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Bamboula’s is always a great stop for live music in New Orleans – they have a great range of bands that are playing and usually multiple bands every night. Plus…it’s always free! The sound is great in the place (brick walls help that, we believe) and there’s usually a good crowd. It opened in October of 2013. Food: Full kitchen with a great menu including a wide range of oysters. Caitie B. and the Hand Me Downs play Come and Get Your Love, 7/21/26 Where’s the name come fr

A native of the Northeast, Caitie B. made the move to New Orleans and has been making her mark on the local music scene since the spring of 2023 with the inception of her band Caitie B. and the Hand Me Downs. The band has defined themselves as a top notch act with their funky blues & soul sound, penning original music and landing multiple residencies in New Orleans. They have quickly gained local acclaim with their energetic live performances and heartfelt song delivery. Each

Jessica "J.Mix" Mixon is a New Orleans-born artist whose work is a testament to the power of creative resilience. From her early days in community theater starring in acclaimed regional productions like Pippin and Rent, the stage has long been her sanctuary and her voice. A graduate of Loyola University's Vocal Performance program, she further honed her craft performing globally with the Andrew Sisters-inspired group, The Victory Belles. J.Mix has also performed and travele

Taylon Floyd is a North Carolina-born singer and songwriter who came to New Orleans when she was 12-years-old and has jumped into the Nola scene with a big-time voice reminiscent of Amy Winehouse. She currently can be found playing around town with Taylon Floyd and The Wild Echoes. The band is a dynamic blues and soul-infused band that formed in 2023 when she reunited with former bandmates Chad Oliver (drums) and Louis Karpinski (bass) who were with her in The Hacks of the Ma

Basch Jernigan is a singer, songwriter, and musician from Gulf Shores, Alabama, now based in New Orleans. With a soulful voice accompanied by guitar and harmonica, Basch combines elements of blues, folk, and soul with a style inspired by artists such as Taj Mahal and The Wood Brothers. ​ Jernigan has been writing, performing, and releasing music on the gulf coast for over a decade. Basch toured and recorded as the frontman for New Orleans rock and soul band Roadside Glorious

Virginia product Paul Faith came to New Orleans in 2012 and developed into a songwriter who is known for captivating audiences with little more than his guitar, harmonica, and explosive vocals. Together with his backing band, The Barstool Prophets, Paul takes the music he grew up listening to: 90's grunge, pop alternative rock, and the folk rock of artists like Dylan and Young, blends it all together, and the result is Americana songs dressed up in indie/alternative rock clot

Big Chief Juan Pardo is a member of the Golden Comanche tribe of the Black Masking Indian tradition. Pardo took over as Big Chief in 2015. In addition to being a leader in the beloved New Orleans tradition, he and the tribe also make impactful traditional music in the style of many of the Black Masking tribes. Golden Comanche by Big Chief Juan Pardo, 2016 Back to All Artists

A Wisconsin product, Ted Hefko headed to New Orleans after high school. His started building his game in the music world and headed to New York City in 2003 but he never truly left Nola behind. He’s been back playing regularly around town with his band The Thousandaires in 2026. From his official website: “His band brings raw life lessons and stories - ones of hope and hustlers, saints and strays, drifters and the down-and-out - to life with the rough-hewn tone of backwoods f

Siberia opened in 2011 on the edge of the Bywater (2227 St. Claude Ave.). It was known for many years as the place to see heavy metal and punk shows in town. It took a little break from 2019-22 when new owners came in and rebranded as the Carnaval Lounge. Thankfully that was cleared up in 2022 when Joann Guidos (owner of Kajun’s Pub) took over. Now it’s back to it’s old self as a great music venue. It was known for many years as a great spot for Slavic soul food (beet reube

No Dice is a new arrival on the Nola music scene (late 2024). But it’s not a new address for music. The Hi-Ho Lounge was legendary for many years on St. Claude Avenue in the Bywater. It closed on Halloween in 2024, but thankfully new owners quickly had the new joint rolling quickly. Food: None (occasional pop-up or food trucks on the street) Brian Wolff & The Howlers play Leave the Lights On from No Dice, 6/17/26 Hi-Ho Lounge history The Hi-Ho Lounge was known as a punk-roc

