NOLADIY.ORG - New Orleans Punk, Hardcore, Indie, and DIY Events

La Luz | JayWood
Wednesday, June 7. Gasa Gasa. 9PM. $20.
LL = Surfy, jangly female post-garage rock trio w/ breezy dream pop vocals, from L.A. via Seattle. Celebrating a decade since their near-fatal van wreck. One of their LPs was produced by Ty Segall, another by the Black Keys‘ Dan Auerbach. On Hardly Art Records. RIYL: Slant 6, The Surfrajettes. JW = Winnipeg ‘80s-tastic mid-fi bedroom jangle / synth pop. This is hecka cheaper than these two artists’ marquee $35-55 Lafayette concert the following day.

Prison Affair | Sick Thoughts | Buck Biloxi And The Fucks
Wednesday, June 7. Siberia. 9PM. $15.
“From Barcelona, Spain comes Prison Affair, bringing that 8 bit punk sound we all need. Joined by some local heavy hitters, so come correct!” Lo-fi NOLA garage punx ST offer bitter, generally sub-2-minute blasts. Lo-fi NOLA garage rockers BBATF’s songs often rival those of G.G. Allin & Anal Cunt for outrageous offensiveness.

La Luz
Thursday, June 8. Acadiana Center For The Arts (Lafayette). 7:30PM. $35-55.
Surfy, jangly female post-garage rock trio w/ breezy dream pop vocals, from L.A. via Seattle. Celebrating a decade since their near-fatal van wreck. One of their LPs was produced by Ty Segall, another by Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys). On Hardly Art Records. No opening act mentioned as of early March; call venue.

DJ Scythe
Thursday, June 8. Bar Redux. 9PM. FREE.
Gargoyle night on the patio. “DJ Scythe takes over Bar Redux for an evening of Dark Atmospheres, Projections, & Reverberations.” With “Nocturne Tables, a Dark Inspired Night Market.”

Michael Armstead | Paris Avenue | The Last Words Of John Wiese | Madi Swan | Solemn Seed
Thursday, June 8. Chelsea’s Live (1010 Nicholson, Baton Rouge). 7PM. $10.
The Stew: A Local Music Showcase. “Join us to hear everything from the gifted lyricism and flow of Michael Armstead to the modern pop punk anthems of Paris Avenue!” TLWOJW is unpredictable Pere Ubu-influenced proto-punk. SS is lo-fi jangle rock w/ a dreamy, liquid-y guitar tone. Presented by Harmonic Stew. facebook.com/events/124801433902233

Brungo Jowl | Primpce | LOTAGRFD
Thursday, June 8. Siberia. 8PM. $5.
“Primpce, Brungo Jowl and LOTAGRFD join forces to bring the weird syncopation into this realm. Let's get strange!”

Dreameater | Satalights | Code Black
Thursday, June 8. The Goat (1301 St. Bernard Avenue). 9PM. $10.
D = Austin sleazy, avant-garde rap rock. S = Austin yelpy post-emo. CB = Nashville misanthropic hip hop. Flyer: facebook.com/events/648889069936961

Woorms | Brethren Hogg
Thursday, June 8. The Marsh Room (4740 Rye Street in Metairie).
W = Baton Rouge sludge metal / “post-apocalyptic psychedelia” for the Melvins / Crowbar / Clutch connoisseur. They frustratingly veer from highbrow (the Neurosis-esque “Beauty Is A Trick Of Light And Sorrow”) to lowbrow (“Urine Trouble Now”), the latter type of song earning them the Melvins comparisons. BH = Very similar, but more serious & from NOLA. Academy Sports right up Veterans is open late & offers an array of hearing protection in the firearm department.

Big Shot Boogie & Buz | Grievings | Father Rust | Buffalo Lockjaw | Tidus | Mangata
Friday, June 9. .
Litigation Situation Benefit Show (night 2 of 4): This fundraiser takes place on 4 consecutive nights, of which this is the heaviest, feat.: blues / stoner rock (BSB&B), Lafayette “chaotic hardcore” bordering on death metal (G), Lafayette sludge / post-metal / doom (FR), allegedly ska (BL), B.R. post-hardcore / emocore (T), Lafayette “prog-pop experimentalists” (M). Flyer: facebook.com/100063705437905/photos/777709647695876 #SaveTheBoose

LCD Soundsystem | Jamie xx | IDLES | Big Freedia | “and more”
Friday, June 9. City Park Festival Grounds. 4PM. $99.50 (general) - $275 (VIP) (advance).
Re:SET Concert Series (Day 1 of 3): You know banger-makers LCDS & Big Freedia, who toured together in 2k17. Jamie xx is the gangly guy from whispery smoove R&B baby-makin’-music-makers The xx. IDLES are yelly grunge-noise-punk à la the Jesus Lizard, Mcluskey, & Dub Sex who somehow made it onto the Jimmy Fallon Show in Jan. They covered Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” at most gigs on their tour last November. Yes, November. After several months, the roving fest’s website still hasn’t elucidated on the “and more” part of the billing, but the other two days don’t have it.

Devin The Dude
Friday, June 9. The Howlin Wolf. 9PM. $40.
The quirky, somnambulant-sounding Houston alt-rapper, formerly of The Odd Squad, who samples any chill beat he can find, from the O’Jays to James Taylor. Listen to his extraterrestrial travelogue “Zeldar.” "A brilliant oddball with a spaced-out flow." - N.Y. Times

Brethren Hogg | Neznum
Friday, June 9. Onyx Theatre (524 N. Foster, Baton Rouge).
BH = NOLA sludgy / grungy stoner metal. This is stop #2 on a 6-show tour taking them from the Big Easy to San Antonio. N = “Groove, Thrash, Death, Doom, Sludge Metal Band formed in Livingston Louisiana.” I guess they just play spin-the-bottle to determine which parent-terrifying metal genre their next song will be… Likely all ages.

