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I was tasked by the Music Genome Project to play tour guide for founder Tim Westergren for the Baton Rouge stop on his nationwide music discovery trip last week. It proved to be a great night for very large bands making music, though a certain basketball program had a rougher evening.

We started on the outskirts at Teddy’s Juke Joint in Zachary on old Scenic Highway, where guest bluesman Bryan Lee was in the house to help celebrate what would have been Muddy Waters 93rd birthday. Blind since age 8, Lee honed his blues skills at the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans during his residency there in the early 80’s. His funky, punchy take on the Chicago blues that first drew him to music and friendly conversational delivery was almost as inviting as the spread of food Teddy’s wife made for the event.

Then to Red Star, where the Dimestore Troubadours' unfortunate absence was supplanted by a killer set by experimental punk/noise/blues/funk combo Dirtfoot from Shreveport. With a drummer, percussionist with a table full of pots and pans, sax, upright bass, banjo, guitar and euphonium for good measure, one might be wary of some obtuse Zappa-esque monstrosity. But no, this battalion delivered a huge funky slice of down-home back porch stomp blues. In my notes I have “The ornery lovechild of Kid Rock and Philip Glass” but that only scratches the surface. Dirtfoot hits you like a very funky cannon.

Looking to come down from Dirtfoot’s 10,000-pound blues hammer, we took in a stretch of Low Country Audio’s set at Chelsea’s. A side project of neo-classicist Southern rockers The Back 40, the instrumental setup of three guitarists, two keyboardists and drums set the controls on a slow-burn, Allman Brothers extended jam. Tim and I agreed the band made us think of Colorado, and the whole part country-part jam rock scene that adds to the haze engulfing Denver. I think this is the group's inaugural voyage. And while it was definitely funky, I think the group is still finding its footing, and 12 is a lot of feet. Still, It was a great way to cap off the evening.

BUT A SAMPLING OF THE WEEK IN ROCK BEFORE YOU

Tuesday April 4: The VonBondies garage it up with The Terms at the Varsity. The Glass Family with Adam Hood are at the Red Star

Friday April 7: Deadboy and the Elephantmen plus Duwayne Burnside promise to nasty up SoGo. The Highway Kind, Dimestore Troubadours and Shark Attack! Are lined up for devastation at Red Star.

Saturday April 8: Honky makes a return ass-kickin trip to the Spanish Moon with Lagerhead in tow.