Your Complete Guide to the 6th Annual Nolafunk Series During Jazz Fest (4/27 – 5/7)

April 12, 2017April 14, 2017 Sam Hutchinson Jazz Fest, New Orleans, Nolafunk

15 days. That’s right, Jazz Fest is quickly approaching and the festivities commence in just over two weeks. Every year since 1970 hundreds of thousands of music enthusiasts from all over the globe spill into New Orleans for a two week celebration of music and the culture of Louisiana. In its most literal definition, Jazz Fest refers to the annual festival put on by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation at the Fair Grounds Race Course until 7pm, Thursday – Sunday during the final weekend of April and the first weekend of May. But in its more widely accepted definition, Jazz Fest refers to the two week, city-wide explosion of musical and cultural events both within the Fairgrounds and at unaffiliated venues throughout New Orleans.

Because the festival itself closes their gates promptly at 7pm each day, the city comes alive at night with an abundance of concerts at different historic venues throughout New Orleans. Each year, New York City-based promotion agency CEG, doing business as Nolafunk during Jazz Fest, books a series of after-hour concerts during Jazz Fest, fittingly titled the Annual Nolafunk Series During Jazz Fest. This Spring, Nolafunk celebrates its 6th annual year at Jazz Fest with its best lineup of artists to date.

To help acclimate you with the talented acts on this Spring’s Nolafunk lineup, I’ll doing two things. First, I’ve embedded our Jazz Fest ticket giveaway directly below. We’re giving away a pair of tickets to every after-hour show on this year’s lineup, and the simple entry process is explained below. Second, I’ve put together a guide (organized chronologically) of each act with show information, a band bio, and YouTube clip uploaded within the past two years. Ticket information for all Nolafunk shows during Jazz Fest can be found here.

An Intimate Evening with
moe.
Le Petit Theatre
Thursday, April 27th, 2017
8pm Doors 9pm Show
$90 For 3-Show Tickets (Price includes tickets to moe.’s April 28 & 29 performances at The Civic. Must purchase tickets for all three to get into Le Petit Theatre on April 27.)
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2gg0pKJ

From their humble, inconspicuous beginnings as a local bar band in Buffalo, NY, to headlining Radio City Music Hall on New Year’s Eve, moe.’s journey has been one of hard work, perseverance, and dedication. Critical acclaim and a solid national and international fan base has resulted in a dedicated following that grows each year. Rolling Stone magazine named Chuck and Al among the top twenty new “guitar gods,” The pair have been featured in Guitar World and Modern Guitar, Jim and Vinnie in Drum!, and Rob in Bass Player. The renowned guitar play between Al and Chuck has become the stuff of legend. The exceptional vibe and percussion work by Jim is brilliant. The understated bass play by Rob is masterful. The seamless, efficiency of Vinnie’s drumming is extraordinary. Together, the five create a musical synergy greater than the sum of their parts.

The Record Company, North Mississippi Allstars & Anders Osborne present N.M.O.
Republic NOLA
Friday, April 28th, 2017
8pm Doors 9pm Show
$48.50 Tickets
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2h1JIXK

The Record Company are a swaggering three-piece rock band with a raw and rootsy sound, but don’t call them a blues act. “We tip our hat to the greats — Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed — and carry a lot of the blues in our music,” said lead singer and guitarist Chris Vos in an interview with journalist Kate Wertheimer. “But we’ve got too much respect for the genre to lump ourselves into it. We’re more similar to an early rock & roll band.” The Record Company were formed in 2011 by three serious music fans who had each moved to Los Angeles from the Midwest and East Coast — Vos from Milwaukee, Wisconsin; bassist Alex Stiff (aka Alex Wood) from Wayne, Pennsylvania; and drummer Marc Cazorla from Elmira, New York. The Record Company have since been nominated for a Grammy Award, and are on a fast track to the top of rock and roll.

Bio (N.M.O.): Anders Osborne and North Mississippi Allstars have teamed up as N.M.O. (North Mississippi Osborne) to release the new full length LP “Freedom & Dreams.” Between the potency of his richly detailed songwriting, his intensely emotional, soulful vocals and his piercing, expert guitar work, New Orleans’ Anders Osborne is a true musical treasure. He is among the most original and visionary musicians writing and performing today. Guitar Player calls him “the poet laureate of Louisiana’s fertile roots music scene.” North Mississippi Allstars is an American southern rock / blues band from Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is composed of two brothers, Luther Dickinson (guitar, lowebow, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, electric washboard, vocals).

