The streets have been hosed down and, at least for a few hours, all is quiet on Bourbon. it's Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Catholic repentance epoch called Lent, here in the Carnival Capital. While the day is marked around the world, we feel the comedown a little more than anybody else. So, with another round of Mardi Gras mayhem in the books, we take a pause for a worthy cause: our own health. We would be remiss if we didn't mention that today is Ernie K-Doe's birthday. And, believe it or not there are a few other sights and sounds to take in. Here come the girls:

June 1st, when Anne Boleyn was crowned Queen of England (1533), when Kentucky (1792) and Tennessee (1796) were admitted as the 15th and 16th states, when Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs Robinson" hit numero uno (1968), when CNN began broadcasting (1980), and when General Motors filed for bankruptcy (2009). It’s Marilyn Monroe (1926) and Alanis Morissette’s (1974) birthday, and Helen Keller (1968) and Yves Saint Laurent’s (2008) last day. It’s also National Day Against Homophobia in Canada. Oh and uh, the beginning of Hurricane Season in New Orleans. Buckle up--

Hola Nola, and hola Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Lee Segarra. Still riding high after opening for Ani Difranco last week at the House of Blues, and about to embark on a ten day European tour, this country/rock/honky tonk assembly is (grass)rooted in NOLA atop two self-released albums- 2008's It Don't Mean I Don't Love You and 2010's Young Blood Blues.