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

Serpentine Choir | Neal Todten
Thursday, January 26. Hotel Peter & Paul. 8PM. $10-20 (suggested donation).
SC = NOLA female a cappella choir that “weaves harmonic waves of sound to heal personal and systemic trauma and re-build human connection with the earth.” They usually perform at atypical venues (e.g. NOMA). NT = NOLA jazz pianist. instagram.com/p/CnhSikhLcpd

Come To Ruin | Solo-X | Cervix Couch
Thursday, January 26. Siberia. 10PM. $10.
CTR = NOLA “mournful death rock straight from the void.” Christian Death & Skeletal Family fans will get their jangle-pop-meets-goth style. SX = “the brainchild of Solo who blurs the line between art, music, poetry, destruction & transformation. Solo-X began in the seedy underbelly of New Orleans in 2011 & eventually found its home in the grime filled streets of L.A. in 2016. The veritable artist ‘Tarnish’ joined on synths & samples in 2018.” CC = NOLA “Gloomy esoteric deathrock. Drenched with atmosphere and blackened overtones.”

Stella Vir | The Posts | Straight Shot Home
Friday, January 27. Artmosphere. 8PM. $10.
An all-central Louisiana rock lineup. SV = Facebook bio: “We are an Alt/Progressive Rock group from Hessmer, LA.” Instagram bio: “We are a modern ambient rock group from Central, LA.” Hmm… One member dons a Coheed & Cambria tee, which probably sums up their caterwauling sound best. TP = “Lafayette[‘]s own in your face wrecking crew.” Bring a hardhat and aspirin. SSH = Alexandria Thirty Seconds To Mars (Jared Leto’s messianic arena emo preeners) soundalikes w/ a slightly more industrial edge. TL;dr - Your kids would’ve been into these bands 15 years ago.

Prine-A-Pa-Looza
Friday, January 27. Chickie Wah Wah. 7PM. $20 (advance).
A Tribute To John Prine. Cowboy Mouth founder turned roots troubadour Paul Sanchez presents this tribute to the guy who was the favorite singer/songwriter of many of your favorite singer/songwriters. See flyer w/ full lineup of 21 performers (incl. Sanchez, Alex McMurray, Jamie Lynn Vessels, Andre Bohren, Tommy Malone, Debbie Davis, Luke Allen, John Rankin) at chickiewahwah.com/#/events?event_id=64887

Metronome The City | Il Gruppo Fr. | Radians
Friday, January 27. Intracoastal Club (Houma). 10PM. $10.
Three NOLA artists invade the zydeco-free city of shrimp & strip clubs. MTC = Post-everything stalwarts, “dusted with cosmic debris [a Zappa reference] and caked with shrapnel.” IGF = “Minamal glam and pop-esque duo utilizing old drum robots, Keyboards and a Guitar.” Members are Inspektor Strawberry SodaPop & ViVi. R = Synthwave meets progressive electronic bangers w/ song titles like “Aqueous Again,” “Pulsar” & “Safari Zone.” What Sarah Connor would’ve danced to at TechNoir in ‘84. Extraneous info: If you’re a Houma newb, don’t miss the infamous knife, axe, bayonet & machete selection at Dabb’s Quick Stop gas station (open 24 hrs.).

Rhinocerus | Tree Palace
Friday, January 27. Midcity Ballroom. 8PM. $10.
The headlining band’s name is spelled both Rhinocerus and Rhinoceros at MCB’s site.

The Black Sheep Ensemble | Minor Mishap Marching Band | 8-Bit Brass Band
Friday, January 27. Music Box Village. 6PM. $16 ($8 for kids).
TBSE = Atlanta “modern brass and percussion band… rooted in Second Line traditions but with a repertoire that blends Prohibition-era Swing, Jazz, Balkan, Latin, Ska, Punk and more.” MMMB = Austin “25-piece cacophonous funk/Balkan brass band,” often “performing in unexpected places and ways – a flotilla on the lake, in the backs of pedicabs, climbing the trees at our local farm... We’ve performed Rio de Janeiro, Austin City Limits Festival, on MTV with Childish Gambino, at Sierra Nevada’s Octoberfest, and our original music was featured on the Netflix series Fargo.” 8BBB = Seattle “cosplaying, mobile party band specializing in video game tunes, anime anthems, movie mashups, and fandom favorites, celebrating everyone’s inner nerd.” Live music ends at 8, at which point your inner nerd must grow up & face the cold, indifferent world.

