Events in New Orleans on Thursday, 7/24

Black Rose Band, d.b.a., 10pm

The Bruisers, Circle Bar, 8pm

DJ Kemistry, Republic, 11pm

DJ Proppa Bear Presents: Bassbin Safari, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)

Fast Times ‘80s Dance Night, One Eyed Jacks

The Fens, Checkpoint Charlie’s, 10pm

Good Guys, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm

Green Jelly, Mobile Deathcamp, Howlin’ Wolf, 10pm

Juanita and the Rabbit, Checkpoint Charlie’s, 7pm

Lovehog, Chloe Mons, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm

Walter Wolfman Washington and The Roadmasters, Banks St. Bar And Grill, 10pm

King Khan And The Shrines, Jacuzzi Boys, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm. Internationally hated by riot control police yet adored by the quirky and cool alike, King Khan and The Shrines are on the move and they’re coming to NOLA, baby. These good-humored and rowdy youngsters play some good, old-timey, part-psychedelic-part-bi band-part-summer-beach party-on-mescaline, rock-you-to-the-bottom-of-your soul music that would make James Brown proud. In fact, they could’ve probably gone head-to-head with the (R.I.P.) Godfather of Soul when it comes to performing with zest, high energy, and showmanship. To say that these kids are eccentric is a bit of an understatement. With a band member that goes by Bamboorella (go-go queen of the underworld) it’s safe to say that King Khan and The Shrines are not your parents’ soul band. With a take-no-prisoners attitude, pulpy image and a delicious throwback sound, you’ll feel like you have no choice but to go along for the ride, no matter how strange it may be. —Caroline DeBruhl

Help us celebrate our 4 years in New Orleans at Handsome Willy’s with NOLA Rising, DJ sets by AG writers, cheap food and drink and, above all else, cake. We’ll go from 7pm ’til around 10 or so!

An Evening Of Soul On Film, The Big Top, 7pm; myspace.com/djsoulsis. DJ Soul Sister screens two of her favorite documentaries in “An Evening of Soul on Film” to raise money for The New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic. The first documentary is Wattstax, directed by Mel Stewart. Wattstax, sponsored by southern soul record company Stax, has long been known as the “Black Woodstock,” and in 1972 they the “black-is-beautiful” outlook of African-American culture was captured. This film features such greats as Isaac Hayes, Rufus and Carla Thomas, and even acts by Richard Prior. To celebrate the 14th anniversary of Ghana’s independence, the second film of this series, Soul to Soul, brings pop stars from all around the United States to Africa to play a fourteen-hour concert, where over 100,000 Ghanaians attended. Carlos Santana, Roberta Flack, Wilson Pickett, and many Ghanaian faces light up the screen in this documentary. —Christopher Woods

Mudhoney, Birds of Avalon, One Eyed Jacks, 10pm, $18. Any elitist worth his/her flannel will most likely have something to say about pioneer grunge band Mudhoney’s new album, The Lucky Ones. These Seattle natives were the ones that Kurt Cobain cited as an inspiration but then they totally, like, sold out in 1992 when they went to Reprise Records. They went back to Sub Pop in 2002 but released Since We’ve Become Translucent, which was so commercial and had nowhere near the raw power of Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. Under A Billion Suns came out four years later and had a more progressive rock sound. Some critics applaud Mudhoney for growing, others say the band has simply sold out and is washed up. Whatever their opinions are of Mudhoney’s recorded music, skeptic and elitist alike are still itching for the show. What would it be like? Will they stick to their new, prog rock-style stuff? Will they play “Touch Me, I’m Sick?” Whether you’re praying for disappointment so you could tell everybody that you called it or secretly hoping the show will make you feel like you’re sixteen again, this show is worth checking out because, you know, it’s, like, Mudhoney! —Caroline DeBruhl, Photo by Shawn Brackbill

Check out the process behind our 4-Year anniversary cover by Caesar Meadows!

Lil’ Doogie Meet-And-Greet, Color Bar Salon (2039 Magazine St.), 8pm, FREE; lildoogie.com. From a string of laugh-inducing, real-life videos (like meeting Endymion parade goers and talking to local ABC affiliate Channel 26, taking his first trip to the East Bank and throwing television antennas around the room after arguing with his roommate) to a Dirty Coast t-shirt featuring his likeness to the release of the fledgling rapper’s first EP and his appearance on this magazine’s cover (April ’08), Lil’ Doogie has confounded online philosophers with the only question worth asking: “Brah, I’m real?” Philosophize further at Color Bar Salon, where Doogie celebrates the release of Thoughts From My Mind and his first music video, for Thoughts track “Lil’ One.” You’ll have a chance to make a film with Doogie (not of the porno kind, unless that’s what you’re into) and take photos like you did at your Senior Prom. —Leo McGovern, Photo by Dan Fox.

