It never stops in New Orleans. But then you knew that. Here’s the scoop on the Mirliton Festival and the YeMaYa parade.
Each year, the “little festival that could” in the Bywater neighborhood gets better. I remember just a couple of years ago pulling the proverbial teeth just trying to find out who was playing at what time. But this year, their website looks great and the lineup of bands looks even better.
I am most excited about the first three acts. The Tumbleweeds are generating a bit of a buzz, but I have not seen them yet. They hit at 11 AM. Tuba Skinny follows at noon. This band features a woman named Shaye Cohn on cornet who has become a bit of a secret weapon around town. I heard her playing piano at one of the Nickel-A-Dance concerts last month. The vocalist Erika Lewis fronts the band and they play blues songs from as far back as the turn of the 20th century and some jazz as well.
Hurray for the Riff Raff hits at 1 PM. They were one of my favorite bands that I caught for the first time at this year’s Jazz Fest. Vocalist and songwriter Alynda Lee has a compelling style and writes wonderful songs some of which were inspired by her years as a vagabond troubadour. Here’s an early video of the band in its formative stage.
The rest of the Mirliton Festival lineup includes (in order beginning at 2 PM) King James and the Special Men, the Happy Talk Band, Little Freddie King with Guitar Lightning Lee and the one and only Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers.
The YeMaYa parade is a brand new all women’s parade that will feature many of the local female marching organizations including the Lady Buckjumpers, the Lady Rollers, the Pussyfooters, the Camel Toe Steppers, the Bearded Oysters, the Muff-a-lottas, the Sirens and many more. Music will be provided by Mo’ Lasses, the Local Skank and others. The theme this year is “Every Women a Queen.” The group is named after the powerful Yoruba goddess (pictured above by Karisma) whose manifestation is central to many of the Afro-Caribbean religions that were brought to the New World during the slave trade.
The parade starts at Buffa’s on Esplanade, winds around Tremé and the French Quarter before winding up in the Marigny at the Maison. It begins at 6 PM. Here’s the route.