The Schizophonics | Slow Rosary | Will Roesner Band | The Nocturnal Broadcast
Friday, January 27. Santos Bar. 9PM. $10 (advance), $12 (day of show).
[Note: This is the correct venue; show was moved to Santos.] TS = San Diego energetic garage rock trio à la Sonics, MC5, Blues Explosion, Delta 72, Supagroup, w/ James Brown / Mick Jagger showmanship influences; on Sympathy For The Record Industry & Pig Baby Records. Spotify dubbed them the “wildest live band in America.” (Guess they haven’t heard of high-octane local new wavers THOU & BIG FREEDIA.) Three wildly talented local acts opening. Wild flyer: instagram.com/p/CnzsPz8O0Fq

Brethren Hogg | Psydonia | Tötem
Friday, January 27. Siberia. 9PM. $10.
All NOLA bands. BH = Melodic Crowbar-esque stoner / swamp metal w/ a suitably gravity-bound frontman who wields a Flying V & an Orange amp. P = Anguished sludge metal. T = Shrieky, heavy, somewhat psychedelic stoner rock.

Electric Yat Quartet
Friday, January 27. Tipitina's. 9PM. FREE.
Electric Yat Quartet: An Evening With Queen & The Beatles. The NOLA chamber quartet covers the aforementioned limey rockers, presumably with amplification. Harry Hardin (violin) was in Mahayla & others; Amelia Clingman (viola) is in the freaking Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra; Jack Craft (cello) is in Dirty Bourbon River Show; Natalia Cascante (violin) has played w/ Shannon McNally. And you had to get your mom’s permission to quit oboe lessons in 7th grade because it was “too hard.” If you had been a little bit more of a winner at life, this group might be called the Electric Yat Quintet.

The Palace Of Tears | DJ Bug Gigabyte | Mistress Ilea
Saturday, January 28. Artmosphere. 8PM (live music starts at 11PM). $10.
Goth Night. “International noise / industrial / electronic musician, Bug Gigabyte of SINthetik Messiah, is the host of the evening.” Bellydancing by Mistress Ilea. Doors at 8. Bug Gigabyte DJs from 8-10:30 while old horror & sci-fi flicks play on the big screen. 10:30-11: M.I. bellydances in the city with America’s most beautiful women. 11-midnight: NOLA’s best-kept secret TPOT play their a(r)tmospheric darkwave / goth rock hybrid, “blending elements of electro-shoegaze, ethereal witch house, neoclassical and ritual ambient drone.” Vendors TBA. facebook.com/events/651799696561794

Silver Synthetic | JJ Adams
Saturday, January 28. BJs Lounge. 9PM. $10.

Cranial Sledge | Abysm | Perpetual Deception
Saturday, January 28. Feed & Seed (106 N Grant St, Lafayette). 8PM. $10.
A brutal show at a former outdoor supply store. Take some horse dewormer 48 hrs. beforehand. CS = Lafayette authentic death metal, fresh off their slot opening for Goatwhore. A = Lafayette speedy black / thrash metal. PD = Pineville, LA harrowing swamp metal. Why do so many freaking barbaric metal bands erupt from this part of the state? “As a reaction to all the zydeco & blues from thereabouts,” I hear you say. Trüe, but there’s something to be said for just sitting on one’s lichen-encrusted porch listening to some zydeco or blues, waiting patiently to die. The youth will probably start embracing that lifestyle next. Presented by Louisiana LOUD (their 20th anniversary) & Renaissance Productions. facebook.com/events/1511277096030738

Golden Dawn Arkestra | People Museum | Baby Bats
Saturday, January 28. Fillmore New Orleans (VIP Room). 10PM. $22.25-82.25.
Official After-Party of the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus. GDA = Austin [er… Milky Way] “extra-dimensional experiments involving space and time travel through the use of sound and movement.” (Campy nu-funk unity sermons in Sun Ra-inspired getups.) PM = NOLA synth n’ sax art pop. BB = NOLA noir synth à la Purity Ring. Check out the dramatic song “Graveyard.” [Note to NOLADIY webmaster: The Jan. 18th concert by Wildeyes in Slidell is CANCELLED. Please remove. I know that band’s aesthetic is slightly outside that of NOLADIY’s, but that was an example of when I occasionally submit a show to alert people to a venue that most don’t know about.]