Dead Feat
Anders Osborne, Paul Barrere & Fred Tackett of Little Feat, Jackie Greene, Brady Blade plus special guest John Kadlecik (Furthur)
w/ Midnight North feat. Grahame Lesh
Republic NOLA
Saturday, April 29th, 2017
$49.50 Tickets
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2h1V79O

One of the annual traditions of Jazz Fest late nights is Dead Feat, a collaboration that generally features Dead family musicians and members of Little Feat, as well as musicians from the New Orleans scene. This year’s lineup features Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett of Little Feat, as well as Dead family regulars John Kadlecik & Jackie Greene, and New Orleans rock legend Anders Osborne.

Immediately after their last studio release, 2015’s Scarlet Skies, Midnight North – fronted by lead songwriters Elliott Peck & Grahame Lesh with lush Hammond B3 organ, lead guitar, and harmony work from Alex Jordan and stomping bass lines from Connor O’Sullivan – began touring the country in earnest, visiting the East Coast and the Midwest for the first time in Summer 2015.

Twiddle w/ special guests
Republic NOLA
Saturday, April 29th, 2017
1:30am Show (technically early morning 4/30)
$25 Tickets
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2ghbjom

With roots at Vermont’s Castleton State University, Twiddle began their extensive touring career in 2005. Over a decade later, the foursome has composed an eclectic catalogue spanning three studio albums of originals, in addition to many live releases. Currently the band is digging in at the studio composing PLUMP Chapter Two, the second half of their acclaimed third album. Having performed at a multitude of international festivals, Twiddle’s trajectory shows zero sign of slowing. Look for them to pack prominent theaters throughout 2017, as they truly break through to the next level.

Cowboy Mouth
Le Petit Theatre
Saturday, April 29th, 2017
$36 Tickets
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/CM_4-29-17

For over two decades, Cowboy Mouth has dished up its unique style of rock & roll gumbo, mixing a rowdy spirit reflective of the band’s hometown — New Orleans — with the fierce firepower of a group that lives on the road. These Louisiana natives have played more than 2,500 concerts and launched their signature song, “Jenny Says,” into the upper half of the Billboard rock charts. Above all else, they earned a well-deserved rep as a raucous, redemptive, live music experience.

Dead Feat
Anders Osborne, Paul Barrere & Fred Tackett of Little Feat, Jackie Greene, Brady Blade, plus special guest John Kadlecik (Furthur)
w/ Vince Herman & Friends feat. Vince and other Leftover Salmon members Alwyn Robinson, and Erik Deutsch
Republic NOLA
Sunday, April 30th, 2017
8pm Doors 9pm Show
$49.50 Tickets
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2hkRI6T

Vince Herman is a guitarist and singer best known for being one of the founding members of Leftover Salmon. Leftover Salmon started in 1989 as somewhat of a melding of the Left Hand String Band and the Salmonheads, and became more and more popular over the sixteen years that followed. The band decided to go their separate ways in 2005, but still play together (billed as Leftover Salmon) on occasion.

Morgan James
w/ special guest Andy Allo
Le Petit Theatre
Sunday, April 30th, 2017
8pm Doors 9pm Show
$25 Tickets
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2htm2d1

“A phenomenal talent whose feel for classic soul music is bone deep…This woman is on fire.” — The New York Times. One voice is all it takes. The right vocalist can make you fall in love at first listen, elicit tears, or bring you back to a different era altogether. A microphone and a stage remain the only necessities. That holds true for New York-based soul singer, songwriter, and Broadway chanteuse Morgan James.

Cameroon-born singer and songwriter Andy Allo is an artist who is truly paving her own path with a sound and vibe that is uniquely her own. Andy released her first album, UnFresh in 2009 and two years later, joined Prince’s New Power Generation as a singer/guitarist and worked with the legend on her sophomore album, Superconductor. That album featured a funk/soul sound and made it to #4 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. She has performed on Jimmy Kimmel, Guitar Center Sessions and showed her acoustic chops on Billboard Sessions Exclusive.

