to go with it, expect the always outspoken Earle to hold court at the Fais Do-Do stage. Earle also will be interviewed by Mark Guarino at 3 p.m. Sunday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. — BRAD RHINES

Mavis Staples

5:50-6:50 P.M.

BLUES TENT

Vocalist Mavis Staples has had nothing short of a legendary career, from her start in the 1950s as part of The Staple Stingers, her family’s gospel and soul group, to her more recent features on songs by Hozier, Gorillaz and Jon Batiste. She once even turned down a marriage proposal from Bob Dylan. An icon in R&B, blues and gospel, Staples last year released her 14th solo full-length, “Sad and Beautiful World,” a touching and powerful album of mostly covers, including songs by Curtis Mayfield, Tom Waits, Frank Ocean, Gillian Welch and Leonard Cohen. — JAKE CLAPP

Mavis Staples PHOTO BY PATRICK DENNIS / THE ADVOCATE

BANDANA BRACELETS

festival roots

Jazz Fest showcases youth programs centered on arts and culture

JAZZ FEST IS A GREAT PLACE TO ENJOY NEW ORLEANS MUSIC, ART AND CULTURE. And that includes performances and work by kids learning and participating in the culture in programs and community groups from across the city.

The best bet at the Fair Grounds for bearing witness to the city’s plethora of young talent is stopping by the Ochsner Children’s Tent. On the festival’s first Friday, there also was a showcase of school gospel choirs at the Gospel Tent, including Edna Karr High, Eleanor McMain High, L.B. Landry High and St. Mary’s Academy.

This weekend, check out the Junior Baby Doll Ladies performing twice on Saturday, May 2, in the Children’s Tent.

Millisia White, artistic director of the New Orleans Society of Dance, founded the Baby Doll Ladies to continue the tradition started by local Black women in the early 1900s. Their youth program teaches storytelling, visual arts, culture, leadership and more.

“Part of their work is not only to help to continue the living art form but to also help to cultivate it,” White says.

Around 10 Junior Baby Doll Ladies will perform at Jazz Fest with dancing, music and storytelling that will take the audience through the living history of the Baby Doll tradition and how it has evolved over time.

“These traditions are living expressions of our community’s history, and

I just firmly believe that when young people understand the meaning behind them, they don’t just preserve the culture, they strengthen it for the future,” White says.

On Sunday, May 3, the Culu Children’s Traditional African Dance Company will perform in the Children’s Tent. The company started in 1988 and is named after the Mandinka word for discipline, and children rehearse every Friday and Saturday, gaining exposure to African folklore, song and dance.

The group also is preparing for a conference in June where the children will learn from master drummers and dancers.

At Jazz Fest, Culu will be incorporating West African traditions, focusing on Guinea and Senegal. Expect stilt walkers, live drumming and opportunities for audience participation.

Company founder Mariama Curry says the program helps show Black kids their ancestry at a time when African American history curriculums are under attack.

“I think it’s really important for children to know their roots from whence they came,” Curry says. “If you know where you come from, where you are, you know where you’re going. If you are not connected to your ancestors ... then you’re going to be lost.”

Dancing Grounds Dance for Social Change performs in the tent earlier on May 3, with around two dozen

kids, ages 7-18, performing hip-hop, modern and jazz dance to songs like Olivia Dean’s “Baby Steps,” Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic,” Missy Elliot’s “Lose Control” and Foxx’s “Wipe Me Down” featuring Lil Boosie and Webbie.

During the festival’s first weekend, performances drew from a wide range of influences, from KID smART’s musical improv performance depicting the Black Plague to The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Academy’s “musical storytime” inspired by “The Little Engine that Could” and “Where the Wild Things Are.”

The International School of Louisiana brought circus arts to the Fair Grounds, including acrobatics with

spinning hoops, a juggling jamboree, a musical clown troupe and flying diabolos as well as a Chinese dragon dance.

Chosen Vessels Dance and Performing Arts sang and danced to African, gospel, jazz, hip-hop and worship songs, and their marching unit gave a presentation.

The weekend also featured more youth music from the Roots of Music’s Marching Crusaders, a New Voices New Orleans chorus and the Trombone Shorty Academy with Primera Linea of Havana, Cuba. — KAYLEE POCHE

KID smART students at Jazz Fest 2025

PHOTO PROVIDED BY KID SMART

Students of the International School of Louisiana perform circus arts in the Kids Tent during Jazz Fest 2019.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

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On the bubble

DEBBIE TOLENTINO HAS BEEN PREPARING FOR MOST of her 32 years to open her own business.

For close to nine years, she’s juggled three jobs, working as a server at Besame, a hostess at Atchafalaya and working the front desk at the Hotel Mazarin to hone her hospitality skills. But she always had an eye on the prize.

The Filipino-born entrepreneur is now the proud owner of Tsaocaa Nola, a Taiwanese bubble tea cafe franchise in Uptown. The business took over a former Sally Beauty Supply at 714 S. Carrolton Ave. Tolentino purchased the business from the original franchisees earlier this year and re-opened as owner on Feb. 1 with expanded tea offerings and savory menu items.

“I’ve wanted to open an Asian bubble tea place since 2020,” Tolentino says. “It’s one of my dreams.” Tsaocaa, which means “a holy land of tea,” specializes in tea-based drinks, some with milk, some more fruit forward and some slushy. There is a coconut-based sipper flavored with mango or lychee, flavored green tea and the house specialty, milky drinks powered by purple potatoes, brown sugar and taro. Most drinks bob with pearls of chewy tapioca, made in-house daily. There also are no-caffeine and non-dairy options too, and all drinks are nonalcoholic.

The rise of the boba tea phenom originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, tethered to the longtime popularity of milk tea, which dates back to the ancient Silk Road. Tsaocaa’s Chinese parent company dates to 2018, and there are currently 21 franchises in the U.S. and more than 70 globally. There’s another local location in Chalmette.

Tolentino expanded the menu at her shop, and it includes an array of savory dishes beyond the basic franchise offering, prepared by the kitchen team she kept on when she bought the business. The Taiwanese popcorn chicken is popular, featuring garlicky marinated bite-sized

crispy thigh morsels dredged in sweet potato starch and flash fried. She also added a ramen section, ranging from spicy pork broth with a fried pork tonkatsu cutlet on top to miso-flavored, soy-forward shoyu ramen. There also are chicken broth and vegetarian options. Another crowd pleaser is the Korean rice cake, with chewy, cylinder-shaped disks layered with a savory sauce and topped with fish cakes and hard-boiled egg.

There is Korean-style double-fried chicken and another popular street food, corn dogs built around hot dogs or gooey mozzarella, or a combination of both. The fried treat also comes dredged in electric orange hot Cheetos for extra flavor and crunch. Honeycombed Hong Kong-style waffles, crispy on the outside with a soft interior, are handheld items in flavors like matcha and red bean.

Tolentino grew up working at her mother’s corner store in the province of Nueva Ecija, north of Manila. After graduating from college with a degree in hotel and restaurant management, Tolentino came to New Orleans to get experience.

“I didn’t know anyone,” she says. “I had two suitcases and $2,000 to my name. But I was ready to learn.”

She spent time at the Pontchartrain Hotel, working in the front of the house at the Caribbean Room and later Jack Rose, the Bayou Bar and Hot Tin bar.

When a colleague connected her to the franchise owners who wanted to sell the business, she jumped at the opportunity. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but when I saw the place, I fell in love with it.”

Tsaocaa has a warm, fun feel, radiating blue and pink pastel colors. A row of brightly lit claw machines offer stuffed toys for grabs, and there are board games and books for borrowing. There are long communal tables and comfy booths along one wall. Diners head to the back counter to choose among the many drink options, along with snacks and substantial bowls of Asian flavors.

Talentino is happy with the 75-seat cafe’s location close to Loyola and Tulane universities and walking distance from other schools.

The ever-smiling entrepreneur understands that the business can be challenging. “There’s a lot of prepping and lifting involved,” she said. “But for me, working hard is never a problem. I’m used to it.”