Cazayoux | Bad Bongo
Saturday, January 28. Freetown Boom Boom Room (Lafayette). 9PM. $10.
C = Austin sun-baked Afrobeat / post-rock / dub w/ intermittent sax, djembe, trumpet, etc. BB = Lafayette odd, sometimes-spacey funk. Far-out flyer: facebook.com/events/6504494996244357

NVision | Code For Canvas | Acala
Saturday, January 28. The Hideaway Den & Arcade (800 North Causeway Blvd, Mandeville). 8PM. $10.
Presented by Fuel the Funeral Entertainment.

Dry Cleaning | Nourished By Time
Saturday, January 28. Toulouse Theatre (615 Toulouse St). 8:30PM. $22 (advance).
DC = South London 4AD beatnik abstract post-post-punks w/ Florence Shaw’s impossibly deadpan / icy / bored vocal delivery atop slightly out-of-tune, insect-like guitar washes & random lyrics in the cut-up style à la William S. Burroughs or Sonic Youth’s hypnotic “I Dreamed I Dream.” As the top YouTube comment on the band’s “Unsmart Lady” music vid confusingly puts it, “I feel with many bands, musicians will create music as a canvas for a lyricist to paint on, but with this band the lyricist is the canvas, and the musicians aren’t painting on her, they’re painting around her… truly cool.” (I’ll have what he’s having!) Handpicked by one of their heroes, Grace Jones, to play her curated Meltdown Fest last year. WTUL faves. “Scratchcard Lanyard,” with its anti-Zen mantra “Do everything and feel nothing,” is their big indie hit & has a unique music vid. The Dry’s seemingly-lackadaisical style has been seen to sometimes drive music critics, & even their own fans, crazy. One should always live without apologies. They just played on Fallon for the 2nd time (a great rendition of “Hot Penny Day”), so this, their 1st Louisiana appearance, will likely sell out soon. Your narrator caught Portishead’s 1st Louisiana show in March ‘98 & assumed there’d be many more, but there have been none. RIYL: Wire, late Live Skull, Anne Clarke, Ought, Gil Scott-Heron, Section 25, Hooverphonic (“Inhaler”… you’re welcome), Grace Jones, Ken “Word Jazz” Nordine, Emily XYZ; quieter output of The Pop Group, Gang Of Four, Polvo. NBT = Baltimore solo minimal synthy art pop musings. The post-punk show of the year for the Camus-quoting, cactus-collecting, clove cigarette crowd.

Dumbster | Pastel Panties
Sunday, January 29. Siberia. 10PM. $5-10.
D = NOLA glum indie / dad rock quartet who “like loud noisy music and generally doing dumb things.” PP = “North Carolina-bred, New Orleans-based girly, gritty folk” w/ wry lyrics. Presented by Dirty Laundry Sundays.

The Long Farewells
Monday, January 30. Hi-Ho Lounge. 10PM.
“The Long Farewells make their NOLA debut! Come for Hi-Ho's weekly bluegrass jam, stay for the murder ballads, drinking songs, and sea chanties [sic]. The Long Farewells are a Chicago-based Americana band, whose music will be enjoyed by fans of artists like Cowboy Junkies, the Civil Wars, Patty Griffin, and The Decemberists.” Opening act(s) currently unknown. Note: The Cowboy Junkies rule.

Blurry | Doggish | Blue Widow | Hearts In The Machine
Thursday, February 2. Onyx Theatre (524 N. Foster, Baton Rouge). 8PM. $10.
B = Atlanta indie rock / melodic noise pop w/ occasional angst. “Familiar Places” impressively sounds like the band Failure. D = B.R. indie rock w/ jazzy guitar. You can also catch them 3 days later at The Parish in NOLA. BW = No info, but they opened for The Iceman Special a few months ago. HITM = B.R. dreamy pop. Lovely flyer: 225liveevents.com/uploads/images/323907352_742321180559893_3361314975297673455_n.jpg Note: Apparently the Onyx was called Southside Arts Center until recently.

OPLIAM | DRAB | Mel Flower | Jess Joseph [a.k.a. Lady Jessica]
Thursday, February 2. The Goat (1301 St Bernard Ave). $5.
O = “a Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist whose music crosses all musical boundaries. Sometimes described as Alter-Native Rock.” D = NOLA grungy, sedate Southern rock; oddly self-described as “Apocalyptic rock.” MF = Toronto chill R&B. JJ = NOLA-via-Pittsburgh bluesy R&B.

