Visiting New Orleans, ... suggestions?

[BobbyRay]

Will be in N.O. from 4/22 to 4/27 for the Jazz fest. Any suggestions on cool Music stores or even a club to catch some guitar heavy Blues. There are so many places w/ live music that it's kind of overwhelming. Last time i went the record stores had some great little concerts during the day however I would like some tips on a night time club, streetcorner, alley or whatever ya got.

[DJDM]

I can't say I do but there is a guy named D. Funk that would love to have you book a platinum session at his studio.
Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[wayne kerr]

Screw D Funk - it's Jenny ya wanna get an "appointment" with. D never did tell us what her day rate was!

S_H

[Spy Boy]

BobbyRay,

For music stores, check out the very cool Louisiana Music Factory in the French Quarter. They feature lots of great in-store performanes on Saturdays.

For blues heavy clubs, depending on the schedules, the list includes The Maple Leaf, Mid City Lanes Rock 'n' Bowl, Delta Blues Grill, Banks Street Bar, Lounge Lizzards, The Spotted Cat, House of Blues and a score of other clubs with decent house bands on Bourbon Street. www.offbeat.com is a great source for music calendars and news on the local scene. Sometimes, especially on the weekends, you can catch some pretty good street musician blues on Royal Street in the Quarter.

Glad you are planning on making it to the Big Easy.

[alba359]

There's lots of history and things to see in New Orleans. Crime seems to be down, but, if you decide to go to the Cemetaries it's best to go with a group.

[signorMars]

If you love that Journey song "Separate Ways" then you should head down to Bourbon Street. I went there with some buddies a couple summers ago and we heard no less than 3 different cover bands play that song. It kicked ass.

Some day, love will find you
break those chains that bind you (close eyes and make chain breaking gesture)

[coniferouspine]

Awright, I just posted a huge abstract pro-New Orleans rant that kinda went nowhere with the in-crowd in one of the "What's Wrong With D-Funk" threads...but since I LIVE here, here's my two cents:

The in-stores at Louisiana Music Factory, as mentioned above, are fantastic. Not just Saturdays but all days during the Fest, and the week inbetween, I believe.

International Vintage Guitars - on Magazine St. not too far from the CBD/French Quarter. Fender, Gibson, Martin, old Magnatone amps etc.

New Orleans Music Exchange - further "Uptown" on the corner of Magazine St and Louisiana Ave. Fewer guitars, but cooler and cheaper, with more weird guitars. More likely to have B-benders and E-bows and stuff. And funkier - you might get there the same time as somebody trades in the exact piece of gear you're looking for. It's happened to me, walked in out of the blue and a dude was negotiating a trade-in on a '73 Music Man amp, struck a deal on the spot, I was happy, dude was happy, owner of store was happy. If you have non-Jazz Fest time, there are a lot of antiques places and women's clothing stores in that area on Magazine Street so it can be a good "he shopped/she shopped" kind of expedition.

COFFEE - PJ's. If you can get PJ's coffee, get it. Their Iced Moccha is like elixium of the gods at Jazz Fest. Get one in the morning on your way out to the Fairgrounds after a long night out the night before, and it's like Viagra or something. If you're in the heart of the touristy French Quarter at Jackson Square, Cafe Du Monde is the best bet. In terms of actual coffee, it goes kinda like this with the local coffee shops: 1) PJs 2) CC's 3) Rue De La Course 4) Cafe Du Monde. In terms of scenery (i.e. girls) it goes 1) Rue De La Course 2) PJ's 3) CC's 4) Cafe Du Monde. Rue Girls are like Suicide Girls, tattooed, reading Chomsky, interning at an art gallery, easy to talk to; PJ's girls are beautiful but a little more uptight private-school types, great but she may be already engaged to a doctor; CCs girls are really-interesting-but-skeptical women working their way through law school or whatever, and Cafe Du Monde is like a bunch of weirdly-shaped women from parts unknown with the occasional drop-dead bombshell or goddess thrown in.

Blues - Snooks Eaglin is your bomb. Seek him out and find him. He plays blues, funk, and soul, and he's blind and been doing it since the '50s. It doesn't get more New Orleans than Snooks. Also, and I may lose some cred from a few local hipsters for saying this, but Bryan Lee (another blind local blues guitarist) can be really awesome. I don't know specifics, but he's got to be playing a bajillion times that weekend. Look in Offbeat Magazine (essential listings guide as mentioned above) or Gambit magazine to see exactly where he's playing. He's amazing, he's freaking blind, and he can totally wail on a good night. But Snooks will take a good set by Bryan Lee and roll it up in the morning and smoke it and then decide what he wants to do that day. Seriously.

You may already know this, but Abita is a really good local formerly-hippie microbrew. Dixie beer is a local beer that a lot of people are scared of (it's kind of like Milwaukee's Best with a New Orleans twist) but Abita is nothing to be afraid of. The Red Ale is really worth checking out, I'd say.

Helpful hint: if you're in town, and it's Jazz Fest, and you have a show you *really* want to go see, get there kinda early (like 8 or 9 PM) and find out what the deal is. GET YOUR HAND STAMPED or BUY A TICKET. Things start out really tame but quickly get out of control; if you think it might sell out, get there early and figure in the cost of a few extra beers waiting around, or get your tickets and go somewhere else and come back. Some stuff gets really crowded etc. It's not like that all the time -- most of the year the really great bands play to 25 people in the audience, but Jazz Fest is the one exception. So enjoy it!