Mia Borders, singer-songwriter and Loyola music industry professor, performed at a concert last Friday, Sept. 29. The one-and-a-half-hour-long set took place at the New Orleans Jazz Museum for the Friends of the Cabildo Concert Series.
Friends of the Cabildo is a non-profit organization that provides volunteer and financial support for the Louisiana State Museum. One of the ways they do this is through holding various events, including their concert series. Held in the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint, the concert series features various artists throughout the year.
The genre-bending artist Mia Borders was the star of last Friday’s show. Borders is a native New Orleanian and has been releasing music since 2006, mainly with soul, funk, and blues influences.
“Everything comes together in a way that is so quintessentially New Orleans,” Borders said when asked about her music.
She took the Jazz Museum’s stage with her guitar and vocals while drummer Wayne Maureau and bassist Stephen Bohnstengel acted as her band for the night. The performance’s setlist featured a blend of her old music as well as a few new and unreleased tracks.
The concert began with her uptempo music before transitioning into more emotional songs. Borders explained that this was to tell the story of love and heartbreak. In between songs, she entertained the audience with short anecdotes that related to each track.
The 100-seat capacity venue allowed for easy crowd banter and participation as she told her stories. “I love the more personal shows and I think my fans do as well,” Borders shared.
The performance concluded with a final energetic song that was supposed to represent healing after a heartbreak. Borders belted out many complex vocal runs which caused the audience to stand from their seats and cheer, ending the concert with a standing ovation and chants for an encore.
Though Borders didn’t give an encore, she did express her thanks to the audience and FOC. “Friends of the Cabildo is a great non-profit… it’s an honor to be included.”
The FOC Concert Series is sponsored by the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund. The next show is on October 13 with Marcia Ball.
