Keb Mo (Mike Fisher/Creative Commons)

New Orleans is set for a weekend of clear skies, which should make for a great backdrop to the 7th Annual Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival October 12-14 in Lafayette Square.  

The event, put on by The Jazz and Heritage Foundation, brings the trifecta of New Orleans culture — music, food, and art to the cozy little park nestled in the CBD.  There will be two stages of music, great barbecue from some of the city’s best restaurants, and an arts market, keeping the entertainment running rampant through the entire weekend.  And with free admission, there is no reason to miss out on a beautiful fall afternoon basking in the Louisiana way of life.  

Director of Programs, Marketing, and Communications for The Jazz and Heritage Foundation, Scott Aiges, views the festival as a way to create employment opportunities for musicians, and also to have a spotlight for the individual components that make up our culture.  After Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, there were few job opportunities for musicians as the city began the long recovery process.  The Jazz and Heritage Foundation decided to step in and lend a hand.  They held the first Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival in November of 2006 to help our loyal musicians recover through tough economic times by giving them a venue to display their talents.  The festival has grown since that first year, especially when the foundation started adding internationally known talent, like Buddy Guy in 2008, to the lineup.

Grammy Award winning bluesman Keb Mo headlines the festival this year.  On Saturday night, come here him croon through the starry square like a nightbird calling to the yellow moon during mating season.  

The addition of the Friday night show, which was incorporated for the first time last year, features performances by Luther Kent and Trick Bag, followed by Grammy Award winner and Baton Rouge native Chris Thomas King, who is playing the festival for the first time.    

Other acts throughout the weekend include local favorites Little Freddie King and Johnny Sansone.  Sansone won this year’s Blues Music Award for best song with “The Lord is Waiting The Devil is Too.”  Aiges said of Sansone,

“He’s one of these guys that’s just out there burning up blues charts, and he’s right here in New Orleans.”

Also on the bill is Lafayette guitar virtuoso Li’l Buck Senegal, Spencer Bohren, Ironing Board Sam, and Miss Lavelle White -  whose vocal prowess makes you shiver with boiling emotion. Having two stages of rotating performances throughout the day allows people to watch one act on the Camp Street stage, and as soon as that set has concluded, catch another act on the St. Charles Ave. stage, providing easy access to an uninterrupted, full day of blues.

 “I love the fact that we have two stages facing each other,” Aiges said. “You watch people who bring their chairs out there, and they put their chairs in the middle of the field, and when the music on one stage ends, the music on the other stage starts like clockwork, and all they do is turn their chairs around 90 degrees, and they don’t even have to move.  I love to see that.”  

“One of the things that we are excited about is increasing our presence of classic Rhythm and Blues,” said Aiges.  Artists like Clarence Carter, Latimore, and Stax Records originals The Bo-Keys with Otis Clay who according to Aiges, “Really represent that part of soul music that you just don’t see often enough in New Orleans.”

While listening to the music or browsing through the arts market, stay energized with an assortment of ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and brisket, all swimming in a sultry variety of sauces from some of New Orleans’ favorite BBQ spots. The list of food vendors includes Bywater's The Joint, Squeal BBQ, and Vaucresson’s Sausage Company who will be serving their famous Creole Crawfish Sausage, among other delicacies.

One of the hidden gems of the Blues and BBQ festival is the Oral History Stage. Located in the NORD Theatre on the ground floor of Gallier Hall across St. Charles Ave., the stage hosts interviews with the performers, giving festival goers an intimate experience as they hear about the roots of some of these esteemed musical talents. Otis Clay, Miss Lavelle White and some of the fest's other big acts will do some time spinning yarns in addition to their turns on stage.

“We’ve got all these great musicians who have some great stories to tell, and we wanted to be able to take advantage of that,” said Aiges.  

There is convenient access to the festival as Lafayette Square lies right on the St. Charles Ave. street car line, and there is also free bicycle parking for all the eco-friendly blues lovers.

For more information about the festival, including VIP passes and a full list of the music acts, food, and art vendors, visit the Fest's website.