Gov’t Majik | Sam Dickey and Read the Sands
Friday, June 9. The Broadside (600 N. Broad Street). 8PM. $20 (advance).
GM = “New Orleans’ very own Dirty South Afro-Beat Arkestra and we’re bringing the whole 15 member crew to the Broadside to celebrate the release of our new EP Time Lapse. Our music pulls from various African and Brazilian styles and filters that through the jazz, funk and rap music we grew up on. If 6 was 9 indeed - On 6/9 we’ll be offering some music that would make Jimi Hendrix proud.” SDARTS = “Part electric jazz ensemble, part rock band, and part raucous street party.” 8-11 PM.

4Mag Nitrous | Big Deal Burlesque | DJ Kacey Chaos
Friday, June 9. The Hideaway Den & Arcade (800 N. Causeway Blvd, Mandeville). 8:30PM. $10.
Power Strip: Partial stripping, stoner / groove metal riffage, gaming, & a DJ, on 6/9. Your 8th grade id has guided you to this very moment, much to the chagrin of your superego. Produced by Roxie Le Rouge. Flyer: eventbrite.com/e/634946280417

Scattered Hamlet | Drab | Konstricted (or Nothing Sacred)
Friday, June 9. Twist of Lime. 8PM. $10.
SH = Outrageously badass “Appalachian honky tonk metal” riff creatures from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Like an arena-ready cross between Skynyrd, AC/DC, Tenacious D, the Nuge, & Monster Magnet, with a suitably charismatic frontman. (Club’s recent typed description lists Drab & Konstricted as openers; flyer from May 19 sez Nothing Sacred & Drab. All are local metal / hard rock bands.) Flyer: facebook.com/photo.php/?fbid=1204974390399396

Brewster Durbin | The Fizgigs | Doggish | 24 Cars
Saturday, June 10. Blue Moon Saloon (215 E. Convent Street, Lafayette). 7:30PM. $10.
Flyer: facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=722431569887492

Boygenius | Clairo | Dijon | Bartees Strange
Saturday, June 10. City Park Festival Grounds. 4PM. $99.50 (general) - $275 (VIP) (advance).
Re:SET Concert Series (Day 2 of 3). Not many bangers (party jams) on this day of the fest, compared to the other two days, but at the same refreshingly robust price. b = Phoebe Bridgers + Julien Baker + Lucy Dacus doing the gamut from sad folk through crunchy indie rock. Peep their Rolling Stone cover pic which recreates Nirvana’s ‘94 RS cover. C = Bashful Boston bedroom pop moper of “Pretty Girl” music vid (89 million YouTube views) fame who has become a festival staple. Almost certainly related via some elite secret bloodline sorcery to ‘90s Boston indie icon Juliana Hatfield. D = Mumbly lo-fi L.A. R&B singer of “Skin” (81 million Spotify plays) fame. BS = Introspective yet sometimes rockin’ D.C.-via-England indie rock singer / songwriter / producer on 4AD Recs.

Devin The Dude | Moose Harris | Porch Squad
Saturday, June 10. Freetown Boom Boom Room (300 McKinley St, Lafayette). 8PM. $25.
DTD = Somnambulant-sounding cult fave Houston alt-rapper, formerly of The Odd Squad, who samples any chill beat he can find, from the O’Jays to James Taylor. Listen to his extraterrestrial travelogue “Zeldar.” "A brilliant oddball with a spaced-out flow." - N.Y. Times. MH = Anthony “Moose Harris” Daniels, New Iberia inspirational / aspirational jazz-rapper, producer, & host of 2 syndicated radio shows, Urban Flosarus & The Grapevine. PS = Cringey Lafayette drug rap / hick hop / trap rap trio. facebook.com/events/620876910099643 (Note that this is much cheaper than DTD’s $40 NOLA concert the previous day.) $20 (advance), $25 (day of show) Doors at 8PM.

Consortium of Genius | Tomb of Nick Cage | Spring Heeled Jax
Saturday, June 10. Hideaway Den & Arcade (800 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville).
For those of you who are young or uncool, C.O.G. are that NOLA band that dresses as mad scientists à la their hero Morgus The Magnificent (R.I.P.) and plays… well, just seek out some video footage of them or visit their exhaustively geeky website. Imagine Devo crossed with Alice Cooper, They Might Be Giants, & Green Jellÿ. Now imagine seeing that superband inside an arcade. “Deep within their secret lair, a cabal of mad scientists and one smart-alecky robot are hatching an evil plot: TO ROCK the EARTH into OBLIVION!” TONC are zany NOLA metal; they’ve recorded some albums at C.O.G. Secret Lab in Harahan, frequently voted Louisiana’s safest city. SHJ, not to be confused w/ many other bands named after the same mischievous paranormal entity, are churning, somewhat droney / eerie hard grunge à la Alice In Chains (R.I.P. Layne & Mike) or Failure. Their logo cleverly incorporates the red “Jax” from NOLA’s Jax beer (R.I.P.).

Gov’t Majik
Saturday, June 10. The Maple Leaf. 11PM. $25.

Good Real Estate | Self-Checkout Renaissance | The Goatman Express | Ded Debbie
Saturday, June 10. The Goat (1301 St. Bernard Ave.). 8PM. $10.
GRE = N. Florida synth-/dance-punk. “The world is an open house.” SCR = B.R. synth-/garage-punk. Flyer: facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=689379629859653

HEATWAVE!
Saturday, June 10. Twelve Mile Limit. 9PM. FREE.
HEATWAVE! anniversary month continues, celebrating ten years of losing our shit on the dance floor to local, rare, & sentimental records from 1957-1974. Dive-bar swimsuit edition at Twelve Mile Limit with DJ Ann Glaviano, 9pm-1am. No cover. Dress to sweat - bar is small, summer is hot, vibe is pro-consent, sober-friendly, adults only.

