It’s been a long time since Dylan penned “Blowin’ In The Wind” and political causes were at the forefront of rock and roll. For the past few decades the political side of pop music has more often expressed itself through massive benefit concerts like Farm Aid and Live Earth.

But last week at Musicians Bringing Musicians Home III, an assembly of indie rockers from around the country gathered at The Parish at the House of Blues for a low-key jam session with a good cause.

Musicians Bringing Musicians Home III was the third in a series of benefit concerts sponsored by Future of Music Coalition and Air Traffic Control to support various local charities aiming to help New Orleans musicians.

The show was broken into two sets: The first night was an all-star jam session at The Parish on Thursday, featuring Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches, Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket, Jon Langford and Sally Timms of The Mekons, Nellie McKay and members of Bonerama, among others.

The second night was a collaborative concert with Bonerama and OK Go at Tipitina’s on Friday.

Bonerama and OK Go apparently hit it off so well at last year’s Musicians Bringing Musicians Home II, they’ve recorded an EP together called “You’re Not Alone.”

Nellie McKay announced at the show that she similarly intends to record with the New Orleans musicians from the show.

The Parish jam was an interesting reflection of political music in the year 2008. This event was more humble in scope than “We Are the Children,” and the cozy setting of the Parish at the House of Blues seemed a more comfortable fit for musicians coming together for a good cause.

Kimya Dawson, with her contemporary nervous strumming and hyper-earnest lyrics, harkened back somewhat to the heyday of the protest song. The show hit its peak, however, with the big numbers led by Nellie McKay or Jon Langford, which felt like an indie rock “The Last Waltz.”

In a backwards way, the concert was reminiscent of the New Orleans music scene itself.

Most of the musicians playing were from out of town, but the spread of genres represented and the fact that members of Bonerama provided a horn section for much of the show seemed rather familiar. Indie rock, blues, freak folk, experimental, hip-hop and jazz were all present and accounted for, with a killer horn section at the ready.

I spoke briefly with Patrick Hallahan, the drummer for My Morning Jacket, towards the end of the show and together we mused about how wonderful New Orleans is for music. A little bit of everything and lots of horn players. What more could you ask for?

Kevin Corcoran can be reached at [email protected].

An all-star lineup of national and New Orleans-based artists played the Musicians Bringing Musicians Home III benefit for Sweet Home New Orleans. Entertainers that played show at the Parish Jan. 10 included Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches, Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket, Jon Langford and Sally Timms of the Mekons, Charles Bissell of the Wrens, Nellie McKay, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson and the Mardi Gras Baby Dolls and members of Bonerama.