The last two semesters have battered students’ ears with a constant stream of great tunes. With multiple music festivals, local performances and huge album releases, University music lovers had little time to focus on one event before having to plan for the next. Fall kicked off with New Orleans’ annual Voodoo Music Experience. The festival saw massively popular headlining groups, from hip-hop star Snoop Dogg to rock icon Jack White’s Raconteurs. Voodoo Fest boasted a big roster of varied rappers like Kreayshawn and a controversial showing by Odd Future, old, established rockers like Sound Garden and Blink-182 and a long list of electronic artists – a now-entrenched genre in the festival’s lineup. But with a cool climate and a consistently fun atmosphere, many fans can find a way to have a blast. “[Voodoo Fest is] always the best Halloween party,” New Orleans native John Grant told The Daily Reveille in October. “I’m one of those that will come every year until I die, no matter what. No matter the lineup, I’ll always love Voodoo.” The Baton Rouge area wasn’t short on great music, either. Local synth-pop dance outfit, Prom Date, released its second EP. Hip-hop and spoken word artist Donney Rose released his second digital album, and the University’s own rapper, Seanil “Nilly” Reed, won a chance to join major artists like T.I. and Wale on the URock Tour. “Ever since this has happened, all kind of people have been coming out of nowhere with all kinds of support,” Reed said about his growing popularity since the acceptance in February. “I’ve been waiting on a break like this.” Fun, danceable shows slipped into the area as well with “Purple” DJ MartyParty and Zeds Dead playing Varsity shows on back-to-back weekends and the Spanish Moon hosting popular indie artists like Talkdemonic and Built to Spill. Spring brought warmer weather and with it a slew of festivals. Lafayette’s Festival International de Louisiane presented cultures from around the world, Baton Rouge Blues Week showed off the city’s nationally influential blues culture and New Orleans’ Jazz and Heritage Festival drew in local and international fans and bands. With some historically renowned artists like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Al Green and Eagles, fans arrived from across the country to pack Jazz Fest to maximum capacity. Surprise guests popped in as well, with Dave Koz and Dr. John joining Trombone Shorty and Bruce Springsteen, and Full House actor and Beach Boys Fan Club president John Stamos introducing the Beach Boys’ performance. “They represented America when the whole world wanted to be America,” Stamos said April 27. “This band’s songs were written in the deity of America.”
 
—- Contact Austen Krantz at [email protected]