Eyehategod | Brat
Friday, February 3. Chelsea’s Live (Baton Rouge). 9PM. $20.

Antichrist Resurrection III
Friday, February 3. Siberia.
Two nights of various extreme metal bands, including Cabra Negra from Mexico.

Maiden LA
Friday, February 3. Southport Hall. 9PM. $15-60.
An Iron Maiden Tribute. Take your daughter to the simulated slaughter. This local tribute act has members of Lillian Axe, Near Life Experience, Razor White, Sledgehammer, & Angel. Razor White had Lakeview boy Phil Anselmo (who allegedly grew up on Polk St.) as its singer in the mid ‘80s before he bolted for Pantera; the guy who replaced him in R.W., Troy Marks, croons for Maiden LA. The parking lot should be full of Harleys, so no skinny jeans or ironic t-shirts, please.

The Kurt Loders
Friday, February 3. The Hideaway Den & Arcade (Mandeville). 8PM. $10.
This band performs covers by a cornucopalooza of malnourished, generally non-tattooed ‘90s angst satirists such as Soundgarden, Radiohead, Jane’s Addiction, TooL, the Cranberries, Alice In Chains, Nirvana / Foos, Toadies, et al. I.e., the stuff you actually blast in the car when no one else is around. Not A Beaver Production.

Narrow Head | TBA
Saturday, February 4. Chelsea’s Live (1010 Nicholson Dr, Baton Rouge). 9PM. $17.
NH = Houston-via-Dallas post-hardcore / grunge w/ shoegaze elements (why do so many bands use this great recipe nowadays?), on Run For Cover Records. Watch their awesome cover of Helmet’s most pummeling song, “Sinatra.” (Even better than Deftones’ cover.) On the quieter side, they’ve also covered Elliott Smith’s “Speed Trials.” They’ve shared stages w/ Quicksand (whose debut album Slip remains an essential masterpiece), Turnstile, True Widow, Ceremony, Nothing, Death Bells, Fucked Up, Vein, Fury, etc. Played at Banks St. Bar on 10/8/19. The singer / guitarist’s dad & uncle were in '90s Houston emo / pop-punk band The Tie That Binds.

People Museum | Letrainiump | DJ Kuti
Saturday, February 4. The Howlin Wolf. 10PM. $20.
Fête Taboo: Krewe de Vieux afterparty.

The Works of Bertolt Brecht
Monday, February 6. Allways Lounge and Theatre. 8:30PM. $30 (per day?).
BrechtFest (Day 1 of 2): “The festival will celebrate the life and legacy of Brecht through music, spoken word and puppetry.” B.B. co-wrote the smooth n’ chilling 1928 ditty “Mack The Knife,” about a killer who favors bladed weaponry. It became an iconic #1 hit for Bobby Darin 30 years later, then a hit for Billie Holiday, then a b-side for the Psychedelic Furs. Note: Day 2 occurs here the next night at the same time.

STRFKR | Das Kope
Monday, February 6. Republic. 8PM. $22 (general) - $35 (VIP).
Presented by Winter Circle Productions.

A Conversation With Jeff Tweedy
Tuesday, February 7. Manship Theatre (Baton Rouge). 7:30PM. $75-125 (really).
Wilco / Uncle Tupelo guy. Not sure if he’ll be doing any music or if it’s just talking.

Downfall
Friday, February 10. Good Times Bar (8028 Florida Blvd., Denham Springs). 8PM.
Grungy classic / stoner rock.

Bruiser’s House of Surf
Friday, February 10. NOLA Brewing. 6PM. FREE.
Cowboy Mouth bassist & beer brewer Bruiser Broussard, apparently playing surf rock, though the flyer has a pic of Eddie Van Halen. 6-9 PM.

The Nancies | Cult of Chunk | Ded Debbie | Bullshit Machine
Friday, February 10. Siberia. 9PM. $10.

Eyehategod | Green Gasoline
Friday, February 10. Southport Hall. 9PM. $20-45.

