You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
ecommended for claustrophobes. 626 Frenchmen St. & 504/949-0696.<br />
www.snugjazz.com. Cover $12–$20, depending on performer. Doors open at 7pm,<br />
sets start at 8 and 10pm.<br />
ELSEWHERE AROUND THE CITY<br />
Vaughan’s Lounge Tucked deep in the Bywater section of <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Orleans</strong>, Vaughan’s Lounge is way down-home—as in, it’s in a residential<br />
neighborhood and feels almost as though you’re in someone’s<br />
house. The long bar takes up so much room that people almost<br />
fall over the band at the end of the room. In the back room, you<br />
might find people playing Ping-Pong. Thursday—Kermit Ruffins’s<br />
night—is the night to go to Vaughan’s. Go early and get some of the<br />
barbecue Kermit is often cooking up before a show—he likes to barbecue<br />
as much as he likes to play, and he tends to bring his grill<br />
along with him wherever he is playing. Or you might catch a Mardi<br />
Gras Indian practice. Thanks to the many post-Katrina volunteers<br />
around the Bywater area, Vaughan’s has become a major scene even<br />
beyond its original NOLA role. Be sure to call ahead to see if there<br />
will be live music on—and be sure to take a taxi. 4229 Dauphine St.<br />
& 504/947-5562. Cover varies, usually $8–$10.<br />
2 Cajun & Zydeco Joints<br />
CAJUN & ZYDECO JOINTS 185<br />
Mid City Lanes Rock ’n’ Bowl Anything we just said<br />
about tourist traps and inauthentic experiences does not apply here.<br />
It does not get any more authentic than a club set in the middle of a<br />
bowling alley, which is itself set in the middle of a strip mall. Actually,<br />
as a bowling alley, Mid City bowling is nothing to write home<br />
about unless you like lanes that slope. But as a club, it’s one of the<br />
finest and best experiences in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Orleans</strong>. Certainly it’s the best<br />
place for zydeco, particularly on the nights devoted to Zydeco Wars,<br />
when the audience votes on whether, say, Geno Delafose or C. J.<br />
Chenier is the King of Zydeco. It also features top <strong>New</strong> <strong>Orleans</strong> rock<br />
and R&B groups and some touring acts. On good nights (though we<br />
do wonder if Mid City has any that aren’t), the dance floor is<br />
crowded beyond belief, the noise level is ridiculous, the humidity<br />
level is 300%, and you won’t want to leave. You might even bowl a<br />
few frames. While the owner is quite committed to keeping his business<br />
open and in this location, the ground floors of the aforementioned<br />
strip mall flooded badly (though the Rock ’n’ Bowl itself<br />
escaped without damage), and while the hope is that whatever the
Change language