Chubby Carrier

Today, Ruth Salvaggio discusses poetry in New Orleans at Octavia Books, Reggae pop musician Ken Swartz performs at Ogden After Hours, and Chubby Carrier brings Zydeco to Rock ‘n’ Bowl. On this day in history, Fats Domino’s “Goin’ Home” reached #1 on the R&B Chart (1952), ), rubboard player and percussionist Sir Reginald B. Dural was born in Lafayette, LA (1970), and trumpeter and bandleader Mark Braud was born in New Orleans (1973). Think about these Thursday events:

Ruth Salvaggio (Octavia Books, 6:00pm) Salvaggio discusses her book, Hearing Sappho in New Orleans: The Call of Poetry from Congro Square to the Ninth Ward. While sifting through trash in her flooded New Orleans home, Salvaggio discovered an old volume of Sappho’s poetry stained with mold, which inspired the author to unearth our city’s poetic heritage. Using Sappho’s fragments as a guide, Salvaggio roamed the streets and neighborhoods of New Orleans to explore the migrations of lyric poetry of ancient Greece, the African slave trade, indigenous America and ultimately New Orleans itself.

Ogden After Hours: Ken Swartz (Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 6:00-8:00pm) Ken Swartz is Delta blues, jam band, reggae and pop. His sounds will resonate through the museum’s four floors of exhibitions, which include works by Michel Varisco, Sally Chandler, Mark Messersmith, Alexa Kleinbard, Neil Campbell and more. There’s a bar, a kid’s art activity table, and Miss Linda’s Soul Food Catering. Free for members, $10 general.

The Lens Summer Salon (Rose F. Keller Library, 6:30-8:30pm) Join the investigative news publication, the Lens, for an open discussion about whether or not the Road Home program has increased blight. The discussion is titled “Road Home Properties & Blight: What happens next?” Refreshments will be served.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Lupin Theatre, Tulane University, 7:00pm) Tulane’s Shakespeare Festival is presenting its second stage show of the season, Tom Stoppard’s beloved spinoff of Hamlet. The sharp comedy tells the story of Hamlet’s ill-fated classmates as they move in and out of the plot of Hamlet, which was the festival’s first production of the season. Alex Ates plays Guildenstern and Brendan Bown plays Rosencrantz.  (Note: This is a preview performance.)

Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band (Rock ‘n’ Bowl, 8:30pm) Grammy award winner Chubby Carrier and his band have recorded ten albums over the last 22 years, and tonight will bring their “swamp-funky Zydeco good time” to Gert Town. Get ready for some fast-paced bowling.

Helen Gillet's Wazozo Zorchestra (Circle Bar, 10:00 PM) Whether it's the Velvet Underground or French pop, Helen Gillet and her big band of musical merrymakers elevate tunes to the Great Beyond. And somehow the cello fits in, too! With the release of her new album, Gillet's having a good week. Come see her put on the band leader hat tonight.