Rain or shine, patrons and performers at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival know how to have a good ole’ time.

Amongst a plethora of ponchos, umbrellas and muddy feet I made ventured to the Big Easy for my annual fix of Louisiana culture at it’s finest.

Here’s my account of the day:

Sunday Ritual

As always I made my first stop at The Gospel Tent to get empowered for the day ahead. I don’t know if it was the music, the fact that it was Sunday or the comfort of knowing I was protected from the torrential downpour outside, but I found the tent more enjoyable than ever.  Up first were the Famous Rocks of Harmony, a band that has been performing in The Gospel Tent for 43 years. I would venture to guess that not one of the members of the group was under the age of 60, but they were still rockin’.  Their powerful performance had the audience of all ages on their feet, clapping and swaying the whole show.

 As the tunes took a more blues-y tone, I was lucky enough to encounter “The Cutest Couple in the Entire World.” The middle-aged couple that I could not take my eyes off of danced up and down the isles of the venue for nearly half an hour, clearly in love with the music and each other.  Watching their happiness, while hearing the belting voices and funky bass of the band playing behind them, made for the perfect start to the day.

As the perfect couple, who was probably sufficiently creeped out by me at this point, sat down and the Rocks of Harmony left the stage, I was excited to see that another artist with an equally awesome band name was to perform next.  After a few minutes of set changes, “the sould and spirit of New Orleans” Jo “Cool” Davis wheeled himself out onto the stage. The New Orleans local, and former bouncer at Tipitinas, lost his left foot and part of his leg to diabetes and now uses a custom wheelchair to move around. His disability though did not stop him from putting on a captivating gospel performance as he led the band with his fierce voice and emotional lyrics (accompanied by a key-tarist wearing a white suit and hot pink tie, I might add)

 It’s performances like this that make Jazz Fest like no other festival in the world. The city of New Orleans is overflowing with artists passionate about their work, and the festival provides them with the opportunity to share their passion will patrons that are more than willing to listen. It’s not about big names or appearances, but it’s all about the music.

Funny Names, Full of Talent

After a lunch break/gorge of meaty-fried deliciousness, the food-coma I had entered made me at first uncertain of which show I would attend next.  After some deliberation, I decided to go with a favorite festival theory of mine: Go see the bands with the cleverest or strangest names. It never fails.

The first name to catch my eye was Brother Tyrone and the Mind Benders, who were playing The Blues Tent. I had never been to the Blues Tent before, but I was happy to see that it was packed!  Standing in the back of the “standing room only” section I could see Tyrone Pollard, who fronts the band, on the giant screens on either side, clad in a grey suit and round sunglasses (despite the fact that it was pouring and we were in a tent.) Though it took me a while to get into the more somber mood of the Blues Tent, about halfway through the show Tyrone broke into a personal song about the effects of Hurricane Katrina that caught my attention. He introduced it as “something special,” but I have still yet to find the title of the song. The emotion and sadness of the song companied with his soulful voice drew me in, as he sang the lyrics “ waters came in and washed my house away, my wife and children went to Texas to stay.”

After Tyrone, I ventured to the Lagniappe Stage to see Tuba Skinny perform.  Given the band’s name I imagined a lanky man with his tuba dancing on a stage. Naturally, I was interested. To my dismay though, upon entering the enclave of gardens behind the race grounds I found a band of nine charming individuals playing tuba, trombone, clarinet, coronet, banjo, drums and washboard. With their silly demeanor and upbeat old jazz sound, the audience quickly fell in love. The swoony and sultry Erika Lewis led vocals on several songs, and I have to say she had the most impressive female voice I have heard in some time.

Looking around I couldn’t help but notice how happy the audience was. Behind glazed eyes the barefooted hipsters were full on swing-dancing in front of the stage; the affluent New Orleans couples nodded with smiles while basking in the shade of the garden; while an older women kept tapping a pin on her shirt, which claimed that her “fun meter” had maxed out.  Once again my festival theory had served me well. I was having a great time.

*Note: Ryan Bear, banjo player for Tuba Skinny, has arguable the most impressive mustache curl of our generation.

The Main Rain Stage

After my blissful experience at the Lagniappe Stage, I made my way to the main stage to pay my LSU duty and catch the end of Better than Ezra with my friends. Not expecting much out of the band who I fan-girled over in middle school, I was pleasantly surprised by the band’s charismatic performance. Lead singer Kevin Griffin joked around throughout the performance, making fun of his fellow band mates and artists, such as John Mayer. The band also preformed two covers, much to the crowd’s enjoyment. The first being Mackelmore’s “Thrift Shop,” with the finale of the show being The Gorillaz’s hit “Feel Good Inc.” And it’s always fun to hear those throwbacks like “Desperately Wanting” and “Juicy.”

After a quick couchon de laite po boy, I sifted back through the crowd to find my spot in the front to catch the end of The Neville’s. They were “never stronger,” as the band kept saying. Full of funk and soul, they were everything that you would expect from the famous family.

The final show of the day was the much anticipate Dave Matthews Band. Not a huge DMB fan myself, but having heard all amazing live presence; I was interested to see what this band was all about.  As Matthews ran on to the stage it almost instantly began to pour… and the crowd went wild. Through the downpour Matthews and his band serenaded the audience with sweet beautiful songs like “You and Me” and loud energetic ones such as “Shake Me Like A Monkey” and the LSU favorite “Ants Marching.” Matthew’s voice and passion were impressive, it was clear that he was having just as much fun as the audience. But the entire band was full of talent, as showcased through the ten to 15 minute interludes the band is famous for. For example it looked like drummer Carter Beauford had a drum set of about 20 drums. Boyd Tinsley, who couldn’t wipe the huge smile off his face the entire show, made the violin cool. And my personal favorite member, Stefan Lessard on the trumpet, played with so much soul that I cheered for him every time.  When the band finished, with Matthews almost as drenched as the audience, it clear to me why people love him. He, and his entire band, put their heart and sole into each performance. DMB and all the artists I saw that day love what they do and loved being in the real music capital of the world, performing for the “best audience in the world.”

I left the fair grounds drenched and happy. It was a wonderful day in every way.

Stay tuned for more Jazz Fest updates throughout the week from the one and only KLSU!