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"Dressed in blue and playing high-energy folk rock that's perfect for a house party, The Blue Party is possibly the 'funnest' band on Earth." - Arts Council of New Orleans

"The Blue Party blends sounds as if they were making a jambalaya out of good times. With equal parts rock, folk and dance, they stir up a musical dish that really suits their home of New Orleans." - wellthatscool.com (Tuscaloosa, AL)

"Underneath the hyperactive, road tested party antics of this six-piece lies a level of sheer musical virtuosity not found in many groups stomping around town" - Barryfest.com (New Orleans, LA)

"The Blue Party ushered in the evening with a set of springy, sunny early 20s anthems. Uniting soul- searching travelogues (“Honduras”) and hip party chorales (“Homeless”), they showed why they are quickly becoming favorites with the campus crowd – plus, it’s kind of hard not to get behind a band with a bouzouki." - Groovescapes.com (New Orleans, LA)

"The Blue Party got the crowd in such a happy, dancing mood that a visit from Starkville Police with an order to turn the volume down did not even phase the energy level in the backyard...this party was one for Starkville's history books" - The Mississippi State Reflector (Starkville, MS)

"They effortlessly mix musical styles to create a sound that is all their own." - The Vignette (Kansas City, MO)

"The Blue Party first played in Hays in September 2010. When The Blue Party returned to Hays in April, the band drew on Wednesday night and had the crowd singing their lyrics." - The Hays Daily News (Hays, KS)

"As soon as the first chord was struck, a dance party broke out. With the members dancing with audience members and everyone having an awesome time to their up-tempo tunes, you couldn’t help but watch this band play and crack a smile." - Music Makers (Starkville, MS)

"With their fun, yet heartfelt lyrics and sound, the Blue Party will make sure everyone who listens to them will have a great time." - Scout66

It’s 3:46 in the morning and way past my bedtime.  However, since I’m still up, I figured I’d post some video I just got from our Nov. 5 show at Maison.  The quality is so-so, but these are some newer tunes, so I figured I’d post em to the blog. Enjoy.

Neutral Ground:

I Only Leave So That I Can Come Back:

Guys. Girls. It’s been a longggg 3 months of touring. We toured the South and Midwest of the United States all of July, half of August and almost all of September and we’re finally back in our mother city of New Orleans. Once again we were aided greatly by our sponsor, Boru Vodka (www.boru.com) and we’ve got footage and stories from these crazy months that we’ll be sharing soon. In the meantime, NOLA people and anyone who’s willing to travel, we’re playing this Friday at the Howlin Wolf with our good friends Mississippi Rail Co., kickass-extraordinaires The Coyotes, funky goodtime Earphunk, and the up-and-coming alt rock stylings of the Wooden Wings. We play two sets in the Den and it’s sure to be as rockin and rollin as any house party you’ve seen us at. Starts at 9, ends at awesome. Here’s all the info

You stay classy, planet Earth.

No, that^ is not a band name.  Barryfest is the hippest blog in New Orleans and The Saint is the hippest dive bar.   On a recent Monday night, we joined forces with the two aforementioned parties for a raucous and well-documented show.  Despite being 99% worn out, we summoned the energy we had left after 3 sleepless weeks on the road.  The good people at Barryfest took some great pictures and wrote a nice little review of the show.  Our favorite quote?.. “if there’s one thing undeniable about the Blue Party, it’s that they aren’t half-assing it.”

Howdy Partisans,

May is over, which means we’re taking a month off! (From playing shows that is).  We recently got some pictures of our Tipitina’s show from a good man named Josh Brasted (he’s the man), so I figured I’d share.

Also, before the pics, we got some press from the show too: Offbeat, Nola Defender, and Barryfest.  Thanks for the shoutouts guys!!

Now, back to those pictures…

One of the biggest highlights of the night was Natalie’s take on the Gospel tune, Death Came a-Knockin’, by Ruthie Foster.  She was accompanied by Chris on drums, Rob from The Revivalists on saxophone, and former Blue Party drummer, Ross McIntire on percussion.  It was simple, and it was absolutely awesome.  I’m sure we’ll do it again.  Here’s Natalie singing the tune and playing the floor tom at the same time:

Rob took a solo halfway through that totally rocked.  (BTW, The Revivalists played in Lafayette Square yesterday in NOLA.  Mad Props.)

It was awesome to have Ross back on stage with us again as well.  He is definitely one of the best drummers/percussionists in New Orleans.  Hands down.

In other news, George kept the Thor-mask streak alive and showed the world that he is still the weirdest/coolest member of The Blue Party.  

