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Thisain’tyourmomma’s rap

hustleanymore By Malcolm Ferrouillet | JRNola

NEW ORLEANSRAPPER $LEAZYEZ

recently made a TikTok of herself bouncing and twirling around in the woods in a fuchsia hoodie, backed by a new track they wrote and produced. She then tweeted it out with the caption, “Don’t mind me, just teasing new music to see how y’all feel.”

It didn’t take long before her fans, known as Sleazebags, responded. They wanted the song, “Miles Away,” released immediately.

With lyrics like “U been lookin’ for love but you can’t get past the red flag,” the song resonated with fans, racking up hundreds of likes and positive comments on her social media accounts.

That affirmed something $leazy, 27, has known since she started posting to social media at 16 — she doesn’t have to follow the “traditional way” of producing and promoting music.

Aspiring musicians used to cut a single and then stalk radio and club DJs and other influential musicians in the hopes of convincing them to give it air play. In the ’90s as mixtapes became popular, MCs brought bags of CDs to hip-hop shows and parties to hand out, or they’d sell them out the trunk of their car.

But social media has done away with much of that, giving artists the ability to reach people instantly wherever they are.

“It’s been a great way to cut out the middleman,” $leazy says.

This isn’t true just for established artists like $leazy maintaining a fanbase. Social media is also giving fledgling artists the confidence and power to launch their careers from scratch. Aiden Derby and Katherine Yeaton, the duo behind indie band Trainyard, have found that Instagram has given them and their friends the power to share their music.

“We began to promote on our official Instagram page, and then moved those posts to our personal pages so that our friends could see them,” Yeaton says of their account, which has around 150 followers so far. That following has translated into more than 1,000 plays on their debut single “Stupid Song.”

“Our friends began reposting, and before we knew it, we were seeing high numbers of people resharing our music,” Yeaton says.

“It was really crazy to see the amount of support and number of shares we received,” Derby says of the hundreds of people that put their own video forward. “It was totally unexpected, but also a blessing.”

Social media not only gives musicians a way to reach current and potential fans, but it also gives fans a way to communicate with musicians.

“I usually create content that requires viewers to engage with the video on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram,” Derby says.

Similarly, rapper Kevin E. Price Jr., aka “Lesgokev,” makes it a priority for his fans to feel like they’re a part of his musical process. Price says a key way to do that is by promoting music through videos on TikTok and sharing it to Instagram, where he can make polls and ask fans when they want him to release new songs.

“When I post snippets and ask when I should drop music, my fans have something to look forward to listening to and possibly share on their social media pages,” Price says.

Posting on social media can also help local artists gain confidence.

New Orleans rapper Alfred Banks says social media has helped him become more comfortable with the music he makes. It’s also been a way for him to diversify his music and content, since there are different fan bases on each social media platform.

Banks also says the internet can give local artists like him a degree of autonomy over their careers.

“I made music that I want to make, and I want to find people that match [with] that kind of music,” he says. “Social media has leveled the playing field, so I don’t have to conform in any way that I don’t see fit.”

PROVIDED PHOTO BY CARLOS SANCHEZ / CARLOS SANCHEZ.IMG New Orleansrapperand producer $leazyEZ.

LuckyThirteen

by Jake Clapp

TUBASKINNYHASBEENTOGETHERFOR

MORE THAN A DOZENYEARS, playing for ever-growing audiences on French Quarter streets and in venues both locally and on the road. And in that time, the band has kept a steady clip of releasing an album roughly every year.

A few original tunes have shown up on those releases, mixed in between their interpretations of traditional jazz, ragtime and string band songs. But it’s taken 13 years for the band to release a fully original album — Tuba Skinny just couldn’t write fast enough.

“The whole thing that was holding us back from finishing an original album is we didn’t have enough original material that had diverse enough of tempo,” says Robin Rapuzzi, Tuba Skinny’s percussionist and washboard player. “You want to make sure it’s diverse, like there are slow songs, mid-tempo songs and fast songs. And most of our original music for some reason has been slow and pretty. We don’t necessarily have any of that classic hot jazz sound in our originals.”

In recent years, though, things have finally aligned for the band as members slowly put together a roster of originals, culminating in the album “Magnolia Stroll,” released earlier this month. The 15-track album features compositions by cornetist Shaye Cohn, trombonist Barnabus Jones, guitarist Max Bien-Kahn, clarinetist Craig Flory, Rapuzzi and drummer Erika Lewis, who also sings on the song, “Six Feet Down.”

“Magnolia Stroll” follows Tuba Skinny’s 2019 album “Some KindA-Shake,” their B-sides compilation “Quarantine Album” in 2020, last year’s three-song “Mardi Gras EP” and “Let’s Get Happy Together,” a full-length collaboration with singer Maria Muldaur.

For past records, Tuba Skinny usually booked three days in a studio with New Orleans musician and sound engineer Ross Farbe. But this time, the band spread out the recording sessions across 2021, choosing to book a few weekends at The Tigermen Den in Bywater and take their time and relax while playing together, Rapuzzi says.

“Because Covid was still really high at the time, we recorded in The Tigermen Den but with the doors and windows open just to keep the air flow safe,” Rapuzzi says. “There were people walking around the neighborhood going to that Petite Clouet Cafe across the street, and they’d stop and listen and applaud after we’d finished recording a song. Sometimes they’d even leave a tip in the doorway. Shaye wrote on a sandwich board sign ‘Please, if you could be quiet, we’re recording.’ Nonetheless, I think some applause did get on the record.”