Re:SET Concert Series (Day 3 of 3) - Steve Lacy | James Blake | Toro Y Moi | Foushée
Sunday, June 11. City Park Festival Grounds. 3PM. $99.50 (general) - $275 (VIP) (advance).
Are you hip? If not, the final day of this pricey new roaming fest (slightly more than Jazz Fest for dozens fewer acts!) could instantly change that for only one Benjamin. SL = L.A. charismatic R&B / rock / funk guitarist & crooner; also a member of The Internet. He notched a surprise Billboard #1 hit (“Bad Habit”) last fall. JB = London mopey ambient electro-R&B heartthrob, like if you slowed down & mashed Nick Drake, Aphex Twin, & Sade mp3s together. He cancelled his highly-anticipated 10/30/13 show at Republic b/c he won the prestigious Mercury Prize & had to go back to London to accept it. TYM = San Fran via South Carolina ever-shapeshifting paisley pop / funky indie rock / chillwave. Best song: “Still Sound;” biggest banger: “Say That;” best music vid: aptly-named “So Many Details.” F = L.A. ethereal cloud R&B singer w/ song titles like “Hazy” & “Wind.”

Cloud Rat | Thou
Wednesday, June 14. Chelsea’s Live (Baton Rouge). 6PM-9PM.
Early weeknight show DONE by nine pm.

Zach Smallman | Ruthie Craft | Jolie and the Drifters
Wednesday, June 14. Wolf Den (at the Howlin Wolf). 8PM. $8.

Sparta | Geoff Rickly | Zeta
Thursday, June 15. Chelsea’s Live (1010 Nicholson Drive, Baton Rouge). 7:30PM. $25 (advance), $30 (day of show), $50 (VIP meet & greet).
S = Post-hardcore / alt-rock band created from the remnants of At The Drive-In after ATDI’s singer & guitarist formed the pretentious & proggy The Mars Volta. Sparta lives up to its moniker with a spiky, no-nonsense, direct sonic attack influenced by Drive Like Jehu, Jawbox, Unwound, ATDI, Knapsack, etc. Best songs: “Taking Back Control,” “Cut Your Ribbon.” This is billed as the Wiretap Scars 20 Year Celebration Tour, so they’ll presumably perform that debut LP in its entirety. They played, with Cave In, at NOLA’s Shim Sham Club on the original Wiretap Scars tour in 2002. (SSC was renamed One Eyed Jacks from 2004-20 & is now Toulouse Theatre.) GR = Lead whiner & full-collapser of emo icons Thursday, of “War All The Time” fame. Z = Snazzily-attirred NOLA classic / boogie rock redux à la Led Zep, Aerosmith; not to be confused w/ Bad Company, Whitesnake, Stone Temple Pilots, Wolfmother, Greta Van Fleet, et al. Flyer: facebook.com/photo.php/?fbid=569821651924662

Icarus Jones | Turbine 6 | Well Aware
Thursday, June 15. Saturn Bar. 9PM.
“Icarus Jones is an original rock and roll band from south Louisiana. Made up of seasoned musicians with decades of experience playing in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and the Houma/Thibodaux area, Icarus Jones is a collection of songwriting partners who are set to release their first full-length record in the summer of 2023. Its shows range from a scorching one-hour set of all-original foot-stomping rock and roll songs to an extended party set of well-known and danceable covers.” Their music is almost as tedious, corporate, & cringey as their bio. T6 = NOLA old-school rockabilly. WA = Austin post-rock(?) apparently. It’s confusing because Austin has an international water charity as well (heh) as the aforementioned band on Bandcamp, both called Well Aware.

Cloud Rat | Thou | Torture Garden
Thursday, June 15. Toulouse Theater. 7PM.
All ages show. WE'RE STILL PUNK. Fuck all the poseurs.

Spirit of the Beehive | Mspaint
Friday, June 16. Chelsea’s Live (1010 Nicholson Drive, Baton Rouge). 9PM. $16 (advance).
Philly kooky avant-indie pop / chillwave / psych (SOTB); Hattiesburg guitarless, electronic-enhanced dystopian post-hc / rap rock (M).

The Posts | Zach Edwards & The Medicine | Mayrunner
Friday, June 16. Freetown Boom Boom Room (300 McKinley Street, Lafayette). 8PM. $10.
The Posts are grungy, somewhat odd, ‘90s-style Lafayette rockers à la 7 Year Bitch, Veruca Salt. Mayrunner is an interesting Lafayette band blending post-hardcore, pop punk, & shoegaze aesthetics. Presented by Louisiana LOUD. facebook.com/events/6128270007263452

Bill Kirchen Trio | Ben Bell & The Stardust Boys
Friday, June 16. Red Dragon Listening Room (2401 Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge). 8PM. $30 (general), $40 (VIP).
BK was lead guitarist & occasional singer for Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen, a freewheeling, influential (but not commercially successful) ‘70s roots-rock band described as “a counter-cultural twist to the Nashville sound.”

HEATWAVE!
Friday, June 16. The Domino (St. Claude). 9PM. FREE.
Anniversary set, celebrating ten years of losing our shit on the dance floor to local, rare, & sentimental records from 1957-1974. Sober-friendly edition at The Domino in the Ninth Ward (not the record shop), 9pm-1am; bartenders will be serving up non-alcoholic drink specials. DJ Ann Glaviano with guest DJs Jonny Campos and Michael Glaviano. Vibe is pro-consent, adults only. No cover.

The Debtors | Karma and the Killjoys
Saturday, June 17. Blue Moon Saloon (215 E. Convent Street, Lafayette). 9PM.

