Banksy in New Orleans
It looks like Hurricane Gustav barely lay a hand on New Orleans, which is all for the best. What might be better is the fact that this time around, the country actually paid attention to what was occurring in one of its most under-appreciated places. It seems that New Orleans truly is something in-and-of-itself, and it’s certainly a good thing folks around America were paying attention to what I can only perceive as America’s anomalous city.
Speaking of anomalies, New Orleans’ Rougarou provide a sonic definition for that term in their town. In a city best known (musically, that is) for jazz, Rougarou provide a startling, in-your-face interpretation of emo, a label they seem quite content to emblazon themselves with. The band’s sound recalls southern firebrands Lucero; knee-deep in country-fried guitar, blasts of punk feedback, and the kind of sing-your-soul-out-til-your-throat-bleeds visceral vocal delivery. It makes for quite a difference at home and in the pop-punk powerhouse of mainstream emo.
Japanther Pharmacy/Rougarou flyer
You can download Rougarou’s demo recordings here. Other than that, sit back and wait to hear where this act ends up.
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Extra: In the coming posts, you’ll notice a little change in the blog. There will still be various entries connecting odds ‘n ends to emo, but there will be shorter posts on various critical concerns on emo, on band profiles, interviews with musicians and artists, etc. Also, posts might not be entered on a daily basis, simply due to personal time constraints. But, there will always be more to come.
