Our interns made our booth at Voodoo and coverage beforehand possible. Here are some of their reflections now that the festival’s over for another year.—ED.
Luke Winslow-King by Aaron LaFont
With sweetly provocative lyrics and a decidedly antiquated bent, Luke Winslow-King’s music delivers in both charm and pitch-perfect arrangements. His set on Voodoo’s Bingo! Stage was an ideal interlude between the energetic ska of Fatter than Albert and the energetic horns of Treme Brass Band, the sunny afternoon contrasting with sensuous rhythms of tunes like “As April is to May” and a sultry, downtempo version of the ragtime traditional “Sister Kate.” Winslow-King himself is a consummate performer, exuding charm between the dreamy blues-influenced numbers, while Ben Polcer backed him up with an elegant wah-wah trumpet. Rounding out the band were Cassidy Holden on bass and Rich Levinson on the washboard.
Winslow-King is clearly a believer in the traditional forms to which he pays homage, and while his lyrics may sometimes come across as obvious—the muddy Mississippi, the magnolias of New Orleans—the voice behind them is fresh and the music itself rich with innovation. The clear standout of the set was his rendition of Ma Rainey’s “Hear Me Talkin’ To Ya.” Like the best traditional music, it’s improvisational without being flashy, coyly seductive without being gratuitous, and an utter pleasure to dance to.
—Julia K. Ramsey
Anders Osborne by Aaron LaFont
Now that this year’s Voodoo has come to an end, the consensus among many people with whom I’ve spoken seems to be that, while the main stage acts were good, the lesser-known and local acts were where the magic truly was. I have to agree, as several of my favorite experiences from the 2010 Voodoo Experience were had watching the smaller stages, such as the SoCo/WWOZ Stage. A moment that has defined the festival for me in the days of reflection afterward was watching Anders Osborne sit in with the Stanton Moore Trio. Watching Osborne and keyboardist Robert Walter trading riffs while Moore stood above his drum set beating the cymbals and bass drum mercilessly. He was clearly having just as much fun, if not more, than the audience. And seeing Rebirth Brass Band play a festival in New Orleans on a beautiful day just feels right. I’ve never heard anything by way of a bad performance by Rebirth, but an outdoor festival seems just as much like home for them as the Maple Leaf or Tipitina’s.
That’s not to say the main stage acts were lacking in their own type of magic. Losing interest in Weezer in recent years is not something I ever lamented as my musical interests and their output simply became less mutual over the years. However, it’s tough to forget those moments of pure junior high school joy I felt while shamelessly participating in the thousands-wide sing-a-longs of “Undone (The Sweater Song)” or “Say It Ain’t So.” Also, watching them play a bit of Lady Gaga on a stage in front of thousands reminded me of their sense of humor about themselves that attracted me to them in the first place in those formative years. Furthermore, it’s difficult not to be impressed when a band like Muse takes the stage, playing songs that seem like they were meant for just the type of occasion where they could be showcased to an entire field of people under a sky being bombarded with laser lights and strobe effects.
—Cooper O’Bryan
I went to Voodoo on Saturday with my sister and her fiancé, and we all but attacked the food booths. Between the three of us, we probably spent about $240 on food, and it was worth it! The bisque from Café Navarre was perfect, and the Voodoo Bowl from City Diner tasted heavenly.
Florence Welch by Aaron LaFont
As we pigged out, we enjoyed Florence and the Machine. Florence Welch danced like no one was watching even when everyone was watching. She wielded her powerful voice with beautiful control, and I felt surrounded by it even though I was nowhere near the stage.
The grand finally of my evening was seeing Ozzy Osborne. After witnessing the legend, I now believe that he truly is the Prince of Darkness. Only someone with supernatural connections could sound as good as he did 40 years ago.
—Barbie Cure
If you walked by the Bingo! Tent a little after six on Sunday evening, you might have witnessed an unusual spectacle. Vibrating rears are nothing new at a Big Freedia show, but Voodoo’s projection capabilities allowed them to be rendered 10 feet across in high definition while DJ Rusty Lazer’s rapid-fire vocal samples hammered in the background. At the climax of “Azz Everywhere,” there must have been 15 barely clothed, frantically gyrating azzes on screen on once. I hope as many New Orleans initiates as possible saw that one.
—Zachary Young