Void | Life Øn Mars
Saturday, June 17. Fright Trail (5303 Cameron Street, Scott). 3PM. FREE.
Well, this “Thrash Bash!” is a weird one… It involves watching heavy rock combos play at a 20-acre “haunted trail,” in the daylight, at the cusp of summer, for free. This is where formulaic but dedicated & entertaining thrash metallers Void recently shot a music video. It costs $30-40 to do this nightmarish walk in the dark in October, btw. “Fright Trail scare actor sign up! Food vendors & sno cones! Why WOULDNT you come?? Its FREE!” LØM = Lafayette deathcore; IG: lifeonmarsofficial. “No sandals, open toe shoes, weapons of any kind, or anything deemed dangerous by Scott Police Dept.” Flyer: instagram.com/p/CsHciiIg1vQ

Post Profit | Stella Vir
Saturday, June 17. Huckleberry Brewing Company (4724 Sterkx Road, Alexandria). 7PM.
PP = Longview, TX anxiously anthemic alt-metal / nu-metal à la Sevendust, Deftones, Quicksand. Crazy guitar sounds; large chance of national success. SV = Prog/alt/nu-metal w/ some post-hardcore, from Hessmer, LA; not too dissimilar from the headliners. Summer concert series flyer: facebook.com/HuckleberryBrewingCo/photos/1297525640859351

Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade | Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew: Remain In Light
Saturday, June 17. Mardi Gras World. 8PM. $49.50 - 79.50.
The Summer Of Green Tour 2023. LC is the oddball bassist & yelper from Primus. JH is the hunky keyboardist from Talking Heads. AB is the guitarist & singer of King Crimson’s ‘80s-‘00s era (he led KC on their mind-blowing songs “Frame By Frame” & “Sleepless”), & an auxiliary member of Zappa, Bowie, T. Heads, etc. Most importantly, he masterminded KC’s bizarro song “Elephant Talk,” which out-Talking Headed the Talking Heads & basically invented Primus’ career. Your cool aunt & uncle will finally start making you mix tapes if you attend this. A Winter Circle Production. Poster: https://images.discovery-prod.axs.com/2023/01/les-claypool-s-fearless-flying-frog-brigade-tickets_06-17-23_17_63d952df296a7.png [If you’re reading this early, catch Belew & Bauhaus’ Peter Murphy doing a David Bowie tribute on April 6 at a French Qtr. venue which cannot be named.]

Fleet Foxes | Uwade
Sunday, June 18. Fillmore New Orleans (6 Canal Street). 8PM. $40-162.25.

Black Rock Candy | Few Blue | Quarx
Sunday, June 18. The Howlin Wolf. 7:30PM. $8.

Bonginator | Wretched Inferno | Phallic Laceration
Sunday, June 18. Midcity Ballroom.
B = Outrageous, satirical “TWO-STEPPING NEON WEED DEATH [metal]” from Massachusetts w/ song titles like “The Intergalactic Gorebong of Deathpot” & “Ritualistic Marijuana-Related Anal Defilement.” WI = Vile, necrophilic death metal from yet another undisclosed location in Massachusetts who “deliver old school, bone-snapping riffs to bring order to the death metal community once again. Take a listen yourself, and watch as your IQ points drop not to that of a caveman, but of an ape.” PL = “Groovin Hardcore/ Death Metal from Baton Rouge. Playing focused chaos and the FAT riff.” These things usually start at 9 PM.

Duster | Sour Widows
Sunday, June 18. Toulouse Theatre (615 Toulouse Street). 8PM. $25.
Duster, the unassuming late ‘90s - early ‘00s sunbaked Cali slowgazers crafting perfectly exhausted twilight tunes, make their first-ever Louisiana appearance. Their carefully-plucked guitar notes ring out with a cool sense of purpose, creating a wonderfully dreary imaginary soundtrack of ambient stoner rock. ‘98 debut album Stratosphere is a pinnacle of the genre. Few have heard (of) them, & they only played live sparingly back in the day, usually on the West coast opening for Up Records labelmates Modest Mouse at dive bars, but their records now sell for hundreds of $ to their cult fanbase. Best songs: “Heading For The Door,” “Topical Solution,” “Want No Light To Shine,” “Me And The Birds,” Retrograde.” Fun Fact: Two members began in screamo / post-hardcore band Mohinder. Duster’s latest LP is described by their new label, Numero Group, as “comfortable, interplanetary goth.” Influenced by, or from the same scene as: Codeine, Bark Psychosis, Acetone, Low, Idaho, Slowdive, Yawning Man, Campfire Girls. Influential on: Auburn Lull, True Widow, Pure X, Cigarettes After Sex. Openers SW make meek, existential pop like Duster but w/ female vox. With a high ticket price & a niche headliner, expect the usual apathetic NOLA turnout, though fans will surely report for duty from other states, as this is the only Southeast tour stop. So please consider showing up if slowcore was your punk rock. A Winter Circle Production.

Ratty Scurvics' Singularity
Monday, June 19. Allways Lounge and Theatre. 10:30PM.

Tori Amos
Tuesday, June 20. Mahalia Jackson Theater (1419 Basin St). 8PM. $39.95 - $290.
For younger music cats: Not that she’ll play many songs from it, but her ‘92 album Little Earthquakes was iconic and ubiquitous back in that decade. Seemingly every punk, indie rock, industrial, metal, jazz, etc. fan secretly or openly owned the CD or a dubbed cassette, largely due to the artsy “Crucify” music vid & iconic, controversial opening track “Precious Things.” She covered Nirvana, Zep, Joni, & Jimi, dated Trent Reznor, collaborated w/ Neil Gaiman, & foreshadowed 9/11 in the mind-boggling “Caught A Lite Sneeze” (whose lyrics cite Nine Inch Nails’ debut album title) music vid. The famous cover pic of her ‘96 album Boys For Pele – Tori in a rocking chair smugly toting a rifle – was taken in New Orleans. George Porter Jr. played all the bass on the album & two NOLA studios were used. Yada yada… She was basically one of the top 5 or so musical ballers of the ‘90s, reflected in the upper range of ticket prices at this show. Apparently no opening act; the touring band is T.A. on vox & piano, Ash Soan (Del Amitri, Squeeze, Jazz Sabbath, Adele, Beyoncé, etc.) on drums, & Jon Evans on bass (since ‘98). J.E. once said “I just try to play the thing that will make her start dancing around when she’s at the piano. That’s how I know I’m on the right track.”