Sanchez departs Poydras

CINCO DE MAYO FALLS ON A “TACO TUESDAY” THIS YEAR, but what is normally a big day for Mexican restaurants will have a different feel at Johnny Sanchez.

It will be the last day for the CBD restaurant from celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez, confirmed his business partner, chef Miles Landrem.

The Poydras Street location of the brand wasn’t doing the business it needed to be viable. After 12 years, and with a new lease coming due, the partners had to make the call, Landrem says.

“We were all very, very hopeful that it would turn around, but it hasn’t since Covid,” Landrem says. “It was a tough decision. We’re all betting on New Orleans, but we’re not able to ride it out.”

The restaurant, near the corner of Poydras Street and O’Keefe Avenue, is a block from the road closure caused by the partial collapse of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities building in December 2024. Last summer, the restaurant posted a plea for help, describing “a steep cost” in lost business and hassles with access for customers, deliveries and staff.

There may be a new location for Johnny Sanchez on the horizon, however.

Drew Mire, a third partner in the restaurant brand, says they hope to find a new home outside of the CBD. They are casting a wide net around the region, and looking from Kenner to Covington, and perhaps even on the coast in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

ShowBird, a fast casual concept for breakfast and chicken sandwiches that the partners first developed next to Johnny Sanchez, also is looking for a

Tsaocaa serves bubble teas and more by Beth D’Addono |

Debbie Tolentino offers bubble teas and more at Tsaocaa.

PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT

Aaron Sanchez

PROVIDED PHOTO BY G GEISELMAN MILONE

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new location. It will close its Poydras Street location around early May as well. Meanwhile, the group is continuing to develop a fast-casual Mexican concept called Adobo Cantina, working in a niche of college campus locations. More are in the works in Texas and Arkansas. In 2023, the partners opened a second Johnny Sanchez in Lake Charles at the L’Auberge Casino Resort. This location remains open.

Sanchez, best known for his appearances on travel and cooking competition shows, originally opened Johnny Sanchez in 2014 with the company then called the Besh Restaurant Group (now BRG Hospitality). The name was a play on the chefs’ names, John Besh and Aaron Sanchez. It became an independent restaurant when that company was bought out following Besh and his restaurant group’s sexual harassment scandal. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

True South in Mid-City

THE KITCHEN STOVES ARE LIT ONCE AGAIN, and bands are cooking on the stage too, at a MidCity spot that has new life.

True South recently opened at 542 S. Norman C. Francis Parkway, the address which for 14 years was home to DMac’s Bar & Grill.

True South is the latest from a group of partners who together run the French Quarter bar Finnegan’s Easy (717 St. Peter St.) and, for the past three years, Liuzza’s Restaurant & Bar (3636 Bienville St.), the Mid-City institution for Creole-Italian food, iced schooners of beer and the Frenchuletta sandwich.

A different take on sandwiches is a central part of True South.

True South takes inspiration from a wide swath of the South, which is reflected on the tavern menu and more.

“It’s a celebration of the South, drawing everything together, the music, the flavors, that culture and feeling of welcome,” partner Joel DeCastro says.

In a break from the past, True South is open to all ages, while DMac’s and the bars preceding it had been late-night places. It’ll be a place to drop by for a sandwich during the day and a bar scene at night.

Live music is slated to start soon with an opening schedule of Thursday through Saturday evenings. The latest renovation gives it the look

of a weathered honkytonk, with sports bar features like vintage sports memorabilia and many TVs.

The menu is composed of sandwiches based on traditional dishes of Southern cities and states.

The Nashville hot chicken is a big fried cutlet with cayenne oil and slaw on a brioche bun.

From Louisville, there’s a riff on the Derby sandwich. This one is not open faced, but instead has layers of turkey and bacon between thick-cut toast, smothered with creamy mornay sauce.

There also is a Cuban sandwich and chicken fried steak on Texas toast. An inevitable Elvis Presley tribute mashes up banana, peanut butter and bacon for the Memphis King. There also are shrimp and catfish po-boys and a straight-up bar burger, among other sandwiches.

Food and music have gone hand-andhand at this corner address for many years. Before Hurricane Katrina, it was the shabby but funky Delta Blues Club, and it then housed a string of businesses.

David “DMac” McGee turned it into his namesake bar in 2012, and it became a neighborhood fixture to catch local bands and performers in a small, laidback venue. A Monday

night open mic-style blues jam led by guitarist Danny Alexander was a weekly highlight. McGee died in 2024, and DMac’s closed the same year.

DeCastro says as soon as the True South sign went up at the property, musicians have been dropping by to ask about potential gigs. He says he and his partners are eager to bring the small stage back to life.

True South has a daily happy hour with drink specials from 4-7 p.m. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

Andy DeGrange

Chef

by Will Coviello

CHEF ANDY DEGRANGE GOT INTO FINE DINING IN HIS HOME STATE OF VIRGINIA and Chicago before he moved to New Orleans. Here, he’s turned casual crawfish boils into a full-time focus, serving plates of crawfish, potatoes and sausage at his pop-up Andy’s Crawfish at Bayou Beer Garden. In fall, he pivots to barbecue and serves on weekends at Captain Sid’s during football season. At Bayou Beer Garden, he opens at 3 p.m. or earlier Tuesday through Friday and 1 p.m. or earlier on weekends and stays until he sells out. for more information, see @andyscrawfish on Instagram.

How’d you go from fine dining to boiling crawfish?

ANDY DEGRANGE: I started cooking when I was 16 back in Virginia and worked my way up. I did fine dining, farm-to-table stuff. I ended up moving to Chicago to open a brand new restaurant in a brand new luxury hotel. One of the guys on the team had moved up there after Hurricane Katrina. We were working 100 hours a week at this brand new restaurant. It was a good restaurant. We got three stars. But we both kind of burned out on the place. I went back to Richmond. He came back here and got married. We remained in contact, and he kept saying, “You got to check out New Orleans. You got to check out New Orleans.” So I came down in 2010 and went to an LSU game and looked at all this stuff. I fell in love with it, and I moved down here six months later.

I did real good food for a while. Then I got into movie work and catering. Then someone I worked with said, “Do you want to learn how to boil crawfish?” I said, ‘Yeah, why not?’ If you can cook, you can cook. If you’re consistent and can taste stuff, you’re going to do well boiling crawfish.

It was a hobby for the first four or five years, just a couple days a week, not making any money. But the last couple years, it’s been full time. It’s really blossomed. Now I have this and I barbecue in the fall at Captain Sid’s.

What’s your recipe for boiling crawfish?

D: I have had crawfish pretty much any way you can have it. Being from Virginia, they’re like Lafayette, they put the seasoning on the outside. There are things I like about both.

In that area, from South Carolina up to D.C. and Maryland, it’s a steamed seafood thing with seasoning on the outside. They use more of an Old Bay type seasoning which is not spicy. It doesn’t have the things that make a boil down here good. It’s more of a Low Country boil. Flavor-wise, the guy doing it in his backyard here is probably doing it better than the guy doing it in his backyard there. Everything is more intense and has more flavor.

The guy who taught me how to do it used a very traditional recipe with your aromatics — onions, garlic, celery — dry boil, liquid boil and citrus. It’s simple. But I started with that and then added more stuff to it. It’s still a good recipe. I went from that to doing it in bulk. For this, we keep it more traditional. I do a lot of oranges, a lot of lemons, a lot of garlic and onions. I put hot sauce and Worcestershire because I kind of want that barbecue shrimp flavor. Then instead of using cayenne pepper, I use Chinese pepper, which is a lot hotter, but has a more fragrant smell and flavor. I cook every batch. So one of the things going for me is that it’s the same way every time.

I am a freak. If I am boiling crawfish, I’m going to be here all day, and I am going to make sure I’m all set up. It’s just like I’m working fine dining. If you worked in restaurants when you were young, you were working 80 hours a week for no money at all. That’s what it is. Then you do a pop-up, and you’re your own boss and you can make money for yourself.

