JazzFest is closing out on Cinco de Mayo, so store up some energy for some Latin Funk after your fest. George Clinton is taking the House of Blues stage with DJ Soul Sister, Dumpstapunk is celebrating their 25th year, and Blue Nile is keeping is funky but better. Click through for what to do after the fairgrounds. 

A dimly lit bar sets the mood for newly formed R&B quintet Social Set's first video, its slightly blurred patrons all smiles and joy. “Ridiculous” is the “Just Got Paid” for a new generation, following an unlucky protagonist who is determined not to let any small mishaps get in the way of a good time.

Voodoo is here! After hours fun is going on all over the city, from Anne Rice’s Vampire Ball, to Russian Punk Rock in the Marigny, to a costumed extravaganza in Mid City and a Freaksheaux on St. Claude. On this day in 1911, the “Queen of Gospel,” Mahalia Jackson, was born in New Orleans. Now, more on today’s creepy events.

by Dan Goodman

Tonight at the Maison on Frenchman street, Chris Glover will be performing under his moniker Penguin Prison. Hailing from New York, Glover has hit the music scene over the most recent years through many different avenues. Starting as a modest college musician, Glover has caught the ear of many prominent nu-disco and indie-pop fans and artists alike with his sound that has forged the modern and classic take on pop and disco.

by Dan Goodman

Against the backdrop of Halloween and Voodoo fest, there is much to be overlooked on this action packed weekend in New Orleans. After the festival ends, there is yet more music to be had for your listening pleasure. With the crowds swelling and the thirst for great music at a high, the weekend is a great excuse for reunions, unusual collaborations, and, in at least one case, straight balling. With their bling outshining much of the bill, the Baller's Ball rolls into the Maison on Frenchmen St. Saturday night.

July 7th, when Joan of Arc was acquitted of heresy charges, 25 years too late (1456), when sliced bread was sold for the first time by Missouri’s Chillicothe Baking Company (1928), when President Reagan announced the nomination of who later became the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Arizona’s Sandra Day O’Connor (1981), The San Fermines Bulls run in Pamplona, Italian film director Vittorio De Sica (1901), Ringo Starr (1940) and Shelley Duvall’s (1949) birthdays, and Gone With the Wind’s Scarlet, actress Vivian Leigh’s death (1967). And today? Voila:

July 1, when the Battle of Gettysburg began (1863), when SOS was adapted as the international distress signal (1908), when The Communist Party in China was founded (1921), when ZIP codes were introduced for U.S. mail (1963), when Sony introduced the Walkman, when the MPAA introduced the PG-13 rating (1984), when Sydney Pollack (1934) and Missy Elliott (1971) were born, and when Harriet Beecher Stowe (1896) and Argentina’s 29th and 41st president Juan Perón (1974) died. So let’s hear it for The Way We Were, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and obsolete technology:

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--

Recently, we've seen ?uestlove DJ a Mardi Gras party and Mos Def play with a brass band, but rarely does a national rapper come to New Orleans with the natural appeal that comes with putting a "Chef" in front of your name. Though the origins of his surtitle remain heavily disputed, Raekwon has produced a cooking show, so it could have culinary intentions as well. Either way, he retains serious, if seemingy arhythmic, flow, and that will be the focus when he plays the Maison on Frenchmen St. tomorrow night. In fact, eager Wu-watchers may hope to run into him tonight.

by Dan Goodman

Tonight at Foburg Fest, the angular rockers that warmed up last night's crowd will lay down their arms to make way for some bawdy beats. Winter Circle Productions presents an event titled “Bones” at the Maison on Frenchmen St., featuring the infamous New York rap group Das Racist in the headlining spot. The duo, comprised of Victor Vazquez and Himanshu Suri, first blew up with their hit spoof on a restaurant that featured references to Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.