It often feels like New Orleans is more of a brand than a city these days. From NCIS: New Orleans to Beyonce’s “Formation” video and those awful Popeye’s commercials, it’s easy to see why outsiders might think life here is nothing but a series of fried meals and second lines through storm-ravaged neighborhoods.
Aurora Nealand treats Progression to her Monocle project. Photo by Noe Cugny.
On the musical side of things that brand means jazz and funk, preferably played out in the street or in some French Quarter courtyard. There’s no doubt that this music–often called the lifeblood of the city–is important to your average New Orleanian. It’s just not what most of us are consuming on a daily basis. Locals may love WWOZ, but at any given moment more people in town are listening to rap, rock or top 40 radio–the same as anywhere else in America.
And much like anywhere else in America, people are writing and playing music that doesn’t fit the “New Orleans” mold, at least not in any conventional sense. In fact, some of them are refusing to reinterpret the past altogether, instead opting for a forward-thinking sound that wouldn’t be out of place in the hippest corners of Brooklyn, London or San Francisco.
That’s where the weekly Progression Music Series comes in.
“We try to cast a wide net by including a lot of different genres in this one experience,” explains guitarist and Progression Music Series co-organizer Cliff Hines. “But the basic idea is that we want anyone who is pushing the boundaries of what it means to be creating New Orleans music. So it’s steeped in New Orleans tradition of experimentation and creativity, but it’s un-steeped in the New Orleans tradition in that it’s showcasing new sounds that we’ve never heard before.”
Progression, a free music series that takes place every Tuesday night at Gasa Gasa, is the brainchild of sound engineer Ian Painter and singer Sasha Masakowsi, who organized the first event at Saturn Bar in 2013. The series moved to its current home a few months later, eventually ending up under the curation of Hines and his co-organizer, music promoter Kali Serna. Over the past three years, the project has connected an array of outside-the-box artists with equally off-kilter music lovers in search of something different.
“Some of the people we have play are people that have been pigeonholed into those [New Orleans music] categories,” says Hines. “For example, Aurora Nealand is one of these quintessential trad jazz players, but then she’s also one of the city’s most progressive musicians.”
“We’re not trying to create divides because a lot of people are on the both sides of the fence,” he adds. “We want to make sure that they have a home to try new things and be free.”
And they’ve certainly succeeded on that front. Nealand, who recently graced the cover of OffBeat, used the May 24th edition of the series to showcase her new Monocle project, an undertaking that combines accordion, synthesizers and more with looped, effects-laden vocal melodies. The same show featured sets from cello wizard Hellen Gillet and breezy indie rockers Biglemoi, while the following week switched things up with a forward-thinking hip-hop lineup led by local rapper Doon.
“The people who come out for the shows are super enthusiastic,” Hines notes. “There is absolutely a scene for it here. It just happens to be a lot smaller than in other places.”
Helen Gillet at Progression. Photo by Noe Cugny.
It’s a scene that continues to grow, just like the Progression Music Series. Hines and Serna have big ideas for the project, and hope to bring it to Gasa Gasa every week through the fall and beyond. They also plan to throw a few Progression art parties at the studio Painter shares with Worklight Pictures in Mid City, much like a similar event that was held at the space during this year’s Jazz Fest.
“We decked it out in this DIY style with lots of visual projections and all sorts of cool things. It really created a vibe there,” Hines recalls. “We love the regularness of Gasa Gasa, but every couple of months we are going to do a kind of mini-festival like that at the studio. It’s a special occasion. It’s a different thing that will be more of a party vibe than a weekly social vibe. We’re not sure when we’ll do the next one, but that’s definitely on the horizon.”
Speaking of lineups, Progression has already unveiled its schedule for the rest of June. The docket includes Terence Higgins’ new Trio Electric with Hines and Brian Coogin, experimental R&B group Sexy Dex & The Fresh, singer Christin Bradford, bassist Max Moran’s funk-fusion outfit Neospectric, Hines’ new project KL¥PH, a visual/musical hybrid called Paint With Music and much more.
“We’ve had our peaks and valleys, but we are definitely trying to do what we can to put some new life into the progressive music scene,” says Hines. “We want to keep this a regular thing so that we can build a community around it.”
Progression Music Series will take place each Tuesday this month–and most Tuesdays thereafter–at Gasa Gasa in New Orleans. The June lineup can be found below.
Progression Music Series:
June 7
Trio Electric ft. Terence Higgins, Brian Coogan and Cliff Hines
Loose Willis
KL¥PH
June 14
Sexy Dex & The Fresh
Wall of Ears
Von Mozes
Lilly Brave
Thursday Night Trash
June 21
Christin Bradford
Max Moran & Neospectric
NYCE!
June 28
Naughty Palace
Beautiful Bells
Paint With Music ft. Marcus Brown