That’s enticing for a lot of people. We take a lot of pride in it for sure.

When it’s really going, we’re doing 7,000-8,000 pounds a week. My pot will do about 600 pounds at a time, and I’ve got two of those pots. I get my crawfish from Captain Sid’s. I pay a little bit more to get crawfish that are bigger and cleaner. We also pick crawfish per order. You don’t get (loose) claws or debris.

How is the season going?

D: It’s been a good season. It started off a little bit later than usual. Crawfish season usually starts popping in February, but for the past four or five years, it’s been in January.

Last year we went to the middle of July, which is late.

It’s been very busy. Everybody does crawfish now. We’re pretty blessed over here. We have a pretty loyal clientele.

We get a lot of people from out of town as well as locals. We have good presence on social media. A lot of hotels or concierges or bartenders will tell people about us.

During Jazz Fest, it’s like Endymion. You get a wave of people. Like 500 people show up. So we stay late. During Jazz Fest, you get people coming and going, but we stay late.

I’ve been at Bayou Beer Garden 10 years now. The first five or six years, it was just part time, just Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We’d come and drink and have a good time. I didn’t make much money at all. But the last couple years, it’s turned into something. Now it’s a crawfish place. The time has flown.

JazzyFries

Seafoodstuffed Mirliton

Topped withseafood cream, with chickenand sausagejambalaya and smotheredcabbage

JazzyFries Cheese

Creole braised shortrib w/ jambalayaand smotheredcabbage

Stuffed jumbosoft shellcrab over broccoli cheddar rice andseafood cream

CrawfishBisque —Brunch —

Gritsand Grillades

MonteCristoFrench toastsandwhich M

Andy DeGrange (left) runs Andy’s Crawfish. PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANDY DEGRANGE

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.

3rd Block Depot — 316 Chartres St., (504) 552-4095; 3rdblockdepot.com — The menu ranges from seafood gumbo and Gulf shrimp ceviche to smashburgers and steaks. Brunch brings shrimp and grits and more. Reservations available. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$

Acropolis Cuisine — 3841 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-9046; acropoliscuisine.com — The menu of classic Greek dishes includes souvlaki, gyros, moussaka, spanakopita, hummus and Greek salads, along with seafood options. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream. com — This Mid-City sweet shop serves its own gelato in flavors like praline, salted caramel and tiramisu, as well as Italian ices in flavors like lemon, strawberry and mango. There also are cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and coffee drinks. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $ Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant. com — Gulf Drum Yvonne is served with brown butter sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. There also are oysters, seafood pasta dishes, steaks, lamb chops and more. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$ Audubon Clubhouse — 6500 Magazine St., (504) 558-1200; audubonclubhouse. com — The menu by Dickie Brennan and Co. includes crabmeat cheesecake, shrimp remoulade, fried oysters, burgers, sandwiches and more. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Banana Blossom — 500 9th St., Gretna, (504) 500-0997; 504bananablossom. com — There are traditional Thai dishes like pad thai, green curry, pineapple fried rice, drunken noodles and coconut shrimp as well as original creations. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Boil & Barrel — 900 Harrison Ave., (504) 332-2645; boilandbarrel.com — The menu includes dishes like barbecue shrimp, charbroiled oysters, boiled crawfish, seafood platters and roast beef po-boys. The bar offers a long list of bourbons and whiskies. Outdoor seating available. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$$

Budsi’s Authentic Thai — 1760 N. Rampart St., (504) 381-4636; budsisthai.com —

Chef Budsaba Mason prepares dishes from her native Issan region of Thailand and other popular Thai dishes like papaya salad, grilled pork shoulder, larb, khao soi, pad thai and red curry. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$

Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop — 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie, (504) 835-2022; gumbostop. com — The Gumbo Stop has several gumbo varieties including chicken and sausage gumbo and seafood gumbo with shrimp, crab and crawfish. The menu also has boudin balls, Bayou shrimp scampi, crawfish etouffee and fried shrimp po-boys. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$

The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 274-1850; thecommissarynola.com — Dickie Brennan’s Commissary supplies

$ — average dinner entrée under $10

$$ $11-$20 $$$ — $20-up

his other restaurant kitchens and also has a dine-in menu and prepared foods to go. 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. $$

The Country Club — 634 Louisa St., (504) 945-0742; thecountryclubneworleans.com —

The Bywater restaurant and pool has a menu of crab beignets, truffle mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, burgers and more. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch, brunch and dinner daily. $$$

Delacroix Restaurant — 1 Poydras St., (504) 655-9002; delacroixrestaurant.com — With views overlooking the Mississippi River, the restaurant serves a mix of South Louisiana dishes like duck and andouille gumbo, crawfish bisque, shrimp buns, blackened redfish and crawfish étouffée. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$

Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 5860300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — A menu full of Gulf seafood includes oysters served raw on the half-shell or char-broiled with with Parmesan, garlic and herbs. The menu also includes 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. The bar offers a wide selection of bourbon and whiskies. 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. $$$

Domenica — 123 Baronne St., (504) 6486020; domenicarestaurant.com — The Italian restaurant offers a mix of wood-fired Napolitano-style pizzas and house-made pastas. Appetizers include various salumi and cheese boards, antipasti, roasted cauliflower and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$

Don’s Seafood — 4801 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-1555; donsseafoodonline.com — The seafood options range from char-broiled oysters to seafood gumbo, fried shrimp and catfish platters and stuffed flounder. The menu also has rib-eye steaks. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Elizabeth’s Restaurant — 601 Gallier St., (504) 944-9272; elizabethsrestaurantnola. com — Elizabeth’s is known for its signature praline bacon, and the menu also includes boudin balls, shrimp and grits, chicken and

waffles and eggs Florentine. Outdoor seating available. Reservations accepted for parties of 10 or more. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The Cajun Cuban is stuffed with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The eclectic menu also includes char-grilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ King Brasserie & Bar — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3000; kingbrasserieandbar.com

The restaurant’s menu is inspired by the cuisine of the Riviera and southern France. There are dishes like steak frites and bouillabaisse as well as blackened Gulf fish and barbecue shrimp and oysters. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and sharable plates like NOLA Tot Debris. A slow-cooked pulled pork barbecue sandwich is served with coleslaw on a brioche bun. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The selection of steaks and chops includes filet mignon, bone-in rib-eye, top sirloin and double pork chops and a la carte toppings include bearnaise, blue cheese and sauteed crabmeat. There also are burgers, salads, pasta, seafood entrees, char-broiled oysters and more. Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Luke — 333 St. Charles Ave., (504) 3782840; lukeneworleans.com — The raw bar offers oysters, boiled shrimp, cured tuna, smoked trout dip and more. The menu has dishes like shrimp and grits, crab omelets, crawfish etouffee and steak frites. Reservations encouraged. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Lyons Corner — 537 Gravier St., (504) 527-0006; lyonscornernola.com — The eclectic menu includes Cajun prawns, bang-bang fried oysters, chicken sandwiches, salads and more. In the morning, there are breakfast empanadas. Delivery and takeout available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The menu of Japanese cuisine includes sushi, signature rolls, tempura fried items, udon noodles, teriyaki, salads and more.The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado, snow crab, green onion and wasabi roe. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and specialties including shrimp Mosca, baked oysters Mosca and spaghetti bordelaise and chicken cacciatore. Chicken a la grands is sauteed with garlic, rosemary, Italian herbs and white wine. 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 like the Famous Ferdi filled with ham, roast beef and debris. Creole favorites include jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers a selectoin of cheese boards and appetizers. Creole pasta combines shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$ Pascal’s Manale — 1838 Napoleon Ave., (504) 895-4877; pascalsmanale.com — This Creole-Italian spot invented New Orleansstyle barbecue shrimp, and the menu also includes seafood gumbo, crab cakes, oysters and Italian-style pasta dishes. There’s also an oyster bar. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Tue.-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. The dinner menu has oysters, salads, pasta, shrimp and grits, a burger, cheese plates and more. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunch Sun. $$ Pizza Domenica — 4933 Magazine St., (504) 301-4978; pizzadomenica.com Pizza is the focus of this offshoot of the Italian restaurant Domenica. There also are meatballs, roasted cauliflower and house-made pastas. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Restaurant August — 301 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 299-9777; restaurantaugust.com — The fine dining restaurant serves Creole and contemporary dishes featuring foie gras, Gulf fish, duck and more. Reservations recommended. Dinner Sun.-Fri., lunch Fri. $$$ Rivershack Tavern — 3449 River Road, Jefferson, (504) 834-4938; rivershacktavern.com — This tavern along the levee offers a casual menu of roast beef po-boys, burgers, fried shrimp platters, catfish and gumbo. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Shaya — 4213 Magazine St., (504) 891-4213; shayarestaurant.com — The Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu includes dishes like hummus, falafel, kebabs, grilled chicken and wood-oven pita bread. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Stingray’s Restaurant & Bar — 1303 W. Esplanade Ave., Kenner, (504) 443-4040; stingraysseafoodrestaurant.com — Zydeco fish is stuffed with crabmeat dressing and topped with shrimp cream sauce. The menu also includes fried shrimp and oyster platters, grilled redfish, crabmeat jalapeños, and boudin egg rolls. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 934-3463; tableaufrenchquarter.com

