Live music in New Orleans is definitely one of the reasons that I was drawn to school here. On any given evening, you can find live music all over the city. I live in the Marigny – home to Frenchmen Street, where local jazz, funk and blues pours out onto the street from the various bars and music venues. Often there is no cover for these shows, which means you can shop around a bit for your favorite scene – and even if there is a cover, it’s rarely more than $5. Not a bad deal for checking out some of the best musicians in the world!
I’ve been excited to find that more so this year than last, some “indie” music acts have been coming through town. For example, Yeasayer was here last weekend, Matt & Kim on Tuesday, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros tonight, and Built to Spill next week! A few of us attended the Matt & Kim show on Tuesday. Opening for them was Big Freedia, the self-proclaimed Queen Diva of Sissy Bounce music. Oddly enough, I first heard about this new genre of music coming out of New Orleans in the Times Magazine while I was living in Boulder this summer. I was eager to check it out upon my return to New Orleans and was not let down. Big Freedia was nothing short of incredible. I’ll definitely be seeking out more of her shows around town and have already encouraged some out of town friends to see her on tour.