Thursday, March 26, 2009
Members of local indie rock band Secret Annexe perform at Jonathan Loubiere’s College Hill house show.
House parties are all the rage
House shows, where people welcome the world into their homes for parties featuring live music, are hot stuff these days in Baton Rouge.
They range from jazz and rock combos in the Garden District to punk pop in Highland Road subdivisions. Thanks to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, word can spread fast about these informal gatherings featuring original live music.
An engineer by day, Jonathan Loubiere opens his College Hill home a few times a month for house shows, which attract music-loving 20-somethings and baby boomers.
“Everyone has a great time. I certainly welcome these shows getting bigger as long as it doesn’t become a problem,” he says.
“Something interesting is always going to happen,” he says—such as this whimsical meat boat, which sailed into his party on a blue-tinted sea of lite ranch dressing. Go figure.
“As of right now, it’s comfortable being word of mouth,” Loubiere says. “Something interesting is always going to happen.”
Unlike mere keggers, house shows can enhance a city’s culture, 225 music writer Alex Cook opined recently. “House shows are essential to developing a really interesting sonic environment,” he wrote. They allow “less profitable ideas to flourish without having to sweat the door.”
To find out about house shows around Baton Rouge, check Cook’s Record Crate blog here. Or, try rummaging around Baton Rouge Facebook pages, and keep your eye out for fliers on phone poles near Highland Coffees.—REBECCA BREEDEN
Art Car Parade stalls
After three successful years, the Art Care Parade has stalled. Originally planned for May 2, the parade of wild and unusual cars was cancelled after an internal flap at event sponsors Culture Candy.
“I felt like I was hitting a few dead ends, and as a volunteer I was overwhelmed,” volunteer project director Aimee Schultz said after she resigned her post in February.
Culture Candy founder and chairman Bill Kelley decided to cancel after organizers missed a deadline to apply for a grant, and because community sponsors weren’t as forthcoming with support as in past years.
“We’re going to take some time off this year and clear ’er up for next year,” he wrote to dozens of out-of-state art car owners who usually participate.—R.B.
Live After Five is back
Yes, life does exist after 5 p.m., and few things are better than leaving work on a Friday and going straight to an outdoor concert. The free Live After Five concert series returns to downtown Baton Rouge this month. See liveafterfiveonline.com for complete details.
April 17 - Mojeaux brings plenty of Top 40 hits and rock classics on April 17.
April 24 - Henry Gray and the Cats with Buddy Flett keep it real during the Baton Rouge Blues Festival.
May 1 - Get your blue suede shoes on for The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist contest preview featuring Brandon Bennett.
May 8 - The music warms up with the weather for southern fried rockers The Hippy Smith Band.
May 15 - Bring your dancing moves because Jive Train is bringing soul back to downtown baton rouge.
May 22 - Recent Grammy-nominee Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys play their trademarked Cajun swing.
May 29 - The kids are out of school and it’s time to celebrate with party band Animal Krackers.
June 5 - The local youngsters of Solar Heat close out Live After Five with classic rock band Transit.
Benjy Davis Project
We’ve got your Sundays covered
Break out the lawn chairs and sunglasses. Spring is here, and so too is Sunday in the Park, the free outdoor concert series brought to you by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and 225 magazine.
The lineup is as dynamic and varied as ever: rock, blues, jazz, funk, gospel, soul and even Caribbean-infused Cajun.
You can check out samples of the music by clicking on the band names below.
Sunday in the Park performances are noon to 3 p.m. at Lafayette Park across from the Shaw Center for the Arts. A variety of vendors offer freshly prepared foods, refreshments and arts, while a number of surrounding restaurants will be open for dining or takeout.—JEFF ROEDEL
April 5 - Southern Folk Rock
One of Baton Rouge’s most popular live bands, this Southern folk-rock outfit has expanded its fan base since Rock Ridge Music released its third album Dust across the country last November. Davis continues to mix confessional lyrics and hummable tunes. bdpmusic.com
April 19 - Blues
Wailing blues harp and a blitz of slide guitar signals the Stevie Ray Vaughan-meets-Paul Butterfield blues rock of Moreland & Arbuckle from Kansas. This is Southern blues that will get boots in the crowd scootin’. morelandandarbuckle.com
April 26 - Roots Rock
Taj Mahal called this North Carolina roots rocker a “little white Ray Charles.” And you don’t disagree with the Taj. Walker opened for Charles before his death and has also shared stages with greats like Aaron Neville and B.B. King. sethwalker.com
May 3 - Gospel
Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir
Traditional spirituals, field songs and Southern gospel anthems are the stock in trade for this sextet. Led by Tillery, a renowned vocalist, percussionist and producer from the 1960s San Francisco scene, the Cultural Heritage Choir has collaborated with Richie Havens and Wilson Pickett among others. culturalheritagechoir.com
May 10 - Jazz and Funk
After8
This eight-piece jazz and funk band gets the party started and keeps it going with popular hits from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. after8music.com
May 17 - Cajun with a hint of Caribbean
Cedric Watson
This Grammy-nominated songwriter, fiddler and accordionist left the fold of Lafayette’s Pine Leaf Boys to launch his own band, Bijoux Creole. Watson blends Cajun and Caribbean sounds, and his touring band includes a wizard on the washboard. cedricwatson.com
WINNERS: Luke Fleming’s Lincoln Center debut
Violist and former Baton Rougean Luke Fleming makes his New York debut in Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts this month. A 2003 LSU alumni in music and a Baton Rouge Magnet High Bulldog, Fleming received his master’s of music from the Juilliard School in 2007, where he still attends as a C.V. Starr Doctoral Fellow. Having performed solo and in chamber concerts across the nation and in Europe, 26-year-old Fleming is especially excited about this performance. He may be rightfully nervous about the debut, but he says it’ll be just as challenging to fit his entire extended family into his Manhattan apartment!—MARISSA FRAYER
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