An audience costumed in tye-dyed fur, alien jumpsuits, top hats, bowties and felt alligator tails came to see genre-defying bands take the stage alongside a scene of ferns, mushrooms, a giant alligator and dinosaur which glowed neon in the black light. This was the surreal setting created by Krewe De VOID for Carnavoid 2023 which took place February 4 at the Joy Theater.

The night opened up with Brazilian DJ C’est Funk. He spun a set on vinyl playing Brazilian funk and soul from the ‘70’s, along with a Neville Brothers tune. Unfortunately, C’est Funk played to a practically empty venue. All that was visible from the empty balcony was a man spinning a LED baton and a couple dressed in blue fur. This left the first group with the difficult task of engaging a sparse crowd.

Photo courtesy of Fête du Void

Carnavoid was the most recent iteration of the Void project, which has been nearly a decade in the making. The headliner and organizer of the event, The Iceman Special, started the Fête du Void festival in 2016 as an effort to build a Louisiana fanbase outside of New Orleans. Last year’s festival featured a variety of genres from zydeco to hip-hop to funk. Iceman Special drummer Hunter Romero chose to include different types of artists in order to, “keep a finger on the pulse of what’s popular and what’s gonna be the next big thing in Louisiana.”

An emphasis on diverse genres guided the lineup for Carnavoid 2023 as well.

Next came a band a third of the size of Gov’t Majik, Good Enough for Good Times. The four-piece is made up of guitarist Jeff Raines and bassist Rob Mercurio of Galactic, as well as Keyboardist Joe Ashlar, and Drummer Simon Lott. The band took the stage looking like a group of suburban fathers, except for Lott who stuck out with a swoop of green hair.

What they lacked in flash they made up for in groove. The core of the band is the tight rhythm section. The bass and drums act as one unit, creating a foundation for the guitarist and keyboardist to build on. While they played well, they lacked energy as their instrumental funk/jazz sound did not fill such a large space. As their set ended with an explosive church-like organ breakdown leading to a powerful, blues turn-around, the next group began to play from the opposite end of the venue.

Zoomst performing at Carnavoid 2023. Photo courtesy of Zoomst’s Facebook page.

In the middle of the GA floor, there was a second small stage barely big enough to fit the next band, Zoomst. Zoomst is a band whose style is hard to define as they move from tight funk to progressive rock in odd time signatures, to psychedelic noise, to swing—all in one song. Part of their sound is a healthy use of effects. The guitarist’s pedalboard took up half of the stage, and the keys player had an arsenal of four keyboards and a pedalboard.

Zoomst stood out as the only band that was dressed like the growing eccentric audience. They wore matching sequin suits and sailor caps, a homage to the original name of the band, “Good Ship Zoomst.”

Their set brought a completely different atmosphere to the show. By changing the elevation of the band, a venue inside of the venue was created. This environment was far more intimate. The band was close enough to spit on you, and the crowd was far more engaged. In fact, despite having the shortest set and not playing on the main stage, Zoomst had the greatest audience engagement of all the opening bands.

The unique setup was also helpful in aiding in the flow of the event as there was no dead time in between sets. By all metrics, Zoomst was the perfect opener as they engaged the crowd with a high-energy sound that set up the headliner for success.

The VOID events create a unique curated space where bands with genre-bending styles like Zoomst thrive. VOID is an acronym for “Visions Of Infinite Dimensions.” The psychedelic nature of these shows relates to their main motivation: creating a community of creatives.

Romero says the goal behind VOID is, “Being a creative space for people that don’t really know what to do with their art. It’s a very inclusive space and an accepting community… and it also has turned into a networking opportunity for creatives and artists.”

The events are also focused on issues beyond creativity. Fête du Void is a non-profit that aims to raise money and awareness for mental health. Mindfulness is built into the festival experience with spaces for yoga and zen meditation. Carnavoid 2023 is no different.

Finally, it was time for the organizers of this celebration of absurdity to take the stage.

As Zoomst ended, a repeating sample rang across the theater. With every repetition, it became more distorted until it was interrupted by an explosive strum of distorted guitar as curtains were drawn back to reveal the Iceman Special, dressed in matching gilly suits which glowed orange under black light.

The Iceman Special. Photo: Noé Cugny

Above the band there was a velociraptor, hanging from the modified set. While the whole night had a psychedelic tint, The Iceman Special took it to a new dimension with lasers that darted across the venue, and a velociraptor that hung from the stage’s ceiling. Their signature effect-heavy sound paired with the visual effects to create a colorful soundscape that filled the venue.

The slowly building crowd was finally full. Audiences erupted into applause after every song and were deeply engaged with the music, much more so than with any other band. It was obvious that they were the main attraction and had brought most of the audience.

While a creative community is being built through the VOID events, there is still much to be accomplished.

“The events are exactly where we want them to be but the notoriety in the rest of Louisiana culture is not quite there yet,” Romero said, “It’s still a little niche for a lot of people… We realize that some of these events are a bit more of a commitment than a regular night out but we are pushing for something more.”

The VOID events are representative of a greater aspect of New Orleans that has always has been a hub for originality and creativity. Carnavoid represents modern efforts to create community among creatives and promote local musicians who do not limit themselves to “traditional” music of the region. The VOID events are also part of the rising tide of psychedelic-influenced music in New Orleans. In the local scene, artists are using more effects, sampling and experimentation across many genres.

Psychedelic music and aesthetics have always been a part of New Orleans music and bands like the Iceman Special and Zoomst carry this torch today. The community being created at VOID events like Carnavoid 2023 represent that New Orleans music is not just limited to traditional genres of the past and proves that this city too can produce “hippies.”