Maiah Wynne
Wednesday, June 21. Lobby Lounge (100 Harbor Center Blvd., Slidell). 7PM. $20.
Ethereal Portland musical prodigy who sings & plays a stunning double-necked guitar / lute(?) hybrid instrument, or sometimes a ukulele, cigar box guitar, regular acoustic guitar, or keyboard. Lead singer in Envy Of None, a band including former Rush guitar legend Alex Lifeson whose debut album came out on Record Store Day (4/22/23). She apparently always performs wearing butterfly wings. "Haunting...a fresh take on music that echoes back to the sounds of Appalachian folk tunes.” - NPR Music

Pixies | Franz Ferdinand | Bully
Wednesday, June 21. The Fillmore. 7PM. $49.50 - 261.25(!).
Aspiring quirky rockers from Boston, Glasgow, & Nashville, respectively. Bully’s “Trying,” which sounds like every Pixies song rolled together, probably has the best chance of garnering any radio spins.

Shipwrecked | Doggish | Madmoiselle
Thursday, June 22. Chelsea’s Live (1010 Nicholson Dr, Baton Rouge). 8PM. $15.
Some honest indie rockin’ bands from B.R. Shipwrecked do the ‘90s Modest Mouse / Promise Ring / Sunny Day Real Estate post-Pixies scrappy emo jangle thing. Doggish will be doing a cover set of their influences, which may well include the Smiths & R.E.M. facebook.com/events/797396471798995

Self Sabotage (L.A.) | The Nancies | Fault
Thursday, June 22. Siberia. 9PM. $10.
The usual jive talk from whoever does Siberia’s flippant, uninformative concert postings: “Self Sabotage, on tour from Los Angeles, will be joined by local rockers The Nancies and Fault. Time to thrash, yo! C?ome correct, doors at 8pm, so no New Orleans time on this one. Pull up on time, and be ready to thrash. No fake rockers!” (At least he didn’t use some variation of the phrase “bringing the heat” or “coming in hot” this time.) SS are extremely savage n’ blistering hardcore bordering on thrash metal, while refreshingly not sounding metalcore. Their song “F.E.A.R.” has an apparent homage to Minor Threat via its lyric “I don't wanna hear it.” Based on the mere two EPs they have out, they make Damaged-era Black Flag sound like Coldplay covering Wham!. facebook.com/events/9396931433714881

Erin Demastes & Dylan Burchett | Kory Reeder & Conner Simmons
Thursday, June 22. The Zeitgeist. 7:30PM.
Experimental Music Night. “Found objects, handmade electronics, improvisations, and two double basses.” ED & DB are from Baton Rouge; KR & CS are from Denton, the actual weirdest city in Texas (not Austin). Austin, the “Live Music Capital Of The World,” has SPOON, literally the worst band of this generation, whereas Denton was the home of many kool psychedelic bands in the ‘90s-‘00s. And Denton spawned these two cats who will just find any dumb objects on the street and play them. You could probably bring your toaster, some old Beanie Babies, & a kayak, and they’d create an ambient polka-metal symphony on them right there.

Lawn | New Lands | Community | Pope | Diplocrats
Friday, June 23. Siberia. 8PM SHARP. $12.
Community Records 15 Year Anniversary Block Party Pre-Show: Prelude to the Block Party at Tip’s the next day. “New Lands will be releasing a vinyl LP and hasn't played a show in 6 years, Lawn basically never plays local shows anymore since Rui moved to Chicago, Diplocrats will be releasing an EP in summer 2023 + Pope and Community are exeptionally great bands.”

Post Profit | Stella Vir
Saturday, June 24. Bear’s (1401 Fairfield Avenue, Shreveport). 9PM.
PP = Longview, TX anxiously anthemic alt-metal / nu-metal à la Sevendust, Deftones, Quicksand. Crazy guitar sounds; large chance of national success. SV = Prog/alt/nu-metal w/ some post-hardcore, from Hessmer, LA; not too dissimilar from the headliners.

Salmon Shorts | Basically Vacant | Tasty
Saturday, June 24. The Howlin Wolf. 7PM. $10.
"Indie Rock Night." Remember when essentially every night was indie rock night here? SS = Madisonville catchy power pop / emo / pop punk trio. BV = NOLA neurotic acoustic pop punk that “sounds like mom jeans or modern baseball.”

Heavy Mantle | Not My Real Job | Width of a Circle | ISM
Saturday, June 24. Midcity Ballroom. 8PM. $10.
HM = Baton Rouge emo / post-hc feat. Billy of Secret Smoker. If you attended SS’s album release concert at Here Today Gone Tomorrow Thrift in B.R. ~a decade ago, we regret to inform you it was recently bulldozed. The Goodwill next door won out. NMRJ = Eclectic B.R. indie rockers, some of whom apparently work at the Pop Shop within this venue. WOAC = unknown, but named after a naughty David Bowie song.

Shitload | Psychic Bastard | Calm Coffins
Saturday, June 24. Siberia. 9PM. $10. Paranoize
A night of noise/industrial/grind at Siberia.

