The Music of New Orleans: March 2017
New Orleans, Louisiana is a city of music. You hear it everywhere. It is happily inescapable. For the entire month of March 2017 we here at I♥DM enjoyed the gluttonous and indulgent privilege of living in the heart of Faubourg Marigny, where one faces nothing less than a full-scale daily onslaught of live musical performance upon nearly every stroll down this legendary neighborhood’s main drag. Our musical explorations within the Crescent City went far beyond Chartres & Frenchmen Street, however, as we also took in three local music festivals, one featuring widely divergent visiting acts. Among the many 
varied performances we witnessed over our month-long vagabondage: Erica Falls (with a band featuring local legend June Yamagishi on guitar), who sang an absolutely heavenly rendition of her original composition “Alright” at Congo Square Rhythms Festival in Louis Armstrong Park; New York Neo-Soul legend Roy Ayers on a double bill with Michael Franks at the very same venue but on a later date; 
contemporary electric bass guitar virtuoso Stephen Bruner, better known as ‘Thundercat’, who blew minds at New Orleans’ top annual electronic music fest, Buku Music + Art Project, held annually since 2013 upon the grounds of Mardi Gras World in the city’s Lower Garden District; and upstart local Hip-Housers, Ray Wimley & The Harbinger Project, who, in our opinion, do live Hip-Hop in a fashion far superior to the vast majority of their arena-filling contemporaries. While it may appear a reach to outsiders, in our minds including these and other visiting musicians under the umbrella of what we’re prepared to call “New Orleans Music” seems only natural. Because so many lovers of music come so far to visit the great city of New Orleans, often only to satisfy their dreams of performing on its legendary streets, we feel it fitting to include herein the unexpurgated entirety of our musical experience in the Big Easy. Enjoy. ~I♥DM
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1. A Random French Quarter Party Band gets into the spirit of the season at approximately 1000 Bourbon Street on Lundi Gras night, 2017 – An appropriate opening to our month-long odyssey.
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2. Hundreds Brass Band + New Life Brass Band with an 11-minute jam at the corner of Chartres & Frenchmen, Lundi Gras night 2017….
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3. The Whiskeyhickon Boys of Pennsylvania play “You Don’t Know Me” at Decatur & Barracks Street in the French Quarter, Lundi Gras night 2017…..
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4. Alicia Best of North Carolina plays an original composition (we think) at 1215 Decatur on Lundi Gras night, 2017…..
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5. A New Orleans Brass Band plays on a French Quarter balcony on Mardi Gras day 2017 as chaos reigns all around…..
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6. Pink House Playboys with a random jam on a Frenchmen Street doorstep, 3-1-2017…..
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7. Ray Wimley & The Harbinger Project produce a sweet combination of Hip-Hop & House at the corner of Chartres & Frenchmen Street, 3-3-2017 – In our opinion, these street corner masters perform live Hip-Hop in a manner infinitely more impressive than the vast majority of contemporary, arena-filling rappers.
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8. The Shim Sham Bangers playing the Jazz standard “All Of Me” at Decatur & St. Louis Street, 3-4-2017…..
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9. Tony Buchanon playing Jim Croce‘s “Time In A Bottle” at Café Beignet, 3-4-2017…..
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10. Sidewalk Swing play a title unknown to us at the corner of St. Peter & Royal Street, 3-4-2017…..
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11. Samantha Pearl playing her original composition “Love You With Scars” at 730 Royal Street in the French Quarter, 3-4-2017…..
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12. Dirty South Voodoo Meat Buckets play an unknown title at Chartres & Frenchmen, 3-6-2017…..
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13. Slow Rollas Brass Band jam on for 25+ minutes at the intersection of Iberville & Bourbon Street, 3-7-2017…..
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14. Ricky Steece belts out an original at the top of Pere Antoine Alley, 3-7-2017…..
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15. Young Fellaz Brass Band cover Stevie Wonder‘s “Part Time Lover” at Chartres & Frenchmen, 3-8-2017…..
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16. Shannon Jae sings her original song “Lonesome Blues” at 922 Royal Street, 3-9-2017…..
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17. Young Fellaz All-Starz Brass Band play New Birth Brass Band‘s “Here We Go” live at Chartres & Frenchmen Street, 3-9-2017…..
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18. John Patton plays a variation of Leonard Cohen‘s “Hallelujah” on a dark stretch of Royal Street, late in the evening, 3-9-2017…..
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19. Car Seat Headrest play their original composition “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” live at Buku Music + Art Project, 3-10-2017…..
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20. ‘Thundercat’ aka Stephen Bruner plays a three-song medley at Buku Music + Art Project, 3-10-2017…..