The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, little neck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$

OUT TO EAT

The oyster pan roast with fried and poached oysters and Brie at Tableau, the restaurant from Dickie Brennan & Co. on Jackson Square in the French Quarter.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / NOLA.COM / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE

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. $$ Tavi — 330 N. New Hampshire St., (985) 200-2045; tavirestaurant.com — The menu combines dishes from the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. There’s hummus, falafel, kebabs, flatbreads, grilled fish, lamb burgers and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$

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 vegetable sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$

Vyoone’s — 412 Girod St., (504) 381-4384; vyoone.com — The French-Creole menu includes dishes like escargot, crawfish beignets, crab cakes, shrimp pasta, duck a l’orange and lamb chops. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun. $$$

Willa Jean — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 509-7334; willajean.com — The bakery and cafe serves biscuits with honey butter, cookies, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, shrimp and grits and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$

Yinzer’s Amazing Cheesesteaks — 1514 Delachaise St., (412) 860-6801; yinzersamazingcheesesteaks.com —There are classic and original cheesesteaks filled with steak, chicken and more. Diners can opt for toppings like provolone, house-made cheddar whiz, mushrooms, onions, banana peppers and more. Delivery available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Wed.-Sun. $

Budsi’sAuthenticT hai

Budsi’so ffersa uthenti cT hai cuisine with an emphasis on eclecti cregional specialties yo u won’tf in da nywhe re else in t he city.

DAILYH APPY HOUR FROM 2-6PM

7th grade seats

to schedule aprivate tour •Completeanapplication at slkfschool.com

Little Crusaders: Entering Pre-K4 Camp Crusader: Kindergarten -7th grade

Registration Deadline:May 11th ,2026

Register Online Or Email campcrusader@slkfschool.com slkfschool.com |504-833-8224 |1609Carrollton Ave. Metairie

• 401 art boxes in 5 GNO parishes

• 10 beautification gardens

• AND the first (1994) community vegetable garden, that is STILL thriving today! Each box costs $850 to create, and CVU uses the best Helm paint.

and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3. It continues May 7-10 and 14-17. Tickets $22-$47 at lepetittheatre.com.

Son Rompe Pera

MEXICO CITY’S SON ROMPE PERA ARE SELF-PROCLAIMED MONSTERS OF THE MARIMBA , and though their music is grounded in cumbia, they bring furious punk rock energy and sounds to the stage. New Orleans’ cumbia band Los Guiros opens at 9 p.m. Thursday, April 30. Tickets $38.78 via tipitinas.com.

Sam Tallent

COMEDIAN SAM TALLENT WROTE HIS 2020 NOVEL “RUNNING THE LIGHT” about an aging comic running a debauched tour of shabby venues in the Southwest. He’s since released the novel “Attaboy” and the comedy specials “Waiting for Death to Claim Us” and “The Toad’s Morale.” He’s in town for shows at 7 & 9 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at Sports Drink. Tickets $28.99 at sportsdrink.org.

Embarrassed by Night NOLA

EMBARRASSED BY NIGHT IS A TRAVELING COMEDY SHOW, AND FOR A WHILE A PODCAST, started by VietnameseAmerican comedians Fred Le and Andy Van. They’re joined for a local show by Rosie Tran and the lineup also includes Viet Nguyen, Mai Lg, Binh Ngo and Sean Porter. Tran splits time between New Orleans and Los Angeles. She’s developing a comedy series called Rosie Tran Presents, which highlights comedians who challenge stereotypes or bridge cultural barriers. The showcase is part of the New Voices, New Visions series of films about Vietnam. The comedy show is at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at St. Claude Arts Park, next to Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge, in Arabi. See @embarrassedbynight on Instagram for information.

Shorty Fest

TROY “TROMBONE SHORTY” ANDREWS THROWS HIS ANNUAL SHORTY FEST on Monday, April 27, at Tipitina’s. This year’s blowout includes sets by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Afro-Cuban funk artist Cimafunk & La Tribu. There also will be special guest performances by Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Big Freedia, Jelly Joseph and Widespread Panic’s JoJo Hermann, as well as student musicians from the Trombone Shorty Foundation. Along with the ticketed indoor concert, there’s also a free outdoor block party featuring brass

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

bands, Black Masking Indians, food trucks, a kids’ area and more. The block party starts at 5 p.m. The indoor show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $122.70 via tipitinas.com.

Progression Fest

VOCALIST SASHA MASAKOWSKI AND SOUND ENGINEER IAN PAINTER ORGANIZED the first Progression Music show more than a decade ago, and for a while musician Cliff Hines and promoter Kali Serna hosted regular Progression shows at Gasa Gasa to showcase boundary-pushing New Orleans musicians. Progression has evolved again into a one-night, forward-looking art rock fest featuring the reunion of Hines and Masakowski’s band Hildegard; a reunited Matron; Leyla George and her band; multi-instrumentalist Rex Gregory playing an electronic set; and Nick Benoit working some magic between Ableton and a Game Boy. Tra$h Magnolia (Masakowski) also will DJ during the night. Progression Fest is at 8 p.m. Monday, April 27, at Gasa Gasa. Tickets are $22.85 via gasagasanola.com.

Way Better Tour

KOREAN POP VOCALISTS AND PRO-

DUCERS Hello Gloom, from20 and Kang Yu Chan are quickly rising stars in their home country, and Hello Gloom and from20 have started the company Way Better as a platform to do new things in K-pop. The three solo artists are now on a North America tour and play New Orleans at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, at The Hangar. Tickets start at $38 general admission, and there are a couple of VIP packages and photo session add-ons. Find tickets and info at waybetterglobalwarming.com.

Cally Cole & The Cosmos

WHILE THE GROUP IS RELATIVELY NEW, CALLY COLE & THE COSMOS INCLUDES A ROSTER OF STANDOUT, experienced musicians from New Orleans’ singer-songwriter, indie rock and pop communities. Along with vocalist and guitarist Cally Cole, The Cosmos features violinist Molly Graham, bassist Jemila Dunham, guitarist and vocalist Kate Chopin and percussionist Rose Cangelosi. Together, they’re building a new, lush sound. Cally Cole & The Cosmos next play at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at Jimmy’s Music Club. Suzanimal and Barakat also will perform. Tickets are $25.50 advance and $31.31 the day of the show via jimmysmusicclubnola.com.