Foundation of Funk featuring George Porter Jr. & Zigaboo Modeliste with Jimmy Herring & Jojo Hermann
Republic NOLA
Thursday May 4, 2017
8pm Doors 9pm Show
$49.50 Tickets
Ticket Link: Sold Out!

Tab Benoit, Samantha Fish
w/ special guests
Republic NOLA
Friday May 5, 2017
8pm Doors 9pm Show
$37.50 Tickets
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2m5Gg1t

Tab Benoit is Louisiana’s No. 1 roots export. More than just an acclaimed bluesman, he is an indefatigable conservation advocate. Benoit is a driving force behind Voice of the Wetlands, an organization working to save Louisiana’s wetlands. In 2010, he received the Governor’s Award for Conservationist of the Year from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Benoit also starred in the IMAX motion picture Hurricane on the Bayou, a documentary of Hurricane Katrina’s effects and a call to restore the wetlands.

Whether one leans towards the blues, opts for Americana or ignites some special fervor by playing with a garage band, there’s a common bond that suggests a reverence for the roots. Looking back towards an earlier template — no matter what the genre — proves the point that appreciating what came before can be a stepping stone for what comes next. Samantha Fish knows that all too well, and it’s been evidenced in the music she’s made her entire career. While she’s well known as a purveyor of blues, having been lauded by such legends as Buddy Guy, the Royal Southern Brotherhood and Luther Dickinson, her real love is simply raw, scrappy rock and roll. “I grew up on it,” she insists. “Working with Luther on my last album further instilled that spirit in me. It made me realize just how much that basic, unfettered sound means to me, and how well it ties into soul music, R&B, country and so many other forms of music that are essential even today.”

Big Freedia (Live Set backed by Tank & the Bangas) / The Soul Rebels
w/ special guests Tank & the Bangas
Republic NOLA
Saturday May 6, 2017
8pm Doors 9pm Show
$29.50 Advance $35 Day Of Show
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2ixZoUz

Big Freedia, known as the Queen of Bounce, is a New Orleans-based rapper and ambassador of Bounce music. A vibrant twist on hip-hop, Bounce music is characterized by call-and-response lyrics over rapid-fire beats and booty-shaking.

The Soul Rebels started with an idea – to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of hip hop, jazz and rock. The band has settled on an eight-piece lineup and have built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in the party like atmosphere of a dance club.

Originating in New Orleans, Tank and The Bangas have all the qualities that relate them to the city that birthed them, but a flair that separates them as well. Their performances range from being “one of the most energetic shows you’ll ever see” to “a gospel tent in Mississippi.” Rummaging through their sound like a thrift store hippie, you’ll find the Bangas to provoke a musical reference of Rhythmic Soul and Spoken Word among other genres like rock, gospel, funk, and folk. Tank & the Bangas recently won the first place prize for this year’s NPR Tiny Desks competition, beating out bands like Run the Jewels and Galactic. Find their winning video submission below!

Voodoo Dead featuring Steve Kimock, Jackie Greene, George Porter Jr., Jeff Chimenti, and JM Kimock
Friday, May 6, 2017 (Technically May 7 at 1:30am)
1:30am Doors 2am Show
$49.50 Tickets
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2hiv6Db

Voodoo Dead is a supergroup comprised of Dead family musicians and New Orleans music legends. The band pays homage to the historic catalogue of the Grateful Dead with unique New Orleans-inspired interpretations. The band originally formed during Jazz Fest after hours, and recently completed its first headlining Northeast tour, selling out major venues like New York City’s Irving Plaza and Pennsylvania’s historic Ardmore Music Hall. Voodoo Dead returns to New Orleans this Spring with its best lineup to date.

40th Anniversary of Barton Hall, 5/8/77, a New Oreleans Tribute to the Legendary Show
Voodoo Dead featuring Steve Kimock, Jackie Greene, George Porter Jr., Jeff Chimenti, and JM Kimock with special guests Oteil Burbridge & Papa Mali
plus Lebo & Friends
Saturday, May 7, 2017
8pm Doors 9pm Show
$49.50 Tickets
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/2htihEs

Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, is the lead guitarist of ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra). Lebo is a prolific musician who has worked with everyone from Phil Lesh to members of the James Brown Band. He’s also a staple of the ever-exciting Jam Cruise series, and frequently performs with a rotation of musicians under the stage name “Lebo & Friends.”