Vintage professional wrestling-meets-experimental jazz-meets-psychedelic visual art duo Wednesday Night Titans hit New Orleans, LA’s Toulouse Theatre late on Friday night, April 26th to defend their Jazz Fest late-night belt with an outrageous after-midnight showdown.
The duo, which features decorated wrestling champ/bassist Ted Technical and his trash-talking manager/drummer Stix “Hit Man” Jenkins, has made a name for itself by tapping into the zany antics of 1980s-era icons like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and “Macho Man” Randy Savage to create “an over-the-top mind-gasm of roid-warrior madness and performance art profundity.”
While some Wednesday Night Titans die-hards have noted that Ted Technical looks like Gov’t Mule’s Kevin Scott, the bassist has declined to comment on his resemblance to the wrestler. Instead, he asked us to remind people heading to Jazz Fest to come see Mule’s guest-filled headlining set at Daze Between New Orleans on Wednesday, May 1st. Ted Technical, on the other hand, had this to say: “Jazzfest… more like ‘JABRONI-fest!!‘”
Stix Jenkins often draws comparisons to experimental jazz drummer Zach Danziger. Though Danziger said he was not aware of Jenkins’ true identity, he noted that he had been fortunate enough to experience the mysterious project live in the past. Beyond the music, he explained, it was the electric ringside atmosphere that made the show memorable. “This is a Blue Man Group-ish type [thing],’” Danziger told Live For Live Music. “It’s a thing you go see.”
The over-the-top spectacle at Toulouse Theatre came complete with a wrestling ring stage setup, psychedelic deconstructions of old pro wrestling interviews, profanity, provocation, s— pies, and projectile sausages from the crowd. Hit Man and Ted Technical played the heel to perfection, reveling in the choruses of boos and “f— yous” from the lively audience in between mind-bending rounds of acid-jazz improvisation.
Ahead of the show, Technical had issued an open call to the musicians at Jazz Fest to take a shot at the champs. “If you people want to see the greatest show on the planet, look no further,” he told Live For Live Music. “We are a bigger deal than the Grateful Dead and the Beatles combined and if you consider yourself a real music fan, you can’t miss this show… Oh yeah, one other thing—to all the musicians that are in NOLA that week, come get your free music lesson.”
Related: Hell Yeah, Brother: Wednesday Night Titans Step Into The Ring [Interview]
Two challengers on guitar turned up at Toulouse to step into the ring: local favorite Cliff Hines, who had been locked in a social media feud with Wednesday Night Titans for weeks and narrowly avoided a pie in the face from Technical’s sweetheart, Klassy Kara; and Marcus King, who turned up at the end of the show in character as “Mickey Spoon the Muleskinner” to go toe-to-toe with Ted for an extended bout.
When the Muleskinner finished playing, he took to the microphone to try to goad the band into giving the people what they really want, some Grateful Dead “Shakedown Street” action. This being a Wednesday Night Titans show, of course, the band did not oblige.
Below, check out a selection of videos and photos from Wednesday Night Titans with Marcus King and Cliff Hines at Toulouse Theatre.
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This show was part of Live For Live Music and GMP Live’s 2024 Fest by Nite series in New Orleans during Jazz Fest. Other Fest by Nite 2024 events include:
- Daze Between New Orleans Festival ft. Gov’t Mule, Lettuce, John Scofield, & more – Faubourg Brewery – Tuesday, 4/30; Wednesday, 5/1 [tickets]
- TAUK Presents Tower of Wonder: A Tribute to Tower of Power & Stevie Wonder – TAUK ft. Kanika Moore, The Horn Section, Lyle Divinsky – Toulouse Theatre – Saturday, 4/27 [tickets]
- LP Giobbi: Dead House – Civic Theatre – Saturday, 4/27 [tickets]
- The Funk Sessions ft. Stanton Moore, Nels Cline, Skerik, Wil Blades – Toulouse Theatre – Saturday, 4/27 (technically early-a.m. 4/28) [tickets]
- Kitchen Dwellers: A Bluegrass Tribute to Dr. John – Toulouse Theatre – Sunday, 4/28 [tickets]
- Frequinauts ft. Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr., Stanton Moore, & more – Toulouse Theatre – Monday, 4/29 [tickets]
- Andy Frasco & The U.N. w/ Special Guests – House of Blues New Orleans – Tuesday, 4/30 [tickets]
- The Daze Between Band ft. Chuck Leavell, John Scofield, George Porter Jr., & more – Tipitina’s – Wednesday, 5/1 [SOLD OUT]
- John “Papa” Gros’ Papa Plays The Nite Tripper – Toulouse Theatre – Wednesday, 5/1 [tickets]
- Tank and the Bangas – A Special Three-Day Event / Jam Cruise 21 Lineup Announcement Party – Toulouse Theatre – Thursday, 5/2 [tickets]
- Stanton Moore & Friends ft. Robert Walter, Big Sam, Skerik, & more / Jam Cruise 21 Lineup Announcement Party – Thursday, 5/2 (technically early-a.m. 5/3) [tickets]
- Lettuce: Rage Fest – The Joy Theater – Friday, 5/3 [tickets]
- Tank and the Bangas – A Special Three-Day Event – Toulouse Theatre – Friday, 5/3 [tickets]
- Joe Russo’s Selcouth Quartet – Toulouse Theatre – Friday, 5/3 (technically early-a.m. 5/4) [tickets]
- Tank and the Bangas – A Special Three-Day Event – Toulouse Theatre – Saturday, 5/4 [tickets]
- Crescent City Classics: A Celebration of New Orleans Funk ft. members of The Meters, Lettuce, Dumpstaphunk, & more – The Joy Theater – Saturday, 5/4 [tickets]
- Break Science – Toulouse Theatre – Saturday, 5/4 (technically early-a.m. 5/5) [tickets]
- Purple Party: A Tribute to the Music of Prince ft. members of Cool Cool Cool, The Nth Power, Doom Flamingo, Magic Beans, & more – Toulouse Theatre – Sunday, 5/5 [tickets]