Cranial Sledge | Severed In Sleep | Blood Show | Pixelcreep | Psydonia | Abysm
Saturday, February 11. Freetown Boom Boom Room (300 McKinley St, Lafayette). 9PM. $15.
A bevy of metals, from sludge to death to black. Is Lafayette now the metal capital of the universe? The metal bands & shows there just keep multiplying like the pesky but adorable Tribbles on Star Trek. “Bryan and Sophia’s birthday bash.” Retina-harming flyer: facebook.com/events/1192005784780345

The Nancies | MKT Price | Pig Lizzard
Wednesday, February 15. Siberia. 8PM. $10.
This is a fundraising event, all door proceeds will be donated to First 72+ to help formerly and currently incarcerated peoples find stable jobs and housing.

The Kwamps | The Unnaturals
Thursday, February 16. Siberia. 9:30PM. $20.
All Cramped Up (& Southern Fried). This post-Muses event is “an immersive psychedelic evening of music, art, burlesque and sideshow all paying homage to The Cramps.” TK = “Asheville[‘]s premiere femme powered Cramps cover band.” TU = NOLA surf rockers doing originals & presumably Cramps covers.

Big Thief | Buck Meek
Friday, February 17. The Orpheum. 9:30PM. $29.50 - 35.50.
BT = Brooklyn chill / exhausted whispery bedroom indie folk / post-pop act that wins every award from every music magazine. BM = Big Thief’s very own guitarist doing country-folk.

Loudness War | Self-Checkout Renaissance | D. SABLU | Destiny Bond
Saturday, February 18. Midcity Ballroom.
LW = B.R. garagey power fuzz à la Mudhoney, Posies, Ty Segall, Redd Kross. They do a strange Devo-esque cover of Black Sabbath’s “N.I.B.” SCR = B.R. absurdist lo-fi garage pop. | D.S = NOLA primitivist no-fi basement rock. He’s also guitarist & main songwriter in Casual Burn & guitarist in Primpce. DB = Denver female-fronted slightly rockabilly-ish / skate-punk-y hardcore. As the exotic out-of-state band on the bill, one would assume they’d not be playing first, so call the club (actually a musical instrument store) to confirm the order of the bands.

Shores of Acheron | New Visitors | Edifice
Wednesday, February 22. Artmosphere. 9PM. $15.
SOA = Baton Rouge dystopian industrial-ish metal; EP release tour. NV = SW LA rock. Likely all ages, as this is a restaurant / art gallery.

Os Mutantes
Wednesday, February 22. Gasa Gasa. 9PM. $20.
Yes, this is the Os Mutantes from Brazil.

Bill Callahan (a.k.a. Smog) | Pascal Kerong'A
Friday, February 24. Santos Bar. 9PM. $25.
BC = Glum, old-soul indie folk bard w/ acerbic lyrics, synonymous with the early “Drag City sound.” ‘97 LP Red Apple Falls is considered a classic of the genre. One of his exes, Chan “Cat Power” Marshall, did a great cover of his song “Bathysphere.” In early ‘04 he played at the Mermaid Lounge (now The Rusty Nail) w/ his then-unknown girlfriend Joanna Newsom opening. PK = “a Congolese singer-songwriter and a natural stage star based in Austin/Texas.” This will sell out.

Hey, Thanks! | The Low Blow | The Nancies | Basically Vacant
Saturday, February 25. Gasa Gasa. 8PM. $10.

The Music Of John Williams performed by Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra & Isidore Newman School Choir
Saturday, February 25. The Orpheum. 2PM (1st show), 7:30PM (2nd show).
I Love The ‘80s Strikes Back! The frankly amazing pre-announced program (setlist) includes the themes from Jaws, several Star Wars films, E.T., Jurassic Park, two Indiana Jones films, Amistad, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, etc. And the conductor even has the word “Pelican” in his name. Bring a VHS tape of every movie featured in the program and get 50¢ off.

The Dark Divide | Third & Delaware | Transient | Pale Shelter
Saturday, February 25. The Marsh a.k.a. The Marsh Room Patio Bar (Metairie). $8.
Two Texas acts, one brútal dystöpian “cyber metal” / “death wave” (TDD) & the other melodic metalcore (T&D). Plus a NOLA metalcore-y one (T), & a NOLA emocore one named after a wonderfully breezy but morose Tears For Fears song (PS) whose new album got micro-reviewed by OffBEAT: “Alternative rock with chugging guitars, thick bass and post-hardcore influence.”

