I love French Quarter Festival.

The weather is great, I get to experience the French Quarter in all its glory—it’s pretty spiffed-up for this event, with all the Mardi Gras madness flushed out of the street—there are 15 stages of all local music, food galore. The fact that you can set up your blanket overlooking the river, kick back, pop a brew and enjoy New Orleans’ glorious weather, music, food and Vieux Carre, makes for a helluva great festival. But the best part is that admission is free.

Since I speak to a lot of music industry types on pretty much a daily basis, I’ve asked many of them if they’ve been to French Quarter Festival. Most have not. Most have never even heard of it. “Is it anything like Jazz Fest?” they say. “When is it?” With the criticism in recent years of the Jazz Fest’s booking too many big names and not enough local musicians, it might be a great chance for a lot of these guys to hear some local acts, especially this year with French Quarter Festival falling on April 16-18, the week before the first weekend of Jazz Fest. If you love Jazz Fest—and if you’re reading this magazine, we know you do—then you’ll love French Quarter Fest too. I love them both, for sure.

I don’t think anyone could possibly complain about the Jazz Fest schedule this year: it’s back to basics with less pop, less jam, more standards, better groove. Fine with me. Last year was one of the best Jazz Fests I can remember. Hopefully we’ll have great weather and good crowds.

Looking for mo’ music during Jazz Fest? The City’s Music Office has just announced the 2004 Mo’ Fest schedule: Kermit Ruffins, Preservation Hall Hot 4, New Orleans Jazz Vipers, Hot Club of New Orleans, 3 Now 4, Rob Wagner Trio, Ricky Sebastian, Rites of Swing, Stooges Brass Band, Hot 8 Brass Band, Dave Badie, Monica Dillon and the Brice Miller Organ Trio. Mo’ Fest is Monday And Tuesday April 26 and 27 at Woldenberg Park Hibernia Pavilion, from noon to 8 p.m.

Congratulations to “Big Sam” Williams and his fiancée Shanekah Peterson, new owners of the Funky Butt. Former owner Richard Rochester has flown the New Orleans coop for Thailand, and has turned over the reins to Big Sam, who’s been playing at the Butt for a couple of years now on Sunday evenings with his band Funky Nation, and to Ms. Shanekah, who’s been keeping the management part of the club intact over the past year or so.

Congrats also to Julius Kimbrough, owner of the long-lamented jazz showplace Showcase Lounge on North Broad. Kimbrough recently opened the New ShowCase Uptown Supper Club at 1700 Louisiana Avenue (corner Carondelet) and has a stellar line-up of talent planned for the upcoming Jazz Fest season. The New ShowCase is open for dinner and Sunday brunch (Bob French and his band will play the brunch gig from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Call 891-9071 for more info.

WHAT’S AUSTIN GOT?

As I write this, I’m less than week back from our annual trek to Austin to the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference. SXSW is Austin’s—and probably the nation’s—most prestigious music business event, which has expanded from its music roots to include a film and an interactive component.

I always come back brimming with ideas and enthusiasm for our city’s and state’s musical potential when I come back from Austin. But somehow, the music scene in Austin seems recently created; it’s superficial and glossy. New Orleans music is from the bone, it’s in the blood, it’s the soul of the city.

But Austin can teach us a lot. The city has (wisely) used its music as a tool to put itself on the map. Austin has consciously and systematically positioned itself to be called the “Music Capital of the World.” Now we in New Orleans know this is total bullshit, but in this world of advertising, promotion and hype, those words ring out loud and clear. Austin city fathers created the catchphrase, and created a marketing and advertising campaign around it. Guess what? Perception is reality. The slogan works.

Austin has its own Austin Music Network” a 24-hour-a-day music stream on local television. The network is supported by the city and local sponsors to the tune of about $350,000 a year. Our premier Louisiana music show, Louisiana Jukebox, has virtually shut down and is in rerun mode. Why does Austin rate a 24/7 music show and we do not?

When you fly into the Austin Bergstrom Airport, almost the entire theme of the airport is music. It’s everywhere. There are exhibits touting local artists, and even their “music management”(!). There’s a stage where local artists perform on a regular basis to expose incoming passengers to Austin music. It’s sponsored by a local radio station and other sponsors.

I’m happy to say that there is a plan in the works through the city and local airport officials to present music regularly at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans (kinda ironic, that name and all, with NO MUSIC!). Hey, this might be a good thing for the Jazz & Heritage Foundation or WWOZ or the French Quarter Fest to sponsor (OffBeat will certainly step up to the table). Let’s go for it.

If city and state tourism officials were smart, they’d develop a campaign around music on an ongoing basis, and use it to change the image of New Orleans as a drunken, show-your-tits party-down city to a city where the love of music and out unique heritage is treasured, promoted, touted and marketed for the good of everyone here.

Yeah, Austin’s great for one thing: giving us ideas on how to improve our marketing—but they can’t touch the quality of our music.