The Struts | Mac Saturn
Tuesday, June 27. Civic Theatre. 8PM. $29.50 - $325.
Fronted by a singer who is so obviously the test-tube son of Freddie Mercury it doesn’t even bear discussing*, Derby, England’s Struts make limp arena glam rock without arena potential, glamo(u)r, or ability to rock their way out of a paper bag. The Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe, & Guns N’ Roses know this, hence why they’ve all deployed the Struts as a generic opening act. (Headliners, especially aging, former-bad-boy ones, never like to be out-rocked by their openers.) Their single “Could Have Been Me,” a blatant & futile attempt at remaking the stomping, clapping beat of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” but without the so-uncool-it’s-cool campiness, somehow has 100+ million Spotify streams. Detroit’s Mac Saturn are in a somewhat similar retro boat, but the thing at which they fail is more of the R&B-tinged Grateful Dead / Band Of Horses vein mined by NOLA’s own aptly-named Revivalists. Instead of going to this show, simply live vicariously through Queen’s robust setlist on Halloween night 1978 in NOLA: setlist.fm/setlist/queen/1978/municipal-auditorium-new-orleans-la-23dcac0f.html. *Okay, he COULD be the son of Tim Curry, or a mashup of Mercury & Curry (Mercurry).

Minos The Saint
Friday, June 30. Chickie Wah Wah. 8PM. $22.
The B.R. violin-infused roots folkers’ release show for their album Atchafalaya Child (which came out May 23rd), a platter so retro that it unironically has a song titled “Nothing’s Gonna Change.” The band is now slightly less boring, but alas even more retro, after grafting on a 3-piece (all-female) horn section. If only the album were on par with its spectacular faraway aerial cover photo of NOLA…

Make Your Maze | Lisbon Girls | Kia Cavallaro
Saturday, July 1. Carrollton Station. 9PM.

Afterdusk | Straight Shot Home | Code for Canvas
Saturday, July 1. The Howlin Wolf. 8PM. $15.
A = Mobile metalcore / nu metal w/ Chester Bennington style vocal despair. These wounds, they will not heal. RIYL: Linkin Park. SSH = Arena-ready emo w/ slight electronics & apparently Autotune. CFC = NOLA whiny emocore w/ post-hardcore influence. Any of these bands could’ve made it onto MTV back in nu-emo’s heyday two decades ago. Flyer: facebook.com/photo.php/?fbid=640798107953806

Hardwired
Saturday, July 1. The Varsity. 9PM. $12.
A tribute to Metallica.

Chest Fever
Tuesday, July 4. The Howlin Wolf. 8PM. $25.
Chest Fever plays The Band’s Music From Big Pink. Take a load off! This NYC group, named after a prominent song by The Band, will also play “selected Hits from the Early Days.” No opening act mentioned yet.

Liturgy | Big Brave | Thou | Guts Club
Wednesday, July 5. Gasa Gasa. 8PM. $17/$20.
Guts Club gets to play a show with the world's greatest bands. Plus Thou.

Creeping Death | Upon Stone | Saintpeeler
Monday, July 10. Chelsea’s Live (1010 Nicholson Dr, Baton Rouge). 7PM. $20 (advance).
Relentless death / thrash metal bands from Texas & the other L.A.

Decoy | Golgothan | Slab
Thursday, July 13. Chelsea’s Live (1010 Nicholson, Baton Rouge). 8PM. $10.
D = Chaotic B.R. metalcore / hardcore w/ chameleonic vox like those of Chino Moreno, plus more typical x-treme vox. G = Lafayette brutal death metal / grindcore. S = NOLA “raw grind”core upstarts whose demo was released in January. Flyer: facebook.com/photo.php/?fbid=592910039487342

Byron Daniel & the Five Dead Dogs | Troy Bennett's Graveyard Lips | Hex Windham
Friday, July 14. Hi-Ho Lounge. 9PM.

Friendly Jeans
Friday, July 14. Huckleberry Brewing Company (4724 Sterkx Road, Alexandria). 7PM.
Bratty pop punk / grunge from ALX. They cover Ramones & RATM, & one member unironically sports a Stone Temple Pilots shirt. “We’re all about energy. Lots of sing-along songs, with a punk rock feel.” Did we mention there will be BEvERages?

Vermilion Whiskey | Big Frank | Stone Nomads
Saturday, July 15. The Marsh Room (4740 Rye Street, Metairie). 9PM.
VW = Lafayette “southern hard rock, driving stoner riffage, dabs of dissonant overtones, and a heavy helping of Pure Louisiana sludge.” BF = Gonzales, LA Motörhead-y sludgy punk / metal band that formed from the ashes of stoner rockers Mute Hound. SN = Houston stoner / doom metal who helpfully have “DOOM” in the title of the first song (& album title) on their current album & “SABBATH” in the title of the second song, in addition to having “STONE” in their band name. Still having trouble triangulating their sound, Beavis? Maybe they’re sone kind of parody group, but alas they seem dead serious. Their name is not too shabby, but ‘member when stoner bands had crazysexycool names like Nudeswirl, Skullflower, Medusa Cyclone, Steel Pole Bathtub, Hawkwind, Daisycutter, Mindfunk, Drunks With Guns, Strangulated Beatoffs, Swervedriver, Iron Butterfly, Killdozer, Vanilla Fudge, Chokebore, Monster Magnet, Lubricated Goat, Green Jellö, Hammerhead, Mudhoney, White Zombie, Goatsnake, Spirit Caravan, Pain Teens, Chrome Locust, Screaming Trees, Pocahaunted, Meat Puppets, Nice Strong Arm, Soundgarden, & Brainbombs? Let’s have a renaissance of siiick band names that preferably don’t pertain to how the band sounds.