Third & Delaware | The Dark Divide | Savage Wrath | Pixelcreep | Perpetual Deception
Sunday, February 26. Freetown Boom Boom Room (300 McKinley St, Lafayette). 7PM. $8 (advance), $10 (door).
Another Texas vs. Louisiana slugfest. T&D = Dallas brutal but arena-ready metalcore. TDD = Dallas “death wave” / “cyber metal” w/ unique beats. SW = Alexandria, LA retro thrash metal for fans of very early MetallicA right down to the denim vest & feathered hair. P = Lafayette female-fronted sludgy metal; Kylesa is a possible influence. PD = Pineville, LA intense swamp metal. Early show; doors at 6.

PUP | Joyce Manor
Wednesday, March 1. Chelsea’s Live (Baton Rouge). 8PM. $30 (advance).
Ontario & California post-hardcore / pop-punk / emo. Presented by Master Of Tickets. Flyer: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/851f11_6927bfd792c74a4fa38f0e471f2667f9~mv2.png

Kublai Khan TX | Undeath | IAM | Justice For The Damned
Thursday, March 2. Chelsea’s Live (Baton Rouge). $23.
Various branches of debatable necessity on the metalcore evolutionary tree, though Rochester, NY’s Undeath are more death metal, replete w/ the usual Cookie Monster vox. Speaking of branches and cookies, imagine how much money Hubig’s could make if they branched out into making cookies in addition to hand pies. Earlyish show for the aging metalheads & their tween offspring; doors at 6:30 PM.

Clot
Thursday, March 2. The Goat.
Killer metal band from Atlanta for folks who like The Body, Thou, Children of God, Cloud Rat, etc.

The Iceman Special | The Talismen
Friday, March 3. Chelsea’s Live (Baton Rouge). $20.

Cheap Trick
Friday, March 3. L’Auberge (Baton Rouge). 8PM.
In 1987, Big Black covered their punky song “He’s A Whore,” & even posed as CT on the cover of the single. (They posed as Kraftwerk on the back cover of that single.)

Cro-Mags | Ringworm | No/Mas | Brat
Saturday, March 4. Siberia. $20 (1st 50 tix), $22 (advance after that), $25 (door).

Antiseen | The Guillotines | The Pallbearers
Sunday, March 12. Siberia. 10PM. $15.
Various strains of old-school, non-PC punk from Charlotte, Houston, & NOLA, respectively. PSA: The local S clubs – Santos, Siberia, & even Saturn Bar & Southport Hall – deserve some kind of award for consistently feeding y’all oft-neglected punk bands for only a few bones. You know they’re frequently losing money due to the large advances most biggish-name veteran bands demand. So perhaps order a few more (or pricier) drinks to help them recoup those costs, or if you’re not a drinker, make a mental note to catch a few extra shows at that club that month that you’re on the fence about seeing.

Protomartyr | Truth Club
Monday, March 13. Gasa Gasa. 9PM. $18.
P = Detroit thorny indie rock w/ post-punk underpinnings, channeling the Fall (the singer even shamelessly pronounces “thing” as “thing-ah!”), Gang Of Four, Nick Cave projects, the Wipers, etc. On Domino Records. TC = Raleigh jangly indie rock, like a murky, lo-fi Smiths or Helium. How many bands with “Club” in their name will you see at Gasa Gasa & Siberia this year?

Nebula | The Atomic Bitchwax | Drood
Friday, March 17. Freetown Boom Boom Room (Lafayette). 9PM. $20.
Marijuana enthusiasts, or “stoners,” could be busy doing many things to help their communities: Building birdhouses, helping old ladies across the street, setting up recycling programs… Oftentimes they simply make amplified rock music. This cannot be tolerated.

The Lemon Twigs
Friday, March 17. Toulouse Theatre. 8:30PM. $16-20.
Lanky Long Island (birthplace of music legends Lee Ranaldo & Mariah Carey, & most expensive county in America) psych-pop brothers w/ apparent hip & unhip influences such as Sparks, Elephant 6, ELO, Suede, & Foxygen. Their Bandcamp bio simply states “more popular than you,” and since they’re on 4AD Records, it’s likely true.

New Order
Saturday, March 18. The Orpheum. 8PM.
It’s really happening… I used to think that the day would never come. Looks like this is their 1st NOLA show since a 1989 one across the intersection: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/new-order/1989/saenger-performing-arts-theater-new-orleans-la-7bd7ca34.html Tickets on sale to “Orpheum Fans” Feb. 2; to the general public Feb. 3.