LU NCH 11AM-2PM 3C OURSE PRIX FIXE MENU ONLY DINNE R5 PM-9PM 3C OURSE PRIX FIXE MEN U &R EGUL A RD INNER M ENU

Mother’s Day Summer Camp

Spend quality time together and paint ready to glazepieces: Mugs, Vases, Keepsake Boxes,Plates, or Figurines

Hand-buildyour own creation from clay or and at APRIL 27 -M AY 1 &M AY 4-9@11AM

Camperswill learn more about theart and processwhile creating masterpieces:

Hand-Building PotteryWheel Acrylic Art CanvasPainting

MUSIC

FO R COM PL ETE MUSIC L ISTINGS AND MO R E EVENTS TAKING PL ACE IN THE NEW O RL EANS A R EA, VISIT CALENDAR.GAMBITWEEKLY.COM

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

MONDAY 27

30/90 — Dapper Dandies, 6 pm; Gumbo Funk, 9 pm

ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Betsy Propane & The Accessories, 7 pm

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

BACCHANAL Byron Asher, 6 pm

BAMBOULA’S New Orleans Rug Cutters, 12 pm; Jon Roniger Band & The Good for Nothin’ Band, 4:30 pm; Ted Hefko & The Thousandaires, 9 pm

BJ’S LOUNGE — Wits End Brass Band, 6 pm; “A Little Blues Show” with Sunpie Barnes, Jenn Howard, Johnny Mastro & More!, 9 pm

BLUE NILE — Kota Dosa, 9 pm; Street Legends Brass Band, 10 pm

BROADSIDE — Bayou RenDAZEvous, 2:30 pm

BUFFA’S David Doucet, 8 pm

CAFÉ NEGRIL — Mother Ruckus, 6 pm; Keep It Rolling Brass Band, 9:30 pm

CANOA La Ñapa Fest ft. The Ritmo Exchange Club + Charlie & The Tropicales, 7 pm

CARROLLTON STATION — Jef Fest, 10 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH — Melt, 8 pm; Benny & The Late Bloomers, 10:30 pm

COLUMNS HOTEL Porch Fest with David Blenkhorn & Jaime Woods, 7 pm

DBA — Brad Miller, Oteil Burbridge, Nicholas Payton, Adam Deitch & Friends, 10 pm

DOS JEFES John Fohl, 8:30 pm

EUCLID RECORDS The Desert Nudes, 6:30 pm

GASA GASA Sasha Masakowski Presents: PROGRESSION FEST, 8 pm

HOLY DIVER — The Bywater Crazy Cat Ladies Present: An Evening with Nellie McKay, 7 pm; DJ Reverend Robert Sinewave, 10 pm

HOUSE OF BLUES — WWOZ Piano Night, 6 pm

HOWLIN’ WOLF — The Sweet Lillies, 9 pm

JOY THEATER Silversun Pickups + Giant Waste of Man, 7:30 pm

LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ Mike Dillon, Kris Myers, Brian Haas, Chris Senac & Joe Marcinek, 10 pm

LOUISIANA MUSIC FACTORY — Factory Fest ft. Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, Free

Agents Brass Band, Dash Rip Rock & More!, 12 pm

MAPLE LEAF BAR — Erica Falls, 8 pm; George Porter Jr. with Michael Lemmler, Terrence Houston & Chris Adkins, 10 pm; Adam Deitch, Big Chief Donald Harrison & Will Blades, 1 am

NO DICE — J. Killen + Jonathan Henley + Ever More Nest, 9 pm

POORBOYS Gumbolaya, 9 pm

SATURN BAR BC Coogan, 8:30 pm

SIBERIA — Hero Mangus + Keaton Schiller + Noa Jamir + Judah Rue, 9 pm

SNUG HARBOR Charmaine Neville Band, 7:30 & 9:30 pm

SPOTTED CAT Jenavieve & The Winding Boys, 2 pm; Dominick Grillo & The Frenchmen Street All-Stars, 6 pm; Aurora Nealand, 9:30 pm

ST. ROCH TAVERN — Woods on Fire + Kiki Cavasos, 9 pm

TIPITINA’S — Shorty Fest, 8 pm

TUESDAY 28

30/90 — Kristabelle Y Los Koombeans, 6 pm; Neicy B & Kompani, 9 pm

APPLE BARREL Bubbles Brown, 6 pm; Jackson’s Flying Circus ft. Mike Doussan & Chris Roberts, 10:30 pm

BACCHANAL — Tangiers Combo, 6 pm

BAMBOULA’S F K-rrera Music Group, 12 pm; Giselle Anguizola Quartet, 4:30 pm; Caitie B. & The Hand Me Downs, 9 pm

BANKS STREET BAR — Manu Gomez Band, 8 pm

BJ’S LOUNGE Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, 6 pm; Tuba Skinny, 9 pm

BLUE NILE — Wil Blades, Herlin Riley, Will Bernard & Donald Harrison Jr. play the music of Dr. Lonnie Smith, 10 pm

BROADSIDE — Locals Tuesday ft. Gov’t Majik, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars & More!, 2:30 pm

BUFFA’S — Alex McMurray, 7 pm

CAFÉ NEGRIL — Harmonica Extravaganza, 6 pm; The-Super-MostFantastic-Blues-N-Such-Jam, 10 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH — Sansone, Fohl, and Osborne, 8 pm; Brian Stoltz with Samantha Fish, 10:30 pm

CIVIC THEATRE GoldFord + Madeline Edwards, 8 pm

COLUMNS HOTEL — Porch Fest Piano Grooves ft. Davell Crawford, Seth Finch, Joe Ashlar & More!, 7 pm

DBA — T Marie & Bayou Juju, 6 pm; Dead Funk Summit + Marc Stone’s All Star Fiasco, 9 pm

DOS JEFES Tom Hook, 8:30 pm

on Monday, April 27 at 8 p.m.

ELYSIAN BAR Elysian Sounds Presents: Dustan Louque, 7 pm

GASA GASA Jared Benjamin + Ryman Leon, 9 pm

HOLY DIVER — The Amazing Henrietta + Fat Kids + ART, 8 pm

HOTEL PETER & PAUL CHAPEL — Helen Gillet with Anna Laura Quinn, 8 pm

JAM NOLA — 2026 Fessy Awards, 7 pm

JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — The Sam Lobley Trio, 7:30 pm

JOY THEATRE — Grahame Lesh & Friends ft. Oteil Burbridge, Bill Payne, Daniel Donato & More!, 7:30 pm

LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Nir Felder with Alex Wasily, Sam Fribush, Brad Miller & Charles Haynes, 10 pm

LOUISIANA MUSIC FACTORY Factory Fest ft. River Eckert, Bonerama, Colossus Brass Band & More!, 12 pm

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM (MONROE HALL)

—Musical Theatre Showcase: Night Two, 7:30 pm

Erica Falls performs at the Maple Leaf Bar

PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD / THE ADVOCATE.

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NUNEMAKER

AUDITORIUM (MONROE HALL)

—Musical Theatre Showcase: Night One, 7:30 pm

THE MAISON — Jacky Blaire & The Hot Biscuits, 5 pm; Paradise Jazz Band, 8 pm

MAPLE LEAF BAR Very Good Tuesdays, 8 pm

NO DICE Skerik’s Annual Saucefest, 9 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE Punkadelic ft. Mike Dillon, Nikki Glaspie & Brian Haas, 7 pm; Rebirth Brass Band, 10 pm

ROCK 'N' BOWL Javier Olondo & AsheSon , 8 pm

SAENGER THEATRE CAKE, 9 pm

SALON SALON — Vincent Schmidt, 7 pm

SANTOS BAR — Funk’n’Soul Night: The Heeters, Suzanimal & Kota Dosa, 10 pm

SATURN BAR Sinkane, Money

Chicha, Gitkin & Carol C, 9 pm

SIBERIA Loose Cattle + Anders Parker + Chad Ray Turner, 8 pm

TIPITINA’S — Zildjian Jam, 3 pm; Dragon Smoke + Dat Mighty 9 ft. Big Chief Romeo, 9 pm

TOULOUSE THEATRE — Dogs in a Pile, 11 pm

VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE Cuttin’ Up with Lil Prince & The Youngbloods, 10 pm

WEDNESDAY 29

30/90 Antonia & The Scum Band, 6 pm; Kyle Sharamitaro, 9 pm

ALLWAYS LOUNGE Fest is a Cabaret ft. Suzanimal, Grand Prismatic, Christin Bradford & More!, 9 pm