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21. 20 Minutes of GRiZMATiK aka ‘GRiZ’ & ‘Gramatik’ aka Grant Kwiecinski & Denis Ješarevic’ at Buku Music + Art Project, 3-10-2017…..
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22. ‘Lil Yachty’ aka Miles Parks McCollum embarrasses himself and the entire genre of Hip-Hop at Buku Music + Art Project, 3-10-2017…..
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23. ‘Lil Dicky’ aka David Andrew Burd performs his original song “Work (Paid For That)” at Buku Music + Art Project, 3-10-2017…..
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24. Tycho aka Scott Hansen (& band) play “Epoch” at Buku Music + Art Project, 3-11-2017…..
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25. Run The Jewels aka ‘Killer Mike’ & ‘El-P’ aka Michael Render & Jamie Meline (don’t forget ‘Trackstar the DJ’) perform “Talk To Me” at Buku Music + Art Project, 3-11-2017…..
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26. $uicideboy$ aka ‘Ruby da Cherry’ & ‘$lick $loth’ (+ ‘Germ’) perform four short songs at Buku Music + Art Project, 3-11-2017…..
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27. Samantha Pearl on guitar and vocals plus Adam Everett on drums, doing a full 40-minute concert at Mahogany Jazz Hall, 3-14-2017…..
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28. Young Fellaz Brass Band jam for 10+ minutes at the corner of Chartres & Frenchmen Street, 3-14-2017…..
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29. Two Scruffy NOLA Buskers play the Jazz standard “I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me” at 632 Frenchmen Street, 3-16-2017…..
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30. A Random Quartet of New Orleans Buskers play a title unbeknownst to us at 912 Royal Street, 3-17-2017…..
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31. Prism (minus their drummer) play their original composition, “Squish”, live at 217 Royal Street, 3-17-2017…..
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32. The Big Dawg Slingshots play two old-timey rags at 632 Frenchmen Street, 3-17-2017…..
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33. Bon Bon Vivant play their original compostion”Odetta” live at 912 Royal Street, 3-18-2017…..
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34. Erica Falls sings her original song “Alright” live at Congo Square Rhythms Festival in Louis Armstrong Park, 3-18-2017…..
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35. The Low End Theory Players cover three of A Tribe Called Quest‘s songs at Congo Square Rhythms Festival at Louis Armstrong Park, 3-18-2017…..
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36. Colton Ort of St. Cinder plays the Blues standard “Trouble In Mind” live at St. Peter & Royal Street, 3-19-2017…..
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37. Treme Brass Band plays “Gimme My Money Back!” live in Washington Square, 3-21-2017…..
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38. Davell Crawford & Friends cover the Blues classic “(Night Time Is) The Right Time” at Washington Square, 3-21-2017…..
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39. ‘Eve the Rib‘ plays her original song “Sorry” at the corner of Royal & St. Peter Street, 3-21-2017…..
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40. Young Fellaz Brass Band with an 11-minute, three song jam at Chartres & Frenchmen Street, 3-23-2017…..
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41. Percy Harrison & Friends perform Roy Hawkins’ “The Thrill Is Gone” at Royal & St. Peter Street, 3-23-2017…..
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42. Les Fanflures Brass Band, minus five or six members, play a song from their home country of France at the corner of Royal & St. Peter Street, 3-23-2017…..
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43. Three songs by The Harbinger Project featuring Ray Wimley, performed on the corner of Chartres & Frenchmen Street, 3-24-2017…..
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44. Sandino Cerrado plays Robert Johnson‘s “Cross Road Blues” at Decatur & Barracks Street, 3-25-2017…..
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45. Tasche de la Rocha sings her original song “Darling Darling” at the corner of Decatur & Governor Nicholls Street, 3-25-2017…..
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46. Cody Meyocks of St. Cinder covering George ‘Little Hat’ Jones‘ “Bye Bye Baby Blue” at Royal & Dumaine, 3-27-2017…..
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47. Pocket Funk playing The Meters‘ oft covered “Hey Pocky A-Way” at RF’s Restaurant in the French Quarter, 3-29-2017…..
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48. Roy Ayers Ubiquity play their timeless classic “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” on the Congo Square Stage at Louis Armstrong Park, 3-31-2017…..
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49. Michael Franks & Friends play two songs on the Congo Square Stage at Louis Armstrong Park, 3-31-2017…..
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50. The legendary Ellis Marsalis Quintet performing an original composition, “Tell Me”, live at Snug Harbor in the heart of Marigny, 3-31-2017 – The patriarch of New Orleans’ Bop finishes off our month of excess in the grandest of fashions.
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