Festival International in Lafayette and Jazz Fest in NOLA this weekend

Music lovers have two festivals just a short drive from Baton Rouge this weekend. On Wednesday, Lafayette’s premier free five-day music event Festival International kicks off with performances from zydeco man Keith Frank and Cajun rockers Lost Bayou Ramblers. The Wailers, Charles Bradley, Feufollet, The Mercy Brothers and many more are scheduled to perform at the multi-stage event that lasts through Sunday. For more information, click here.

If you drive a little over an hour east from Baton Rouge, you’ll land in New Orleans, where the always-entertaining Jazz Fest takes place at the Fair Grounds. John Mayer, The Black Keys, Fleetwood Mac and many more are scheduled to perform during the two-weekend event. For more information on Jazz Fest, click here. If you’re having trouble deciding which festival to visit, 225’s Benjamin Leger has your road trip all planned out in this month’s issue. Check out his story here. For a full list of this weekend’s shows in Baton Rouge, click here.

Filter, Red Line Chemistry, Girl on Fire. Three hard rock bands take over The Varsity. 8 p.m. $15 in advance. $20 day of show. Get tickets here.
Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition. Blues legend performs at Mud and Water. 8 p.m.
Louis Dunn and the Dunn Deal All-Stars. The Blues Room. 9 p.m. No cover.
Pop Rocks. Weekly dance night with DJ Bird. Chelsea’s Café. $5. Doors at 9 p.m.

Rock N Rowe. Young Blues Nation performs at the weekly Perkins Rowe concert. Free. 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Josh Garrett. The Blues Room. 8 p.m. No cover.

Live After Five. The variety band After 8 will perform in this week’s installment of the concert series. 5 p.m. Repentance Park.
Born Ruffians, Moon King. Spazzy indie pop. Spanish Moon. $13. Doors at 9 p.m. Show at 10 p.m.
Robbie Fulks. American alternative country artist performs at Red Dragon Listening Room. $20 seat donation. 8 p.m.
The Boogie Tour. KC & the Sunshine Band and more perform at the River Center. Tickets range from $45-$65. 8 p.m.
Free Friday Concert. Bluesman Theodis Early performs at Belle of Baton Rouge Casino. 8 p.m.-10 p.m.
Air Supply. ’80s icons bring the hits to L’Auberge Casino & Hotel. Doors open at 7 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30.
AF THE NAYSAYER. Fans of electronica with a steady dose of hip-hop influence won’t want to miss this New Orleans act. Chelsea’s Café. 10:30 p.m.
Eddie Smith Band. The Blues Room. $2 cover. 8 p.m.

Joshua Polk, The Rigs, The Dash Between. Local singer-songwriter Joshua Polk releases new CD, Beauty School Dropouts, at this show. Art by Jill Mulkey will also be on display for viewing and purchase. For more on Polk, read Matt Sigur’s interview here. Chelsea’s Café. 10 p.m.
Gregg Wright. The King of the Rockin’ Blues returns to Baton Rouge. Phil Brady’s. $10. 9:30 p.m.
The Mr. Moonlight tour featuring Peter Murphy of Bauhaus. Murphy celebrates more than three decades of gothic pop music. Spanish Moon. Tickets are $20. Doors at 9 p.m. Show at 10 p.m.
John Lisi and Delta Funk. The Blues Room. $2 cover. 9 p.m.

Sunday in the Park. New Orleans’ Phunky Monkeys will perform in this edition of the weekly free springtime concert series. Town Square at North Boulevard. Noon-3 p.m.
Elvin Killerbee and Friends Jam. The Blues Room. No cover. 6 p.m.-10 p.m.

Deerhunter, Jackson Scott, Mas Ysa. Psychedelic alt-rock. Tuesday at Spanish Moon. $15. 9 p.m.
Juicy J, A$AP Ferg. Two rappers perform at The Varsity Tuesday. $30. Doors at 8 p.m. Show at 9 p.m.