BACCHANAL Jesse Morrow, 6 pm

BAMBOULA’S — Jacky Blaire & The Hot Biscuits, 12 pm; Swingin’ with John Saavedra, 4:30 pm; Jelly Roll Stompers, 9 pm

BANKS STREET BAR — Gregg Hill, 7 pm

THE BARNETT LOBBY — DJ Jess, 7 pm

BJ’S LOUNGE — The Iguanas, 7 pm; Lostines + Twisted Teens, 10 pm

BLUE NILE — Steven Bernstein’s FEST MOB, 10 pm; New Breed Brass Band, 12 am

BMC Maurice Cade & ESS, 6 pm; Willie’s Blues Extravaganza, 9 pm

BOTANICAL GARDEN AT CITY PARK

—Evenings with Enrique, 5 pm

BRATZ Y’ALL Gloria Turrini & Dean Zucchero, 5 pm

BROADSIDE Chazfest Goes Abroad, 12 pm; Money Chicha, 10 pm

MUSIC

BUFFA’S Craig Greenberg, 7 pm

CAFÈ ISTANBUL — NOLATET, 8 pm

CAFÉ NEGRIL Jam-ilton, 5 pm

CANOA La Ñapa Fest ft. Sunpie & The Louisiana Sunspots + Jefery Broussard & The Creole Cowboys, 7 pm

CARROLLTON STATION Jef Fest ft. Woodenhead, 6 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH Andrew Duhon, 8 pm; Sgt. Splendor ft. Eric McFadden & Kate Vargas with Charlie Wooton, Simon Lott & More!, 10:30 pm; Polyrhythmics, 1 am

CIVIC THEATRE

The Radiators, 10 pm

COLUMNS HOTEL Porch Fest with Matt Perrine & Jason Marsalis, 7 pm

COMMONS CLUB Leaux Fye Tribe, 6 pm

DBA Pat Casey Presents: Get It How

Ya’ Livin’, 10 pm; Roosevelt Collier Jimi Meets Funk, 2 am

DOS JEFES Jenna McSwain, 8:30 pm

EUCLID RECORDS Dash Rip Rock, 6:30 pm

GASA GASA Very Cherry, Phantom Volumes, New Thousand & More, 8 pm

HOUSE OF BLUES —

Purity Ring, 8 pm

HOWLIN’ WOLF — Or Shovaly Plus + MTDC: Music To Dance To ft. Joe Gelini & DJ Archivist, 8 pm

JAM NOLA — The Jelly Jam starring Jelly Joseph with Special Guests Big Freedia, Denisia, HaSizzle & More!, 8 pm

JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Chucky C & Friends, 7:30 pm

JOY THEATER — Grahame Lesh & Friends: Ivan Neville, Jake Brownstein & Cory Henry, 7:30 pm

LAFAYETTE SQUARE — WATS: Kermit Rufns & The BBQ Swingers + La Tran-K Band, 5 pm

LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ

John Michael Bradford ft. Dirty Thirty, 11 pm

LONGUE VUE HOUSE & GARDENS

Cast Iron Cactus, 5:30 pm

LOUISIANA MUSIC FACTORYFRENCHMEN STREET —Louisiana Music Factory's "Factory Fest 2026" Day 3, 5 pm

MAPLE LEAF BAR — Happy Organ

Hour with Joe Ashlar, Stanton Moore & Chris Adkins, 8 pm; Mike Dillon & Punkadelic, 11 pm

MARIGNY BRASSERIE —Legacy Jazz Band, 7 pm

MAYFIELD’S 208 BOURBON — Irvin

Mayfeld ft. Kermit Rufns, 6 pm

gambitpets Summer Issue

MRB — Lynn Drury, 7 pm

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & BLUES

MARKET — Trumpet Mafa, 8 pm

NEW ORLEANS PHARMACY MUSEUM

Sally Baby's Three Silver Opera LIVE at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, 7 pm

NO DICE DJ Santo Niño de Atocha, 9 pm

SAENGER THEATRE CAKE, 9 pm

SANTOS BAR — Chambre Noir with Paco, 10 pm

SATURN BAR Surf Rock Night with DJ Schwaminator, 5 pm; Progression Presents: VOZ ft. Daniel Villarreal, Klyph & Basher, 9 pm

SIBERIA — Agriculture + Slowhole + Panama Papers, 8 pm

SPOTTED CAT Chris Christy Band, 2 pm; Shotgun Jazz Band, 6 pm; Marty Peters & The Party Meters, 9:30 pm

ST. ROCH TAVERN Rose Vaughn + The Helots, 9 pm

THREE MUSES — Crybabies, 5 pm; Tyler Thomson, 8 pm

TIPITINA’S — The Daze Between Band, 10 pm

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

THURSDAY 30

30/90 St. Julien X, 6 pm; Soulcial Club, 9 pm

APPLE BARREL — Bubbles Brown, 6 pm; Johnny Mastro & Blue Midnight, 10:30 pm

BACCHANAL — Raphael Bas, 6 pm

BAMABOULA’S JJ & The A-Ok’s, 12 pm; Cristina Kaminis & The Mix, 4:30 pm; Pennsylvania Wolfe Johns Wolfe Pack, 9 pm

BANKS STREET BAR Hash Cabbage, 9 pm

BAR REDUX Leopard Hounds, 9 pm

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

BLUE NILE — Flow Tribe, 10:30 pm; Xavier Lynn, 11:45 pm

BROADSIDE Bon Bon Vivant + Tracorum, 8 pm

BUFFA’S — Tom McDermott & Aurora Nealand, 7 pm

CAFÉ ISTANBUL — Wil Blades & Friends ft. Donald Harrison Jr., Otis McDonald & Bill Summers, 9 pm

CAFÉ NEGRIL — Armani Smith & Soul Ties, 10 pm

CARROLLTON STATION Jef Fest ft. Grayson Capps, 8 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, 8 pm; Deadtronica, 10:30 pm; Magoo, 11:45 pm

CIVIC THEATRE — Daniel Donato’s Cosmic NOLA, 10 pm

COLUMNS HOTEL — Porch Fest with Victor Campbell & Alicia Ynez, 7 pm

DBA — Pete Murano, 10 pm; Midnight Funk Service, 2 am

DOS JEFES — The Mark Coleman Band, 8:30 pm

THE FILLMORE — Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe + La Lom, 9 pm

GASA GASA — Coma Cinema + Trace Mountains + Skirts, 9 pm

HOLY DIVER — Don Wayne & The Banana Creems, 9 pm

HOUSE OF BLUES — Tifany Pollack, 5:30 pm

HOWLIN’ WOLF — Marvelous Funkshun with John Gros, Joe Marcinek, Rebekah Todd & More!, 9 pm; The Motet Plays Jamiroquai, 2 am

JAZZ PLAYHOUSE Brass-AHolics, 7:30 pm

JIMMY'S MUSIC CLUB —Fest After Fest , 7:30 pm

JOY THEATER — Lettuce: Rage!Fest, 10 pm

LE BON TEMPS ROULE — The Soul Rebels, 11 pm

THE MAISON — The Champagniacs, 4:30 pm; Single Malt Please, 8:30 pm

MAPLE LEAF BAR — Kyle Roussel, 6 pm; Roland Guerin, 8 pm; Johnny Vidacovich + Sonny Landreth + Cory Duplesis, 10 pm; Col Bruce Celebration, 1 am

MUSIC BOX VILLAGE — Well Kept

Secret presents: Kristin Diable, Loose Cattle, Andrew Duhon Quartet, 7 pm

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & BLUES

MARKET Sue Foley, 7:30 pm

NOLA BREWING & PIZZA CO FishHead Dead, 7:30 pm

NO DICE — Brucey + Jumprope + Kelly Duplex, 10 pm

OKAY BAR — Fox Robinson & The Saving Throws + The Scrappy Rat Picnic + Kristabelle + Daniel Louis & The Locomotive, 8 pm