The Producers
Friday, July 21. Midcity Ballroom. 8PM. $40 (presale), $45 (day of show, but it’ll sell out way before).
This geeky Atlanta band was one of the rulers of new wave on MTV in the early ‘80s, with lovelorn, pronoun-enriched ditties like “What’s He Got?,” “What She Does To Me,” “She Sheila,” & “Who Do You Think You Are?” Their contemporaries at the time included stuff like their neighbors the B-52s, the Romantics, the Knack, Adam & The Ants, Elvis Costello, XTC, the Vapors, and NOLA’s own the Cold. They played on NOLA’s Riverboat President at least 4 times in this era, probably with the Cold opening some of the shows. Wikipedia: “They headlined MTV's New Year's Rockin Eve broadcast in 1982. The balding keyboardist Wayne Famous had the goofy, comedic stage presence to contrast with the other rock stars in the band, similar to Rick Nielson of Cheap Trick [with whom the Producers toured in the early ‘80s]. Years ahead of the keytar, he modified the keyboard of an Oberheim OB-X with straps to hold it around his neck allowing him to do a dorky dance center stage.” Any band that can be aloofly described w/ the phrase “Years ahead of the keytar” should be on your radar. Will they still have a boogeying, bald(ing) proto-keytarist for your amusement? Show up in a skinny tie or acid-washed jorts to find out. No opening act. midcityballroom.com/ballroom-blog/2023/4/19/the-producers-for-james-and-toms-birthday-bash

The Glitch Mob | Secret Handshake
Friday, July 21. The Rabbit Hole (1228 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd). 11PM. $25.
TGM = Prolific, futuristic L.A. IDM / jungle / big beat trio or duo.

Always Tired | Clitter Critters | Coffinwolf Ultra | Die With Nature | Kicking | Lipstick Stains | Odd Polly | The Public | Puremutts | Satan And The Sunbeams | Surfwax | TOWU (The Old World Underground)
Saturday, July 22. Urban Foxes (826 North Street, Jackson, MS). 1PM. $20 (advance), $25 (day of show).
Couch Fest II: (Bands are given as listed alphabetically on poster.) K = Jackson “doomgaze” (heavy shoegaze / grunge) savants whose b-side “Slower” is becoming a word-of-mouth indie radio hit. Someone book them in NOLA already. T = Gadsden, AL post-punk / gloomwave w/ sax. CC = Jackson “trio of trash humans making fempunk pizzacore music.” DWN = Jackson stoner / hard psych rawk. CU = NOLA garage punk. S = Jackson noisy funcore garage rock, likely named after Weezer’s “Surf Wax America.” (4 of the 5 Beach Boys couldn’t surf, so how many members of Weezer do you think can?) This band The Public is likely not the stellar NOLA post-punk revival one from two decades ago. Poster promises “ROCK PUNK INDIE DOOM EMO NOISE”: facebook.com/photo.php/?fbid=747138226840492

Cryptic Void | Witch Burial | SLAB
Sunday, July 30. Siberia. 9PM. $10.
Houston TX gulf coast grind kings Cryptic Void (ex members of Insect Warfare, Hatred Surge, War Master) invade NOLA with local support from Witch Burial and SLAB.

Horsegirl | Lifeguard
Wednesday, August 2. Toulouse Theatre (615 Toulouse Street). 8PM. $16.
The synchronicity you need: A pair of bands who are both from Chicago, both trios, and both on Matador Records. They even look like acorns off the same family tree. The headliners, SiriusXMU (“college rock” satellite radio station) faves, are barbed wire bubblegum w/ “all sharp edges and dark corners.” “World Of Pots And Pans” has an inversion of a Gang Of Four lyric: “Sometimes I’m thinking that I lust you, but I know it’s only love.” RIYL: Swirlies, Th’ Faith Healers, Love Of Diagrams, ‘90s Yo La Tengo. The clangy openers are simply one of the elite noise rock units right now, w/ a drum vs. guitar war in every song. Listen to “17-18 Lovesong,” “No Cloud,” & “New Age (I’ve Got A).” RIYL: Unwound, Bare Minimum, Sonic Youth, Grooms.

Black Flag
Saturday, August 5. House of Blues.

Black Flag
Sunday, August 6. Chelsea’s Live (1010 Nicholson Drive, Baton Rouge). 8PM. $32.50 (advance), $35 (day of show).
Say what you will about the current lineup; this band was basically designed to be a revolving collective, like legendary acts King Crimson, Mothers Of Invention, Menudo, Funkadelic, NIN, Brujeria, etc. They’re beginning each show with the once-polarizing My War LP in its entirety, followed by up to 16 other tunes, based on current tour setlists. You’re guaranteed to see two of the most electrifying hardcore songs ever, “My War” & “Rise Above,” played by a 69-year-old shredding on his latest clear guitar, similar to the ones he used in the My War era. (They were both stolen from BF’s tour van, in ‘84 & ‘86, hence why Henry Rollins began sleeping in it with Chuck Dukowski’s pistol. See danarmstrong.org/photos6.html.) Flyer: static.wixstatic.com/media/851f11_3b4540018da34238b01b7719fa6652b6~mv2.png

The Ghost Inside | Underoath | We Came as Romans | Better Lovers
Tuesday, August 8. The Orpheum. 8PM. $32.50 - $139.50 (VIP / meet & greet).
Metalcore / metallic hardcore. Why not just go see some actual metal bands or some actual hardcore bands instead? A Winter Circle production.

Shawn Williams
Friday, August 18. RiverShack (714 1st Street, Gretna). 7PM.
“Hailing from the melting pot of New Orleans, Shawn Williams makes music that's every bit as diverse and hauntingly soulful as her hometown. She calls it ‘alt-rocka countrybilly, serial killer blues,’ carving out an atmospheric sound that blends amplified guitars, rawly honest lyrics, and nocturnal arrangements into her own brand of Americana-noire.” Song pick: “You Don’t Miss Me At All.”

