French Quarter Festival: Sounds Too Good To Be True

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	Food Music & Fun at French Quarter Festival 2005

French Quarter Festival
April 8-10, 2005

Louisiana’s largest free music festival bursts into the streets of the French Quarter with new stages and stagings as well as a stellar line up of performers April 8 through April 10, 2005. Observers say it will be hard to top the 2004 Festival which attracted record breaking numbers of dancin’, jivin’, foot stompin’, hand clappin’ fans with near perfect weather and a glorious profusion of sounds, sights and tastes, but French Quarter Festivals, Inc. producer of the acclaimed showcase of Louisiana and New Orleans music is determined to try. FQFI has added some lively new features this 22nd year of the Festival and shaken up a few of the old traditions just for fun. The Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint location where the Zatarain’s Louisiana Culture and Heritage Area cooks up a tasty aural concoction with its stage featuring Cajun and zydeco music now has an additional major platform. The Latin Heritage Stage will showcase Hispanic cultural additions to the Louisiana sound gumbo – Islenos, (Canary Islanders) salsa, Flamenco, and Cuban rhythms will fire the spirit from the back of the Quarter.

The traditional jazz Battle of the Bands returns this year on Saturday night, but will be held at a new location smack dab in the middle of the Quarter – the Whitney Bank Stage on the steps of the Louisiana Supreme Court Building at 410 Royal Street. Also on the Supreme Court Steps the ever beautiful Dancin’at Dusk event will take place Sunday at 5 pm moved from its traditional slot on Saturday evening.

Thousands of local music and Quarter lovers happily converge during FQF and savvy music tourists have figured out that French Quarter Festival just may be a better way to enjoy the authentic sounds, heartbeat and soul of New Orleans than the overcrowded Jazz and Heritage Festival scheduled for the end of April.

The Musical Lineup for 2005 - These artists are scheduled to perform during FQF 2005:

Amy Trail Big Daddy 'O' Billy Iuso & Restless Natives Bleu Orleans The Blue Brass Project Brian Stoltz Brotherhood of Groove Christian Serpas and Ghost Town Coco Robicheaux Dr. Michael White Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers Ellipsis; Ellis Marsalis Friends Of Jabu Have Soul Will Travel Henry Butler & The Game Band Hot Club of New Orleans The Jimmy Thibodeaux Band John Lisi & Delta Funk John Royen Johnny Angel & the Swingin' Demons Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen Jonno and Cajun Deville Juice; Kermit Ruffins Kim Carson & the Casualties Kim Prevost & Bill Solley Little Freddie King Los Hombres Calientes M'Liss

New Birth Brass Band New Orleans Jazz Vipers New Orleans Rhythm and Blues Company Otra Ovi-G and the Froggies Palo Viejo The Pfister Sisters Ray Moore & Brasilliance Recycled Cajuns Rebecca Barry & Bust Riccardo Crespo & Sol Brazil Rhodes Spedale Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters The Rockin' Jake Band Savoy ~ Courville Some Like It Hot Southern Image Band Steamboat Willie and His New Orleans Jazz Band Storyville Stompers Terence Higgins & Swamp Grease Theresa Andersson Group Tony Green & Gypsy Jazz Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews & Orleans Ave Walter "Wolfman" Washington Warren Batiste Washboard Chaz Blues Trio Whitney Mc Cray Ya Ya Sol

Visit www.fqfi.org for the changing line-up of performers over the three day festival or call (504)522-5730.

French Quarter Festival 2005 is sponsored by:

• FrenchQuarter.com
• Coors Brewing Company
• Coca-Cola
• Zatarain’s
• Southern Comfort
• Hibernia Bank
• Louisiana Lottery
• WTIX Radio
• Whitney Bank
• Offbeat Magazine
• Continental Airlines
• Vespa New Orleans
• NOLA.com
• Music Performance Fund and Louisiana Life Magazine.

French Quarter Festivals, Inc. is also supported by the following community parners:

• Audubon Nature Institute
• French Market Corporation
• American Red Cross
• Tulane Hospital for Children
• Court of Two Sisters
• Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville
• Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
• City of New Orleans
• Desire/Florida Area Community Council, Inc,
• New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation
• New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.

French Quarter Festival is produced by French Quarter Festivals, Inc (FQFI) a 501 c (3) nonprofit which also produces Satchmo SummerFest in August and Christmas New Orleans Style in December.