ORPHEUM THEATER Warren

Haynes & The LPO, 8:30 pm

PEACOCK ROOM, HOTEL FONTENOT

—Da Lovebirds with Robin Barnes and Pat Casey , 7 pm

ROCK 'N' BOWL —Terrance Simien plus Geno Delafose, 8 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE — Natasha Diggs ft. Alex Wasily, Brad Walker & John Michael Bradford, 10 pm

REPUBLIC NOLA — Dead Feat: Anders Osborne, Fred Tackett & Kenny Gradney, 10 pm

SAENGER THEATRE Wilco, 9 pm

SALON SALON — Salon Salon, 7 pm

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

SATURN BAR Louis Michot & Swamp Magic, 9 pm

SIBERIA Eric Lindell, 9 pm

SNUG HARBOR — Thais Clark with the Young Bucks Orchestra, 8 pm; Trumpet Mafa, 10 pm

SPOTTED CAT — Chris Christy Band, 2 pm; Jenavieve & The Winding Boys, 6 pm; Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band, 10 pm

TIPITINA’S Son Rompe Pera, 9 pm; The Iceman Special, 2 am

TOULOUSE THEATRE Stanton Moore & Friends, 9 pm; Cory Henry + MonoNeon, 2 am

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

ZEITGEIST THEATRE —Scatterjazz 50th Bday Gig! (feat. Bernstein, Gillet, Haas, Dillon & Singleton), 8 pm

FRIDAY 1

30/90 — Personal Space, 2 pm; Decaturadio, 5 pm; Half Shell Boogies, 8 pm; Night To Forget, 11 pm

BACCHANAL David Sigler, 1 pm; Willie Green III, 7 pm

BANKS STREET BAR Hotel Burgundy + My Beloved, 8 pm

BAR REDUX — T Marie Duo, 9 pm

BJ’S LOUNGE Joel Savoy’s Cajun Merry Go Round, 9 pm

BLUE NILE Kermit Rufns & The BBQ Swingers, 10:30 pm; lespecial with Special Guest Mike Dillon, 1 am

BROADSIDE — 24th Annual Bayou Rendezvous, 6:30 pm

BUFFA’S Cole Williams, 8 pm

CAFÉ ISTANBUL — Melvin Seals & JGB with Donald Harrison Jr., 9:30 pm

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

CARROLLTON STATION — Jef Fest ft.

The Desert Nudes + Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Revue, 8 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH Dan Penn + Spooner Oldham, 8 pm; Ravi Coltrane, 10:30 pm; Papa Mali’s Shantytown Underground, 1 am

THE CRYPT —NOPE presents: New Orleans Proletarian Disco, 9 pm

DBA Rusty Metoyer & The Zydeco Krush, 6 pm; Robin Barnes, 10 pm; Rosie’s d.b.a. Getdown, 2 am

DOS JEFES — The Dale Spalding Band, 8:30 pm

THE DRAGON’S DEN — $5 Zydeco Fridays with line dancing and Yung Dex Brass Band, 6 pm

THE FILLMORE Samantha Fish & Tab Benoit, 9 pm

GOOD MEASURE — Erica Falls, 9 pm

HOUSE OF BLUES —Robert Cray Band, 8 pm

JOY THEATER — The Heavyweights, 9 pm

LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Bakey’s Brew, 10 pm; Billy Iuso, 12 am

MAPLE LEAF BAR — S Funk Monkey ft. Arséne DeLay, 8 pm; The New Orleans Soul Stars ft. Tony Hall: James Brown Tribute, 10 pm; Gator Blaq, 1 am

MARIGNY OPERA HOUSE — Maggie Koerner & Friends ft. Claire Givens & Mopodna, Lyla George, and Olivia Barnes, 7:30 pm

MUSIC BOX VILLAGE — George Porter Jr. & His Runnin’ Pardners, 8 pm

MARIGNY OPERA HOUSE — Maggie Koerner & Friends LIVE at MOH, 7:30 pm

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & BLUES

MARKET —Scott Sharrard’s Endless Road Live, 8 pm

NO DICE — Zahria Sims + Autumn Dominguez, 9:30 pm

NOLA BREWING & PIZZA CO —

Life Is A Carnival - A Tribute to the Music of the Band performed by HollyRock, 8 pm

ORPHEUM THEATRE — Gov’t Mule, 9 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE — Lost Bayou Ramblers, 7 pm; Felix Martin: Hot Chip DJ Set with HOLLAGRAM & DJ87, 11 pm

REPUBLIC NEW ORLEANS — Earth Wind & Power, 10 pm

SAENGER THEATRE — Wilco, 9 pm

SANTOS BAR — Resurrection Goth Night, 10 pm

SATURN BAR — Una Noche de Musica Latina with La Tran K, 10 pm

SIBERIA — Rotary Downs, 9 pm

SNUG HARBOR — Jason Marsalis’ Tribute to Ellis Marsalis, 8 pm; 10 pm

STORYVILLE MUSIC HALL —Last Night at the Rue Bayou, 7:30 pm

TIPITINA’S — Galactic ft. Jelly Joseph + Gitkin, 9 pm; Neal Francis, 2 am

VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE Tuba Skinny + New Orleans Jazz Vipers, 8 pm

SATURDAY 2

30/90 — Anne Elise & The Swamp Circus, 2 pm, KreweDeBauchery, 5 pm; Sporty’s Brass Band, 8 pm; Deltaphonic, 11 pm

ALLWAYS LOUNGE Harlot’s Hush ft. The Slick Skillet Serenaders + Burlesque, 10:30 pm

APPLE BARREL —The Smoky Greenwell Blues Band, 10:30 pm

BACCHANAL Miles Berry, 1 pm; Pete Olynciw, 7 pm

BAMBOULA’S — Johnny Mastro Blues, 6:30 pm

BANKS STREET BAR Strange Roux + Whisper Party!, 9 pm

BJ’S LOUNGE Shitty Stones + CC Adcock & The Lafayette Marquis, 9 pm

BLUE NILE Big Sam’s Funky Nation, 10:30 pm; MonoNeon, 1 am

BROADSIDE Honey Island Swamp Band, 9 pm

BUFFA’S — Asylum Chorus, 8 pm

CAFÉ ISTANBUL Melvin Seals & JGB + Robert Randolph, 9 pm; Pimps of Joytime, 1:30 am

CARROLLTON STATION — Jef Fest ft. Mia Borders, 8 pm; Pocket Chocolate, 11 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH Terence Blanchard, 8 pm; Durand Jones, 10:30 pm; Sqwerv, 1 am

CIVIC THEATER — Anders Osborne’s NOLA Birthday Bash, 9 pm

COLUMNS HOTEL — Porch Fest with Peter Varnado & DJ Khris Royal, 7 pm

DBA — Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters, 10 pm

DEW DROP INN The Sugarhill Gang, 8 pm

DOS JEFES Sunpie & The Louisiana Sunspots, 9:30 pm

THE FILLMORE Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, 9 pm

GASA GASA — Eric Lindell, 9 pm; Skerik’s Compersion Quartet, 1:30 am

GOOD MEASURE — SOUL Brass Band, 9 pm

HOUSE OF BLUES — Gramatik, 9 pm

JOY THEATER Tank & The Bangas + Big Freedia + Dawn Richard, 10 pm

LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Slugger, 10 pm; Steve Kelly, 12 am

MAPLE LEAF BAR — Eric Johanson, 8 pm; Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, 10 pm; King Baby ft. Kevin Scott & Special Guests, 1 am

MUSIC BOX VILLAGE — Helen Gillet with Terrence Houston, Aurora Nealand’s Monocle & More!, 8 pm

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & BLUES

MARKET —Kenny Garrett, 9:30 pm

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & BLUES

MARKET —Kenny Garrett, 7 pm

NOLA BREWING & PIZZA CO — Zack Feinberg with Isaac Eady and George Gekas, 8:30 pm

ORPHEUM THEATER The Marcus King Band, 9 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE The Soul Rebels, 8 pm; DJ Logic & Friends, 10 pm