Drug Church | Prince Daddy & The Hyena | Anxious | Webbed Wing
Monday, March 20. Chelsea’s Live (Baton Rouge). 7PM. $20 (advance).
DC = Albany post-hardcore, on Pure Noise Records. From their Bandcamp: “Drug Church is the logical limit of heavy alt. Like the Bee Girl from the Blind Melon video pitting hard for Helmet. This is worst-body-on-the-beach music. These are fired-from-your-window-tinting-job songs. Big riffs and petty concerns.” PD&TH = Albany grunge / folk / synth irritants. A = Connecticut heavy mid-‘90s-style anthemic indie rock / emocore, on Run For Cover Records. WW = Philly heavy indie rock / post-grunge w/ some alt-country songs too.

Danava | Century | Tötem
Sunday, March 26. The Goat (1301 St Bernard Ave). 9PM. $15 (advance), $18 (day of show).
D = Portland slightly psychedelic / synthy ‘70s stoner rock influenced by the gamut spanning Sabbath to Yes, “mixing head-nodding grooves with dense and intermittent freak-outs.” Have toured w/ Down, Voivod, Acid Mothers Temple (One Eyed Jacks, 3/19/08), Melvins. Fans of fellow campy ’70s acolytes Monster Magnet, The Sword, Cathedral may enjoy, or at least not groan. C = Stockholm, Sweden retro power metal w/ Judas Priest / Scorpions layered vocal vibes. Speaking of Scorpions, Marisa Tomei’s distraught strip scene to their savage masterpiece “Animal Magnetism” near the end of The Wrestler is a peak cinematic moment, rivaled by Jessica Biel stripping & crying to Cat Power’s “Werewolf” in Powder Blue. T = NOLA primal concrete sludge. Presented by Attrition.

Lisbon Girls | Weavr | The Nancies | Nova Junction
Monday, March 27. Zony Mash. 8PM. $10.

Eric Johnson
Wednesday, March 29. Midcity Ballroom. 8PM. $50 (advance), $60 (day of show).
Yes, he’s known as a “guitar god,” and this no-frills venue is connected to a guitar & amp shop, but he actually is not a flashy shredder, preferring atmospheric tonal coloration à la The Edge, Hendrix, Andy Summers. The chiming “Trail Of Tears” is his finest song, sounding like The Police & ‘80s King Crimson. Yours truly has it on CD & 12” single. The main reason to go would be to see if he still wears that ridiculous frilly gold-trimmed jacket.

Screaming Females | Generacion Suicida | Heavy Comforter
Saturday, April 1. Siberia. 10PM. $18 (advance), $22 (day of show).
SF = NJ scruffily melodic underdog post-proto-punk poppers. Have they ever taken even one day off from touring? Are they the funkiest, “coolest” band with a gerund in their name since Talking Heads? They’re a little bit ahead of Missing Persons, at least. GS = L.A. “KBD style punk, since 2010. Musica del barrio para el barrio.” HC = Chattanooga, TN laid-back garage rock; check out the song “Gentlemen.”

The Residents | Triple Trouble screening
Wednesday, April 5. The Broadside. 7PM. $25-28.
The “Faceless Forever 50th Anniversary Tour.” Yes, THE The Residents, who formed in Shreveport as high schoolers in the ‘60s before moving to Cali and becoming one of the most cryptic & influential bands in the underground. Just ask Negativland, Tuxedomoon, Primus (check out their ‘92 cover of “Sinister Exaggerator”), Laurie Anderson, Ween, Secret Chiefs 3, Animal Collective, et al. Their music videos are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. “The evening commences with a screening of their new film TRIPLE TROUBLE and concludes with a performance from the group.” The film is about a plumber who goes crazy after discovering a sink fungus that threatens humanity’s existence. Perhaps the band cleverly chose this venue because it’s a block from one of the world’s largest water pumping stations. (The world’s current most powerful one is on the Bestbank in Belle Chasse.)

Lucid Illusions | The Nancies
Saturday, April 8. Wolf Den (at the Howlin Wolf). 8PM. $10.