Void | SevVven | Chump | Subliminal Landmines | Life on Mars | Stella Vir | Mayrunner | Disjunct | Endure the Affliction | Night Revival | Ventruss
Saturday, August 19. Parc International (200 Garfield Street, Lafayette). 1PM-10PM. $25.
RAD Fest (Rock Around Downtown Fest). Local metal, punk, grunge, & hard rock for dat ass. (Last Sept. this fest debuted at a club called The Grouse Room with a mere 9 bands for $20.) Thrash metal headliners Void have 75 $10 presale tix available for purchase: facebook.com/photo.php/?fbid=221664787271055

Weyes Blood
Wednesday, August 23. The Joy Theater. 8PM. $25 - $99.50.
In Holy Flux Tour: Unleashed. The sonorous Carly Simon-esque soft pop (okay… ethereal pop) crooner has described her work as “Bob Seger meets Enya.” The Sub Pop artist was once a part of experimental lo-fi anti-folk collective Jackie-O Motherfucker. She notched Spin’s 2022 artist of the year & album of the year awards. (Turnstile won both awards the previous year, which they’ve parlayed into a stint opening arena dates for Blink-182. No comment.) Her dad briefly dated Joni Mitchell. She guests on John Cale’s recent single & music vid “Story Of Blood” after they met at a Vogue photoshoot. RIYL: Marissa Nadler, Carly S., Karen Carpenter, Jackson C. Frank, former tourmate Lana Del Rey.

Bongzilla | Kadabra
Thursday, September 7. Freetown Boom Boom Room (300 McKinley Street, Lafayette). 9PM. $20 (advance), $25 (day of show).
The most self-explanatory band name in history presides over a night that will likely feature even more ambient weed smoke than at Soundgarden’s sweltering ‘96 NOLA Lollapalooza performance. The “Psychedelic Fuzz Rock” opening band deals heavy stoner rock in formulaic doses, as contrasted with the headliners’ sludgy stoner metal. Yes, this will sell out. Poster & ticket link: facebook.com/events/474713558165095

Coheed And Cambria | Deafheaven
Sunday, September 10. The Fillmore. 7:30PM.
Just imagine the tedious Pitchforkian arguments that’ll be overheard betwixt the dueling fanbases at this one: “Hey, you got prog in my emo!” “Well, you got shoegaze in my hipster black metal!” Can’t we all just get along? No such griping occurred at the sensibly-matched Alcest + Deafheaven show at the Big Top (R.I.P.) on 3/20/12.

Los Lobos
Thursday, September 28. Acadiana Center For The Arts (Lafayette). 7:30PM. $35-55.
“Los Lobos has sold millions of records, won prestigious awards, and made fans around the world. But perhaps its most lasting impact will be how well its music embodies the idea of America as a cultural melting pot. In it, styles like son jarocho, norteño, Tejano, folk, country, doo-wop, soul, R&B, rock ’n’ roll and punk all come together to create a new sound that’s greater than the sum of its parts.” Though not a punk band, they first gained notice by opening for P/i/L, the Clash, & the Blasters in the early ’80s, & still have all 4 founding members after 50 years together. No opening act mentioned as of early March.

All Time Low | Gym Class Heroes | Grayscale | Lauran Hibberd
Sunday, October 1. The Fillmore (6 Canal Street). 6:30PM.
Don’t do drugs, kids. When you’re dating Katy Perry during her early fame (while she was oddly a part of Warped Tour), the goal is to continue dating Katy Perry without interruption. Katy Perry dumped Gym Class Heroes’ singer via email due to his recurring opioid addiction. That’s almost as cold as when Frank Black disbanded the Pixies via fax in ‘93 at the height (or nadir) of alt/grunge mania, when non-commercial artists like Boredoms, Melvins, Ethyl Meatplow, Butthole Surfers, 7 Year Bitch, Radial Spangle, TAD, Steel Pole Bathtub, Daniel Johnston, Stick, Sausage, MC 900 Foot Jesus, Long Fin Killie, Flipper, Flop, Earth Eighteen, Campfire Girls, & Molly Half Head suddenly found themselves on major labels thanks to one song by Nirvana resetting the playing field. (The point is that the Pixies had actual melodic talent & thus could’ve been dominant at this time.) But we digress. Back to the great big dreary current year. Emo-pop prom rockers All Time Low are… well, aptly named. Grayscale are radio-ready emo / pop punk from Philly. LH is a coyly sassy & humorous – in that deadpan British way – grunge/rap/pop singer from England, like a postmodern Avril raised on Prince & Tenacious D.

Death Grips
Monday, October 2. The Fillmore. 8PM. $39.50-75.00.
Did anyone catch DG drummer Zach Hill’s previous band Hella when they played at Melvin’s w/ Man Man (or maybe it was Need New Body) in ‘03? Yes, Melvin’s briefly had kinda cool indie showz. Sadly, the Melvins never played there. Half of it recently caught fire when the adjacent tire shop burned down. (Never live next to a tire shop.) Anyway, go see spastic rock-rap at a corporate casino.

Beast In Black | Dance With The Dead
Monday, October 9. Chelsea’s Live (1010 Nicholson Dr, Baton Rouge). 7PM. $25 (advance).
BIB = Campy, hilariously overproduced (think ‘80s Def Leppard on steroids & Four Loko), dystopian / cyberpunk-y synth metal from Helsinki w/ a Greek singer. Yes, it’s a lot to take in. They cover Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us,” replete with the uncensored original lyrics. DWTD = Dark but catchy industrial synth instrumentals from Orange County, CA. John Carpenter does ominous spoken word on “March Of The Dead.” Knowing this club, another opening act will probably be added. Flyer: static.wixstatic.com/media/851f11_914e055aee4c4eb1892fdaab0a6440cf~mv2.jpeg

Snarky Puppy
Tuesday, October 10. Mahalia Jackson Theater (1419 Basin Street). 8PM. $39.50 - $59.50.
“After over a decade of relentless touring and recording in all but complete obscurity, the Texas-bred quasi-collective suddenly found itself held up by the press and public as one of the major figures in the jazz world. Snarky Puppy isn’t exactly a jazz band. It’s not a fusion band, and it’s definitely not a jam band. Snarky Puppy is a collective of sorts with as many as 20 members in regular rotation.” They won Grammys for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2016, ‘17, ‘21, & ‘23.

New Orleans Area DIY Events and Shows