SAENGER THEATRE The Meters, 8 pm

SATURN BAR — Valparaiso Men’s Chorus, 10 pm

MUSIC

SNUG HARBOR — Karen Shiraishi Duo, 4:30 pm; Herlin Riley Quartet, 8 & 10 pm

STORYVILLE MUSIC HALL —Last Night at the Rue Bayou, 8 pm

TIPITINA’S Neal Francis + The Breaks, 9 pm; FiyaPowa!, 2 am

TOULOUSE THEATRE T J & The Causeways Alligator Rock, 9 pm; Katrina Rykman, 2 am

SUNDAY 3

30/90 — Brass Queens NYC, 6 pm; Single Malt Please, 9 pm

ALLWAYS LOUNGE Sunday Swing with Slick Skillet Serenaders, 8 pm

BACCHANAL Tomas Majcherski, 1 pm; Byron Asher, 7 pm

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

BLUE NILE Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet, 10:30 pm

BROADSIDE The Stanton Moore Trio, 9 pm

BUFFA’S — Charlie Wooton, 7 pm

CAFÉ ISTANBUL Garaj Mahal, 9 pm; Fareed Haque Trio, 12 am

CARROLLTON STATION — Jef Fest ft. The Last Waltz Tribute Show, 8 pm

CHICKIE WAH WAH Eric Lindell, 8 pm; Papa Mali’s Birthday Bash, 10:30 pm

COLUMNS HOTEL Porch Fest with the John “Papa” Gros Trio, 7 pm

EUCLID RECORDS — The Luxurious Faux Furs + Rubber Chicken, 6:30 pm

THE FILLMORE — Ari Lennox + Lekan + Phabo, 9 pm

GASA GASA ÌFÉ with TBA 95MP, 9 pm

HOWLIN’ WOLF — Hot 8 Brass Band, 10:30 pm

MAPLE LEAF BAR Monsters, 8 pm; J & The Causeways, 10 pm; The Rumble, 1 am

OKAY BAR Mira Lazuli + Lily + Ashley Virginia + Atom Cat, 8 pm

SATURN BAR — Tephra Sound, 7 pm; Gov’t Majik, 10 pm

STORYVILLE MUSIC HALL —Last Night at the Rue Bayou, 7 pm

STORYVILLE MUSIC HALL Last Night at the Rue Bayou, 2 pm

TIPITINA’S — Dumpstaphunk + New Breed Brass Band, 9 pm

Dining Issue Summer

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GOING OUT

Pro tips

by Will Coviello

FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, COMEDIAN KAYTLIN BAILEY WAS A REGULAR at New York comedy spots like The Stand, The Creek and the Cave and New York Comedy Club, where she hung out with Kurt Metzger, Doug Stanhope and others.

She also had a couple of stints doing sex work, including some “sugaring,” she says.

“It’s a new term for a very old thing,” Bailey says. “It’s having a patron, being paid by month instead of being paid by the hour.”

How did she like the clients?

“I was asked to put up with more shit as a barista,” she says.

Bailey still spends a lot of time onstage, and currently, she’s touring her show “The Oldest Profession,” a blend of comedy, sex worker history and personal perspective. It runs May 1-2 in New Orleans at The Actor’s Apothecary.

The show includes a “mad-dash through sex worker history,” from the first exchanges of goods for sex to the current fixation on criminalization.

It’s been a calling for Bailey, who didn’t leave comedy so much as comedy clubs.

“I was a full-time touring standup comedian for 16 years,” she says. “In 2018, Donald Trump signed FOSTA-SESTA into law. It stands for Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act-Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act. Amy Schumer was a big supporter. It was sold to America as an anti-trafficking bill. But that’s not what it did.

“Instead it held platforms liable for what their users were posting when it had something to do with sex trafficking, which was conflated with adult consensual sex work and sexual content. Overnight all of these platforms that sex workers had used to schedule and screen their clients, do background checks and exchange information with each other disappeared. That did the opposite of making the industry safer.

“It was like an existential freedom of speech issue. I was appalled when my peers in comedy did not recognize this threat. I was already out as a sex worker. I was like, ‘I have to explain this.’”

Bailey now advocates for sex workers’ rights and runs “The Oldest Profession” podcast, which explores sex worker history and famous figures in the movement. The “old pros” include women like Lou Graham, the Seattle brothel owner who became an unofficial banker and funded all sorts of city advancements.

In the show, Bailey talks about her experiences and her family, and while sex workers like it, it’s not specifically aimed at them.

“I wanted to make a show that sex workers could bring their mom to,” she says. “Sex workers can bring the boomer adults in their life, and they’re not gonna be turned off or yelled at.”

Bailey is an advocate for decriminalization, not legalization, which she says benefits brothel owners, not sex workers. She notes that prohibition often leads to dismal results, and even legalization creates underground or black markets as well.

In her dive into history, she likes to point out how sex workers often can be found on the forefront of technological, social, artistic and communications innovations. Recently, that’s included AI, though it’s a mixed bag of results.

“Technological change in sex work is always a complicated story,” she says. “Sex workers are always early adopters. Sex workers have been using chatbots to scale their OnlyFans interactions for years now.”

But AI opened other doors as well.

“It used to be you could make money showing your tits on the internet,”

Bailey says. “Now, someone can take a picture of you without your knowledge and create fake tits of you and make money while you get flagged as a sex worker. It’s a terrible system.”

Tickets are $25 via theoldestprofession.org.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY SRIYA SARKAR

PREMIER CROSSWORD PUZZLE

FACE TIME: A MINI-THEME

By Frank A. Longo

1 Shoes lacking heels

6 Filling to excess

15 Wood used in closets

20 Peter of “Casablanca”

21 Trapped where walls meet

22 Greek salad morsel

23 “The sight of it astonished me!”

26 Coconut and date sources

27 Go back to a previous religion, say

28 Very vile sorts 29 Lhasa’s land 33 Mrs. -- cow

“That hurts!,” to a tot

Talks with a twang 58 “... we’ll -- a cup o’ kindness ...”: Robert

60

German “the”

Pre-CIA org.

NE W TO MARKE T

19 Relaxes 24 Sketched 25 Jell-O form

30 Beseeching 31 Swampy inlet

for a future

All bark --

Units of wt. 71 “Gandhi” star Ben 74 Gun, in slang 75 Openings after pricking

77 Top-quality vinaigrette ingredient, for short

To the degree that

Fit for the stage

Fleece of an Andes / animal

Existing meagerly with no money

Latin “that is”

Feel for someone

Patriot Ethan

Birds’ refuges

Resident of Manhattan’s Ansonia, e.g.

“That’s a lie!”

Freaks (out)

Regional

Play -- (be in the cast)

Period of Harry’s presidency

Fizzy water

Trig ratios

Cost of cards

Typewriter or word processor setting

32 Singer of the 1982 hit “Electric Avenue”

35 American hero Hale

36 Bionic person

38 Replenished, as inventory

39 Unemotional

40 Glances at quickly, as a sleeping child 41 Workers at crisis call services

42 Precedence in rank 44 Kind of bill with Jefferson’s portrait 45 “The Social Network” star Jesse

Female prophets

Letter-shaped ornamental motif on furniture

Holds back

French military hats 55 Costa -56 Angel topper

57 Slim, graceful girl

64 BlackBerry, e.g., in brief

72 News blog about the Big Apple

73 Modern “carpe diem,” in brief

75 Talk to God

76 Aria, e.g.

79 Maritime missions, for short

80 Spider, e.g.

83 Wandering knights

85 Some NFL blockers: Abbr.

86 Hosp. areas

87 Mop & --

88 Justine or Jason of TV

90 Biker’s bike, informally

92 Cave effect

93 Super-tired

94 Skid or skate

95 #1 picks, informally

96 “Never --” (Frank Sinatra film)

98 Fall flower

99 British maestro Adrian

100 Guitars’ ancestors

101 Prefix with musicology

103 “It’s either you --!”

105 Timber tool

107 Gym pad

108 Altitudes: Abbr.

109 Sushi tuna

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