Daze Between New Orleans kicked off its second year on Tuesday at New Orleans, LA’s Faubourg Brewery with a full day of music by Goose, Tank and the Bangas, Lawrence, J & The Causeways, Melt, and The Quickening. Daze Between New Orleans is presented by Live For Live Music, GMP Live, Purple Hat Productions, Dayglo Presents, and Rose Tours.
As attendees filtered onto the Faubourg grounds under a clear, blue NOLA sky, local favorites The Quickening got the day started on the Faubourg Stage. Lead singer/guitarist Blake Quick and company set an energetic tone for the Tuesday afternoon festivities with a lively performance featuring catchy songs both old and new—including a punchy rendition of “Fool For You”, a new single that had arrived on streaming platforms earlier that day.
Following an introduction from one of the festival’s promoters, Paul Levine, upstart NYC indie-soul outfit Melt captivated the crowd on the Daze Between Stage Powered by Meyer Sound with a powerful tour of the band’s growing catalog. Vocalist Veronica Stewart-Frommer shined on fan favorites like “Waves”, “Inside”, “Fade Into You“, “Sour Candy”, and “Walk to Midnight” as well as a rendition of a newly recorded track “Garden”. The band finally closed its set with a searing, reimagined rendition of Neil Young‘s “Harvest Moon”, a recent staple of live Melt shows.
The early afternoon also featured a Relix Magazine-led panel discussion billed as Help on the Way: The Legacy of the Grateful Dead and Their Charitable Mission. Moderated by Relix‘s Dean Budnick, the session featured a conversation with decorated musician Eric Krasno and Cameron Sears, the executive director of Daze Between New Orleans’ charitable partner, Rex Foundation, about the Grateful Dead-founded nonprofit’s ongoing efforts to channel the energy of Deadheads toward an array of worthy causes
J & The Causeways have been burning up the local music scene ever since forming on a hot summer night at New Orleans’ famed Maple Leaf Bar, and that fire burned brightly on the Faubourg Stage on Tuesday afternoon. From an impromptu audience dance lesson on “Throw Your Weight Around” to a late-set sit-in by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue guitarist Pete Murano, J & The Causeways made sure that the unique musical energy of the Big Easy was alive and well at Daze Between New Orleans day one.
Brother- and sister-led soul-pop group Lawrence was up next on the Daze Between Stage, and the ever-rising NYC group quickly became the talk of the festival after its 75-minute set on Tuesday. Clyde Lawrence (keys, vocals) and Gracie Lawrence (vocals) served as charismatic masters of ceremony, slipping in amusing quips about New Orleans (“I have stuffed every orifice of my body with beignets,” Gracie joked) and introducing their well-constructed catalog of soulful, radio-ready tracks with an endearing sense of humor.
Positive affirmations abounded through the duo’s insightful lyrics, particularly on “Freckles”, during which the band called upon the crowd to belt out the song’s “You know you’re beautiful” mantra. A late-set performance of “Probably Up”, an ode to staying up too late, struck a chord for weary Jazz Festers running on fumes and adrenaline after a weekend of New Orleans revelry. In addition to songs from across the Lawrence discography, the band original worked in original arrangements of an eclectic mix of covers including Britney Spears‘ “Toxic”, Sean Paul‘s “Get Busy”, and NSYNC‘s “It’s Gonna Be Me”.
Among the many highlights of the standout Lawrence performance was a guest appearance by Melt’s Veronica Stewart-Frommer, an old friend and frequent collaborator, for a soul-stirring duet with Gracie on “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, the Carole King classic popularized by the late Aretha Franklin, which underscored Daze Between New Orleans day one’s pervasive “girl power” theme. Of note, Stewart-Frommer later connected with the Lawrence gang once again at the Tuesday Daze by Nite after-show at The Howlin’ Wolf for another run through “Natural Woman” as well as a funky take on Stevie Wonder‘s “Superstition” alongside members of Soulive, Dumpstaphunk, and Lettuce.
Lawrence – “The Heartburn Song” [Pro-Shot] – 5/2/23
Once Lawrence finished on the main stage, New Orleans natives Tank and the Bangas took the stage across the festival grounds for the final set of the day on the Faubourg Stage. Led by magnetic singer/rapper/poet Tarriona “Tank” Ball, the Grammy-nominated group delivered a performance that both integrated the mystique of its hometown and showcased the thoroughly original sound of its namesake frontwoman. As the sun slipped behind the clouds, Tank and the Bangas closed their set with the heavenly gospel of “Outside”, its “everything is better outside” refrain ringing as true as ever on this immaculate afternoon in New Orleans.
After a day filled with pedal-to-the-metal performances, festival headliner Goose used its two sets to stretch out, settle in, and get creative with a slew of extended improvisational expeditions. The band’s first set steadily picked up momentum throughout its opening trio of songs—”Drive”, “Dr. Darkness”, and “Turbulence & The Night Rays”—before shifting into exploration mode on the ensuing “All I Need”. A funky “Earthling Or Alien?” and an emphatic “Animal” brought Goose’s first set to a close.
Goose – “Drive” [Pro-Shot] – 5/2/23
Rick Mitarotonda (guitar, vocals), Peter Anspach (keys, guitar, vocals), Trevor Weekz (bass), Ben Atkind (drums), and Jeff Arevalo (percussion, vocals) wasted no time when they took the stage for the final set of the night and launched into a mammoth take on “Tumble”. Arevalo’s new gong got a workout on the meditative “A Western Sun” that followed before Goose launched into an extended pairing of “Arrow” and Nina Simone‘s “Sinnerman” to bring the set to a close. A brief but punchy “Flodown” encore finally drew a line under a memorable day of music in the sun at Daze Between New Orleans.
Join us today, Wednesday, May 3rd, back at Faubourg Brewery for the second and final day of Daze Between New Orleans 2023 featuring two more sets of Goose as well as performances by Honey Island Swamp Band, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Eggy, David Shaw, and Neal Francis. Tickets are available here or at the venue box office.
Related: Daze Between New Orleans 2023: Everything You Need To Know
For those who can’t attend in person, Daze Between New Orleans has teamed up with both nugs.net and FANS.live to offer livestreams of various performances from the festival. Proceeds from the Daze Between New Orleans livestream will fund a series of grants for New Orleans-based causes via the festival’s charitable partner, Rex Foundation, the Grateful Dead-founded organization committed to supporting grassroots endeavors in the arts, sciences, and education. For more information on how to access the Daze Between New Orleans livestreams, head here.
Below, check out photos from day one of Daze Between New Orleans by Brittany NO FOMO, Katie Sikora, Katie LaRocca, Em Walis, and Jay Blakesberg.