Built To Spill | Disco Doom | Oruã
Monday, April 10. The Joy Theater. 8PM. $25-39.50.
The dollar store Neil Young meanders back into town with his latest lineup of B2S, a band whose ephemerality even the Joy’s website gingerly acknowledges by prefacing “Known as well for its rotating line up…” Their current touring squad is totally different from that of their fall 2022 album, which itself has a totally new lineup compared to its 2020 predecessor. When fellow PNWers Modest Mouse became college radio phenoms in the mid-‘90s, they were widely slagged off by the zines as B2S copycats. After quirkily impressive early releases, both acts have cranked out LPs for the last 20+ yrs. that get approx. 7/10 lukewarm golf applause grades from music journos w/ no apparent effect on their ticket sales. DD = Zürich slacker / stoner-ish indie rock à la Dino Jr., Cell (NYC), Yuck, B2S. Their apathetic song title “Mellow Death” kinda sums it up. New album was mastered by Sarah Register of noise-blues duo Talk Normal. O = Rio de Janeiro multi-faceted acid pop who self-identify as “born at night and attends the parties at dawn. A poor man’s jazz. Working-class’ krautrock.” Members of this adventurous band have doubled as studio & touring members of B2S.

Silverstein | Dayseeker | SeeYouSpaceCowboy… | One Step Closer
Wednesday, April 12. The Joy Theater. 7PM. $27.50 - 87.00.
S = Ontario “Original Emo” / post-hardcore. D = Orange County alt-metal on Spinefarm Records. SYSC = San Diego screamo / “sasscore” / metalcore named after a cult favorite line / song in Cowboy Bebop. OSC = Apparently the straightedge hardcore rockers from Wilkes-Barre, PA. A Winter Circle Production.

The Toasters
Thursday, April 13. Santos Bar. 9PM. $15 (advance).
4 Decades Of Ska tour. Allegedly the longest-running ska band in America; founders of Moon Ska Records; havers of brilliantly jazzy Black Flag-spoofing logo. Opening act(s) TBA. A band of such high caliber that your trusty writer of this bio has only elected to attend one ska show in his life: the Toasters + local skankers Kelly’s Heroes @ HOB in ‘97.

The Well/Firebreather
Saturday, April 15. Santos Bar. 9PM. $12 advance/$15 at the door.
The Well = Austin psych metal. Firebreather = Swedish stoner/doom. F opened for Monolord last year and they have a similar groove. Both bands put on great shows in small clubs to small audiences.

Grindle | The Nancies | Atomic Broad | Coffinwolf Ultra
Monday, April 17. Wolf Den (at the Howlin Wolf). 7PM. $7.
Punk showcase.

Pedro The Lion | Erik Walters
Tuesday, April 18. Toulouse Theatre. 8PM. $22.50.
PTL = Seattle sad dadcore indie heartland rock helmed by lone constant David Bazan. It only hurts when I’m breathing. EW, a current PTL member = Seattle bleakly sensitive folk à la Damien Rice, Idaho. He was in the Flaming Lips-ish popsters the Globes & is in Silver Torches. A Winter Circle Production.

The New Pornographers | Wild Pink
Friday, April 21. Tipitina's. 8PM. $30.

Molchat Doma | Nuovo Testamento
Tuesday, April 25. House of Blues.

Agent Orange | Suzi Moon
Sunday, April 30. Santos Bar. 9PM. $20 (advance).
AO = “Picture a band that combines the best elements of the Sex Pistols, the Ventures and early Blue Öyster Cult” (Trouser Press). SM = Wash., D.C. retro rocker delivering “effortless channeling of classic ‘77 punk rock spirit with a modern twist.” Iggy Pop is a fan. Her song “Sonic Attraction” seems to be a nod to the Dead Boys’ classic “Sonic Reducer.” RIYL: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the Distillers.

Tenacious D
Thursday, May 11. The Fillmore. 8PM.
Please someone ask "Thou" to play.

Gulf Coast Metal Alliance Metal & Beer Festival
Saturday, May 20. Gulfport MS Dragway. Mid afternoon. $20 ish.
Drag strip is just south of I-10, west of Gulfport. The event usually hosts six to eight metal bands from the Gulf Coast states along with craft beer from Cold Comfort Brewing of Long Beach, MS. Beers are brewed and labeled with metal band themes. Pretty decent venue (depending on the weather) and laid back crowd.

Shame | Been Stellar
Sunday, June 4. Toulouse Theatre. 8PM. $20.
S = South London mercurial post-punk / noisy indie rock on Dead Oceans Records. “The band's loose, brilliantly-conceived sketches sound reckless, visceral, and undeniably infectious.” - No Ripcord mag. Latest album got a perfect 5-star rating from the fickle NME. BS = NYC proto-punky indie rock, likely named after the Zoolander thespian.

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.

New Orleans Area DIY Events and Shows