PICK: Ultramarine

Groove moves: If you’re bummed about missing the high-energy party vibe of Mardi Gras this year, you can beat your blues with the blues at Ultramarine, a showcase featuring the Chickenhead Blues Band and Eli Cook. The Chickenhead’s five-man ensemble features NOLA’s own Aric van Brocklin on guitar, alongside Skip Haga on the keyboards, Granville […]

Eli Cook plays with tradition on High-Dollar Gospel

Eli Cook picked up the guitar one fortuitous summer when his older brother went to baseball camp. Cook’s brother had been taking lessons and left an electric guitar—which actually belonged to their older sister—behind in Nelson County. “It seemed cool,” says Cook of the idea of playing guitar. He picked up the instrument and worked […]

ARTS Pick: Eli Cook

Local bluesman Eli Cook takes everything he learned from performing at church revivals and channels it into his long-awaited new album, High-Dollar Gospel. The singer-songwriter’s unique merging of his own Appalachian folk history with ferocious rock riffs has earned him accolades since he came on the scene at age 18. The musical growth apparent on […]

ARTS Pick: Lovefest

Forty bands. Two stages. 23 hours of music. Lovefest is a response through art to the civil rights struggles shaking the community. From early-morning meditation to midday belly dancing to late-night gypsy punk, the festival offers a weekend of immersion in the love and passion of local artists. The lineup features well-known community musicians including […]