When you imagine New Orleans music, your mind might immediately go to big brass bands, jazz that no one actually likes (they just pretend to understand it), and Lil Wayne. While all that noise might make up the gumbo pot of NOLA music, the city itself has so much more to offer than experimental jazz and ridiculous rap lyrics.
New Orleans is famous for its festivals, which import music from all over the world. Voodoo Fest, Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest, and then a million festivals for everything from vegetables you never knew existed (the mirliton), to the Bayou Boogaloo, the perfect excuse to hang out with puppies and listen to local favorites. There’s music everywhere in the city (it’s unavoidable, really, but if you want to avoid it you should probably live somewhere else entirely) — from the fiddle players in the French Quarter to the sounds of the second lines, New Orleans wouldn’t be the same without the music that runs through its veins.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0URG0_Vz_-U&w=600&h=315]
Whether you’re looking for indie bands with Cajun influences (Sweet Crude, Feufollet), modern indie artists that would be right at home in New York City (Givers, Royal Teeth), or groups that are updating NOLA music entirely (Trombone Shorty, Soul Rebels), there’s something for everyone in that city. You can twerk to Big Freedia, celebrate Throwback Thursday with Better Than Ezra, or mellow out with Kristin Diable. You can even drop it low to the musical stylings of Juvenile, a personal favorite of any girl who enjoys getting white girl wasted regularly (unfortunately, regular listening doesn’t mean you’ll ever be able to grab the wall).
If you’re planning a trip for Mardi Gras that’s a million years (and miles) away, or if you feel like escaping to somewhere sweeter and more southern as the temperatures drop drastically, this is the playlist you need.
Sweet Crude
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYFmM6aSVT0&w=600&h=315]
Trombone Shorty
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLfsLx04GjE&w=600&h=315]
Givers
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx1H5IP8_g8?list=UUBngvaXBju4wOjCZiwFjbHw&w=600&h=315]
Best Bands of New Orleans Spotify Playlist
[spotify id=”spotify:user:mabrams1:playlist:4FDU1LfJWwjLque5dgG8FF” width=”300″ height=”380″ /]