In other fashion-related news, Alex shaved the mustache and sported “The Lincoln” for the show:

Al and Chris started the night in suits and managed to stealthily change into their “Tampa” outfits while I was talking.  It was the first planned Blue Party costume change and they pulled it off without telling anyone else in the band.  Well done Gents.  Al suited:

Chris dressed for the beach:

And Natalie thinks I need a haircut:

That’s it for now.  I’m going to the library to book our next tour(s).  Unfortunately, my ADD does not allow me to get anything done at my own house.

Until next time,

Reid

It’s the time when time doesn’t matter. You go to work in spurts, you sleep nap when you can, you eat what’s given to you, and you party through all of it. It has its own space time continuum. You start every day or night with a group of friends and by the time you end up where you sleep that night you’ll surely be with a totally different group of people. Krewe de Vieux and the following week and a half is a city-wide pre-game. You need to prepare yourself and rightfully so because nobody is ever really ready for this unique class of imminent chaos. You party the weekend of Krewe de Vieux (a sexually charged satire and the first parade of Mardi Gras) which is two weekends before Mardi Gras weekend. It’s sort of a kick start for the entire carnival. “Holy shit. It’s here. Already?” That’s all you’ll generally hear from anyone for the next week or so. Then the next Wednesday and Thursday come. By then you’re warmed up and you’ve had a few good practice runs. You’re ready for the big time. You hit some parades and do some good drinking and partying and what-have-you, and by Saturday you’re well into the game. Sunday rolls around (ROLLS around. GET IT!? I crack me up) and you’re trying to gain a sense of who you are and what you’re doing. Is it Sunday? Do I really have two more days of this? Will, no, CAN I make it? Do I have enough beer money? Who is this sleeping on my couch?

Now it’s Sunday night and you’re in the zone, baby! It becomes a free-for-all as everyone around you is trying to make sense of what’s happening whilst clinging to a fleeting sense of order and social decency. Well, maybe not the last one so much. By the night of Lundi Gras — that’s the Monday before Fat Tuesday, rookie — you are literally, and I mean literally, trying to figure out what your life is and means. You honestly are unaware of time and daily structure. Up is down. Night is day. Everything that was once bad is now good, and in more ways than one. Nothing really makes sense, but somehow that’s OK with you. It feels like a battlefield, a really really drunk battlefield. You’ve lost friends and acquired new ones and you’re lost among a panoply of beads, party favors, half-to-mostly-to-fully naked women, college kids and west-bankers adorned with green/purple/gold polos, and entire tourist families sidelined with the look on their faces that closely resembles a small herd of deer about to get hit by a Penske. Which, come to think of it, isn’t too far off from the truth.

………………………………………….. It’s here. Wow. Mardi Gras day. Show time. You can’t believe it. It’s the closest thing to your pre-pubescent memories of Christmas morning you will ever get. This is the culmination of the entire year’s past. It’s the equivalent to a massive exhale of all and any negative emotions you amassed since Ash Wednesday. You lose yourself, as Bodhi would say, and you find yourself. A day when you truly put all your cares on the backburner and just have a good time, god dammit! You can let go of everything. It’s impossible to trip on anything on this day, you have no worries. The best part you ask? Everyone feels the same way you do. A day when everyone can genuinely wish everyone else the very best. This is the way it should be! People roam the streets aimlessly, floating along with clouds, going wherever the wind may take them. Ghouls and goblins, sinners and saints, mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters. We all become one on this day and nobody can ever take that away from us. There is no other natural feeling I’ve ever had that comes close to being so spiritually refreshing. Do you like having your faith restored in humanity? Do you enjoy feeling like life is worth living? Do you relish in the idea that some day you will die, but that day means nothing to you because you’re blessed to be alive at that moment? Fucking Mardi Gras.

Sex, music, drugs, liquor, parties, food, parades, tits and beads, family, friends, sex and drugs and music. Mardi Gras is somehow still greater than the sum of its parts. It’s most commonly referred to as a haze, but no matter the personal account it still seems to defy all description. People of all classes, races, creeds, and backgrounds come together to celebrate together. There is nothing that embodies the true spirit of this city more. The Real McCoy. Sorry for the double negative, but you can’t not savor it. Happiness is not in the past, it’s not in the future, it is right now, and on Mardi Gras day there is no escaping happiness. The Everlasting Now. It’s of its own ilk and it’s something that you just flat out need to experience for yourself. Last year’s Mardi Gras was adoringly referred to as Lombardi Gras (the single best day of my life), and on the day the Saints won (the second best day of my life), the centennial anniversary of Mark Twain’s death, I couldn’t help but be reminded of one of my favorite quotes of his. He said, “I think that I may say that an American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardi-Gras in New Orleans.” It means something different to everyone, and we can try illustrate it as best we can, but for us all, it’s Mardi Gras.

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone. WHO DAT!?

Much Love,

- T.