If you haven’t already heard last month’s good news, Mimi’s in the Marigny is finally back to a seven day music schedule.

The popular neighborhood bar and music club has certainly seen its share of setbacks with all of the noise ordinance upheaval of recent years.

Even though music licensing in New Orleans has been traditionally been understood as a formality at best – an attitude in keeping with the neighborhood based musical traditions and overriding live and let live cultural milieu that sets this magical city apart – dozens of venues across the city were hampered in 2012 by the municipality’s notorious crackdown on unlicensed establishments.

Mimi’s did successfully obtain proper paperwork, albeit in the form of a stunted license that precluded DJs and was followed by a two year legal roller coaster ride.

They suffered another major blow this past July when a joint noise lawsuit from multiple neighbors resulted in months of total musical hiatus.

This was a bitter disappointment to the many regulars who regard the intimate bar as one of the best atmospheres in which to see their favorite musicians perform.

Mimi’s finally got the ok to bring bands back, five nights a week, in September, and at this time they’ve returned to booking a full seven nights a week.

Despite these seemingly positive signs, they face a slow, frustrating climb, one shared by bars like Buffa’s.

The current agreement for Mimi’s demands that music be cut off 10 p.m., and it strictly prohibits horns and amps, a policy that prevents many of the bar’s beloved and brassy former mainstays from booking anew without vastly stripping down their acts.

Strategies for dealing with these roadblocks are currently being discussed. Staff members are particularly keen on extending music until midnight, especially as they’re only hosting quiet, dinner and drinks type music at the moment, not, for example, DJ Soul Sister’s fondly remembered dance parties of bygone times.

We’ll have to wait and see how things turn out.

As of now, be sure to check out the great performers they are able to book.

November’s schedule has the Mississippi Gypsies on Sundays, the Balkan Group on Mondays, Toxic Flood Waters on Tuesdays, The Levee Toppers on Wednesdays, the Hot and Spicy Swing Club on Thursdays, the Swinging Gypsies on Fridays, and Laura Dyer on Saturdays.

December will probably feature a new lineup, but future bookings are up in the air at the moment and will likely depend on how much progress can be made on the noise restriction front.