TVD is taking next week off, so here are some hints about where the best music is happening in New Orleans as we bring 2011 to a close. Happy New Year!
In the spirit of giving that defines the season, head out to the House of Blues tonight, December 23rd, for the “Home for the Holidays” benefit concert. Lots of musicians are scheduled to perform including headliners Irma Thomas, Trombone Shorty and Kermit Ruffins. This annual event provides scholarships to worthy high school students at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts—a great cause if there ever was one.
This being New Orleans, there is still lots of live music happening on Christmas Eve. The biggest show of them all is back at the House of Blues for Trombone Shorty’s Christmas Jam. The young star and his band have been blowing up all over the world so there’s no telling how much longer you will be able to see them in such an intimate club.
The big news for the week after Christmas is the re-opening of the Joy Theater on Canal Street. I detailed the acts on the schedule here.
If you looking for a musical head start on New Year’s Eve, head to the Blue Nile next Friday, December 30. The two acts that will ring in 2012 at the newly renovated Joy Theater will be playing. But the order of the bands is reversed. Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers open for Big Sam’s Funky Nation.
You could opt for high profile gigs on New Year’s Eve and party with all the amateurs. Or you could go where the pros go. The brand new Krewe of Kolossus is hosting a New Year’s party to help defray the cost of their Carnival parade. The party is at Siberia on St. Claude Avenue. You have to wear a costume! But why wouldn’t you want to?