Tuba Skinny is an exciting live band — dancers naturally show up at their street performances — so it makes sense “Magnolia Stroll” was recorded live.

“We really respect playing live and improvising live, with some basic direction by Shaye. But playing live and improvisation is kind of like the heart of the music we play and that’s how we interpret [it]. Traditional jazz at its best is played live, and it’s social and there’s dancing,” Rapuzzi says.

After performances at the French Quarter Festival and Jazz Fest and an album-release show at The Tigermen Den, Tuba Skinny hit the road for a May tour, playing venues in Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. And this summer, the band will be traveling overseas to play jazz festivals in Turkey, Austria and France as well as the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island. Still, the band has dates at d.b.a. and Maison in June — and you most likely will stumble upon them playing a street somewhere in between. “Magnolia Stroll” can be found at tubaskinny.bandcamp.com, and more about the band can be found at tubaskinny.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY NOE CUGNY New Orleans’TubaSkinny recently released‘Magnolia Stroll,’the band’s firstalbum oforiginals.

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Food Fight

THE NEWCULINARYEVENT FROM THE

ORGANIZER OF TOPTACO features food from 40 local restaurants, from Bywater Brew Pub to Emeril’s, Tava and Zhang Bistro. Restaurants will compete for awards for top traditional and creative dishes and cocktails. There’s entertainment from James Andrews, Honey Island Swamp Band and burlesque dancer Trixie Minx. The event starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 26, at Crescent Park. Tickets range from $75 for general admission to $125 for VIP. Find information and tickets on foodfightnola.com.

Son Lux

ASSON LUX, MUSICIANS RYAN LOTT,

RAFIQ BHATIA ANDIAN CHANG lean into musical experimentation but not at the risk of alienating the listener. The trio finds the rhythm and melody and bends the experience to interesting effect, often incorporating synth-rock and post-rock elements for grand songwriting. Son Lux in 2020 and 2021 released a trio of albums, “Tomorrows,” and have recently earned acclaim for their score to the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Kiah Victoria and Black Taffy also perform at 9 p.m. Friday, May 27, at Gasa Gasa. Tickets are $25 at ticketweb.com.

La Fete Creole

OPERACREOLECELEBRATES BLACK

COMPOSERS ANDMUSIC in a three-day festival at Marigny Opera House. There’s a tribute to New Orleans’ Edmond Dede, the first Black composer of operas, at 7 p.m. Friday, May 27. Opera star Mary Elizabeth Williams performs at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 28. The series opens with Creole folk songs and African drumming with Luther Gray on Thursday, May 26. Visit marignyoperahouse.org for details.

Fundraiser for Ukrainian War Refugees

MESCHIYALAKEAND THELITTLEBIG HORNS, LEYLAMCCALLA, MUEVELOAND

HONEYISLANDSWAMP BAND perform at a benefit for resettlement of Ukrainian refugees. All funds go to the local organization KRYLA and Ukraine-based Community Self Help to assist war refugees and a shelter in the city of Lviv. The benefit is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, at Tipitina’s. Tickets $30 at tipitinas.com. Find information about KRYLA at kryla.org.

Shane Torres, Tom Thakkar and Tommy McNamara

defending celebrity chef Guy Fieri. He tops a triple stand-up bill at The Broad Theater at 9 p.m. Thursday, May 26. Tickets $15 at itsgoodcomedy.com.

avner

NASHVILLE-BASEDVOCALISTADAM

BURCHISFEATURED on local outfit avner’s debut EP, “just my luck,” a collection of mellow indie soul tracks. The band celebrates its release with a show also featuring Fruta Brutal and Clementine Collective. At 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, at Gasa Gasa. Tickets $15 via ticketweb.com.

Three Wishes for Ukraine

LOUISIANAPHILHARMONICORCHESTRA VIOLINISTBENJAMINTHACHERAND

CELLIST DANIEL LELCHUK are joined by pianist Faina Lushtak and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra’s Lin He to perform Skoryk’s “Melody” and Ukrainian solos and duets in a benefit for families of local Ukrainian musicians. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, at The Capital on Baronne at 210 Baronne St.

Green Gasoline

NEW ORLEANSROCKBANDGREEN

GASOLINEFINDS INSPIRATION in ’70s and ’80s hard rock and heavy metal along with punk and a little bit of funk for high-octane originals. The band plays with Drab and She Might be a Beast at 10 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at One Eyed Jacks. Tickets are $10 at oneeyedjacks.net.

Cumbia Calling Dance Party

IFYOU WERE TO CUMBIA WITH A HEALTHY DOSE OF LYSERGICACID

DIETHYLAMIDE, some reggae riddim energy and the coolness of super spy lounge in the early 1970s, you’d have a pretty close approximation to psychotropical Cumbia. If you don’t believe us, see for yourself when DJ Malaria Sound Machine is behind the decks for the free Cumbia Calling Dance Party. At 10 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at Bar Redux.

‘Porcupine’

SIGMUND FREUDAND CARL JUNG HAVEINTRODUCEDPSYCHOANAL-

YSIS and opened a whole new world in this immersive theater piece set in 1909. The action takes place in the rooms and gardens of the Victorian-esque Bywater Wonderland. On opening week, showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 26, through Sunday, May 29, and it also runs June 1-5. Tickets $20-$35 via porcupine-nola.com.