Settly, One Eyed Jacks, 10pm; settly.com. Settly has been all over the music business. He’s been in bands like Raw Youth, Multiple Places and ZOOM. He was the house recording engineer at NYC’s Tin Pan Alley Studio (where he worked on the Beastie Boy’s Ill Communications). He also recorded and co-produced Railroad Jerk’s One Track Mind and The Third Rail. All that considered, the most notable thing about Settly may be his solo music. When I say he went solo, I mean he went solo—he mixed, recorded, produced, wrote the lyrics and music to all the songs, all on his own. Now that’s independent music! However, as he can’t play every instrument by himself live, his backup band is either his old buddies ZOOM or The Disappointments. While Settly kicks ass on the record, his live shows are where it’s at—his music has just enough pop to draw in different types of people and rocks hard enough to keep everyone engrossed for the entire set. But, make no mistake; he isn’t a pop-punk wonder. He plays really good, old fashion, rock and roll, filled with riffs and hooks in all their glory. His songs are glorious little gems that will keep you humming for days to follow, so don’t miss the former One Eyed Jacks soundman on a rare return to New Orleans. —Caroline DeBruhl, Photo by Art Boonparn

Worn Again II: Friday June 27, Republic

Team Worn Again sticks with the old adage of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” or in this case, runway-worthy high fashion. With their 2nd annual “recycled” fashion show, Worn Again NOLA II, Team Worn Again challenges artists and designers to what founder Garyt Shiflett calls an exercise in “controlled creative recycling” at Republic, who has donated the space for the evening.

Proceeds from the event will restock the storefront for Recycle for the Arts, a “trash-to-art” organization that provides low-cost art materials to the community.

Worn Again NOLA II contestants who are 16-years-old and older receive a randomly assigned bag of fabric and clothing and have just fourteen days to turn their nothings into somethings and model them on the runway at the June 27 event. “You get what we give you, but you have the creative freedom,” Shiflett says. The top three contestants will receive top-notch designing supplies, including a new sewing machine. Registration is $10.

Worn Again NOLA II will feature three other contests, including Worn Again Jr., featuring designers between 8 and 15 years old, who, after a few sewing lessons, have six weeks to work on their submission before it hits the runway. Winners receive a cash prize. Registration is $10.

The Thrift Store Art Edit gives artists two weeks to “edit” an assigned thrift store-find—the artist can either be inspired by their find or create something completely different. Registration is $5.

Finally, ten teams of four to six dancers will compete in the Recycled Dance Competition. The dancers will be randomly assigned a music video with three weeks to learn its respective dance routine. The event crowd chooses the winner. Registration is $10.

On June 7, Shiflett and his Team will hand out anything-goes grab bags of fabric to the competing designers.

Instead of relying solely on donations and help from CraigList ads and classifieds, Shiflett searched for a few generous fabric stores, finding upholstery scraps and clothing beyond repair. “I try to find homes for clothes not even a thrift store would want,” he says. Fortunately, Shiflett grabbed plenty of raw materials from a charitable fabric store and also filled two trucks worth of fabric from a store closing in Elmwood, saving mountains of fabric from a landfill and putting it all into the hands of recycle-savvy designers. “I hope they come up, like, ‘Hey, I really made something out of that pile of shit you gave me,’” Shiflett says.

This year’s sign-up sheet already surpasses last year’s total, with more than thirty designers registered before the deadline. Karen Kempf from Recycle for the Arts anticipates more than fifty total registered designers by the June 7th deadline.

Shiflett and Kempf, the newest member of the Team, joined forces in 2007 when Team Worn Again adopted Recycle for the Arts as its non-profit of choice. But the Team first stitched together as an assignment Shifflet received in class while in college in Virginia. His art direction professor asked the students to develop an event to support a nonprofit. After presenting his idea for the proto-Team, Shiflett’s professor pulled him aside and told him to go for it.

Co-founded with Anna Virginia in 2005, the Team’s fashion show proceeds benefited the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. But in 2007, Shiflett moved to New Orleans, leaving Anna in control of the Virginia Team. Finding kinship with the Green Project’s Recycle for the Arts, Team Worn Again, along with Kempf, launched their first event at the Green Project in 2007.

Shiflett plans to turn Team Worn Again into an official New Orleans nonprofit with a storefront and basing its efforts around a local creative community and its vendors.

“It’s not just deconstructing, it’s turning it into something else.”

TEAM WORN AGAIN PRESENTS: A NIGHT OF RECYCLED CREATIVITY, the 2nd annual fundraiser benefiting Recycle for the Arts, Friday June 27, The Republic, 828 S. Peters New Orleans
Worn Again Jr. Runway Show - 6pm
Worn Again NOLA 2 Runway Show - 8pm
Recycled Dance Competition - 9pm
Thrift Store Art Edit - all night

—Alex Woodward

This story originally appeared in ANTIGRAVITY Vol.5 Issue 1 (November 2007).

The Baddest Brush in Town, Part I:

Who is Winning the Color Wars in New Orleans?

by Sara Pic, with Dan Fox

The art-crime of graffiti is probably one of the least understood phenomena of modern urban existence. Are these inscriptions a public nuisance, a symbol of crime, a primeval marking of territory by criminals, or simply free speech in its essence? Who are these nocturnal prowlers dotting the New Orleans landscape with handles like “Goose,” “Nobel,” “Spin,” “Giser” and such? Are these Crips carving out their piece of the city or backpacker-hip-hop kids simply carrying forward a tradition that’s pushing four decades? Are they gangsters—or the next Basquiat? And what’s the difference between them and the campaign workers, bands, show promoters, yoga instructors, contractors, and countless others who take to our public visual space and claim some of it for their cause, whatever it is? To one man, there is no difference. And that man is Fred Radtke.

What is Radtke’s mission, exactly? Is it, as he has claimed in past stories and news reports, to help rid New Orleans of crime by painting over graffiti? Or is it to make himself famous by marking the city with his infamous gray blocks? (more…)