Coming this Saturday night (March 22) to the Congo Square New World Rhythms Festival in Armstrong Park: Brooklyn's Red Baraat and their exhilarating blend of North Indian Bhangra rhythms with jazz, brass, funk, hip-hop, and more. (A "kind of ethnomusicologist’s academic dre... Read more

Strange things happen when marching bands come indoors. We're used to seeing them outdoors and on the move. Here's a different look at a Roots of Music, performing in what amounts to the orchestra pit. For the first 3 minutes of this video, Roots is backed by Dragon Smoke, a... Read more

On September 18, 1994, the annual Farm Aid benefit concert was held in New Orleans at the Super Dome. The line up included, amongst others, Willie Nelson, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, the Spin Doctors, Kris Kristofferson, and the Neville Brothers. Farm Aid has posted much of t... Read more

This is a particularly beautiful rendition of an exquisite song: Ziggy Marley sings his father's "Redemption Song", backed by Irish folk legends the Chieftans. The original version was last song on Uprising, the last album released during Bob Marley's life; the version here... Read more

Here's the late blues master Howlin' Wolf (born 1910 as Chester Arthur Burnett in West Point, Mississippi) doing "How Many More Years" during a 1965 TV appearance. The introduction is notable: it's done by Mick Jagger and Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones. During the fir... Read more

It's about to start happening! This time lapse video shows the Fair Grounds being transformed from a humble horse racing venue into the home of our favorite festival. It's shot from the grandstand, with the Economy Hall Tent location in the foreground, and shows about half ... Read more

It's kind of hard to describe Brass Bed, an indie rock band from Lafayette. They describe themselves as "psych-pop auteurs" on their YouTube channel, and their Facebook page, lists the following influences: "Busted amps, analog synths, The Kinks, pretty, noisy, The Band, Te... Read more

Among the many fine performances in the 'OZ studio during last fall's Pledge Party, Tarriona “Tank” Ball and her band the Bangas stood out. Last summer OffBeat cited Etta James, Leela James, and Jill Scott among likely influences; the result is a heady mix-and-match of soul... Read more

Don't worry, that title's ironic! Just thought y'all might like to spend a little bit of your post-Fat Tuesday lethargy with this short video introduction to the Louisiana crawfish harvest... 'Tis the season, afterall.     If you've got time and interest, here's a longer pi... Read more

Here's a singular take on a Carnival classic: a special 2009 arrangement of "Go to the Mardi Gras", by Wendell Brunious, accompanied by French jazz pianist Thierry Ollé's trio. Recorded in Périgueux (SW France), Brunious sings, whistles, and plays cowbell.     Read more