Carrollton Station does an amazing job giving local bands a great joint to show off their stuff. It’s a long low room but the sound is still great. The place has pretty cool history – started in 1893 when a Bavarian baker opened a bar for the streetcar workers (the streetcar barn is right across the street, hence the name). IIt was also known as the Willow Inn, then became Carrollton Station in 1980. It's a 21-and-over only establishment and it has amazing food from Bertie’

Chickie Wah Wah is THE headquarters for great live music in Mid-City; not to mention one of the best music venues in town. They get some amazing performers here, both local and out-of-town, and the sound is great. A big asset for this place is that it’s right on the Canal Street streetcar line so you can get there in minutes from the French Quarter (get off at White Street, and it’s only $1.25). It originally opened as a music club in 2006 in the former Canal Bus Stop dive

This section is just underway but check back regularly as we will have overviews of all New Orleans music venues. Bamboula's Banks Street Bar BJ's Lounge Carrollton Station Chickie Wah Wah Le Bon Temp Roulé Maple Leaf No Dice Saturn Bar Siberia Tipitina's

Walk down the tree-lined streets of New Orleans’ Faubourg Marigny neighborhood on a hot sultry night, and chances are you’ll hear John Boutté’s voice floating out of one of the area’s trendy nightspots. Perhaps he’ll be singing soulful versions of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” or Annie Lennox’s “Why,” or maybe it’ll be one of the bayou-blended tunes he’s co-authored with Paul Sanchez, his pal in the Marigny. Whatever the song, its soulfulness will stop you in your trac

Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes is a true renaissance man and is arguably the most interesting man in New Orleans music. His main role is the bandleader, accordionist, and harmonica player for the New Orleans-based Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots. The band is a fusion of zydeco, blues, Creole funk, gospel and melodies from Africa and the Caribbean. “I had a very firm idea in my head even when I was 4 or 5 years old that I was going to make music,” Barnes told the Arkansas Times in

There may be no artist who embodies the joie de vivre of New Orleans more than Irma Thomas, known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans. Thomas moved to the city in the late 1950s and has been a staple at festivals and in her own New Orleans clubs for more than half a century. “I’m just Irma,” she said in 2025. “I love what I do; it’s a gift I’m blessed with to bring joy to others. I’m 84 years old and I plan on bringing joy through music for as long as I can.” It’s often said tha

With a voice that is as powerful with a whisper as it is with a bellow, contemporary New Orleans jazz singer Robin Barnes is here to stun audiences. Barnes grew up surrounded by jazz sounds, but it was a memorable experience with her church choir as a girl that made her realize that music would be her future. “Growing up, all the children at my church were encouraged to join choir,” she said. “The first mass after my mom made me join (yes, she made me), I was given a solo

Banks Street Bar opened as a dive bar in 1959 and it has stayed true to its roots since then. It has always been a blue-collar neighborhood joint, but jumped into the music scene in the early 2000s – since then it’s been known as a gritty incubator of emerging New Orleans artists in a range of genres. It now (2026) hosts some of the best punk rock shows to be found in Nola. The bar now describes itself on Instagram as a “funky neighborhood watering hole featuring live music,

Natalie Prauser is the real deal. We’re not really country guys but mix in good guitar, a strong voice, and an entertaining presence and we’re there – and we were at Banks Street Bar on Feb. 24, 2026, to get a look-see. We’re going with honky-tonk and not country (to make ourselves feel better). She released her second album “Everything Is Fine” in early 2026 and is building a following in the Midwest (she’s from Kansas City). Music's where it's at. The Story of Wymong (Every

Man, if there’s a better modern American songwriter than James McMurtry, we haven’t found him yet (and yes, we do enjoy some hyperbole, but damn, he knows how to turn a phrase). His first album came out in 1989 and he’s still cranking out amazing music now. While he’s Austin-based, this guy has a lot of New Orleans in him. And thankfully, he passes through town at least once a year, usually playing at Chickie Wah Wah. Here’s a grab from his Sept. 27, 2025, show. Choctaw Bingo