The Inevitable: House of Blues and The Parish @HOB
225 Decatur St.

The House of Blues offers legendary acts this season such as Victor Wooten (Sept. 23), Arctic Monkeys (Oct. 2), Mae (at the Parish on Oct. 2), The Dead Weather (Oct. 3), Tower of Power (Oct. 4), Little Feat (Oct. 22), Hanson (Oct. 30), Peaches and Men (Nov. 4), Elvis Perkins and AA Bondy (Nov. 11), The Wailers (Nov. 14) and Dan Auerbach (Nov. 18). Be wary of high prices on tickets and drinks and maybe save this one for a special occasion or just after you get paid.

The Hipster Venue of the Semester: One Eyed Jacks
615 Toulouse St.

Forget The Republic and Howlin’ Wolf because One Eyed Jacks, by far, has the most essential line-up of the season. With ticket prices under $20, this roomy venue offers two bars, though drinks are on the pricy side. With nationally known bands such as The Horrors and Crocodiles, Sept. 22; The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Sept. 26; The Walkmen and Here We Go Magic, September 30; Blitzen Trapper, October 4; The Sounds, Oct. 5; A Place to Bury Strangers, Oct. 9; TV on the Radios lead singer Kyp Malone’s solo project, Rain Machine, Oct. 10; Junior Boys, Oct. 21; The Whale, Oct. 27; and White Denim, Nov. 22; there is bound to be a good, and affordable show for any modish college student.

The Classic: Tipitinas
501 Napoleon Ave.

This legendary venue offers great drink specials every week while serving up New Orleans jazz, rock, funk and folk, as well as nationally known bands. This season’s bill includes Rebirth Brass Band, Sept. 12; The Dirty Bourbon River Show and Honey Island Swamp Band, Sept. 25; Phoenix and Chairlift, Oct. 1; Andrew Bird and St. Vincent, Oct. 3; Os Mutantes, Oct. 17; Galactic, Oct. 30; Trombone Shorty, Oct. 31; Camera Obscura and Papercuts, Nov. 18; Cajun Fais Do Do and Bruce Daigrepont every Sunday; Thursday Home Grown Nights featuring New Orleans bands; and a two night review of post-World War II blues on Oct. 9 and 10. Tipitinas offers something for any, and every taste, though the ticket prices can be higher than other venues.

For the Best Jazz Brunch: Oak Street Café
8140 Oak St.

Situated close to Loyola’s campus on the newly paved Oak Street, this small café offers a full breakfast and po-boy menu, with reasonable prices. The café’s owners offer a Jazz Brunch on most weekend mornings, with a live band that changes each weekend. Get there early to grab a seat because the crowds can get pretty large.

Best Open-Mic Night: Neutral Ground Coffee Shop
5110 Danneel St.

This small coffee shop’s walls are littered with bizarre items and local art, and it offers free singer/songwriter shows most nights. The price of drinks is comparable to most New Orleans coffee shops and the venue offers an open poetry night on Wednesdays and an open-mic night on Sundays. The Neutral Ground is also conveniently close to campus.

The Hole-in-the-Wall Gem: Dragons Den
435 Esplanade Ave.

This two-stage venue is a diamond in the rough, despite having no extensive event calendar for fair warning. Anything from avant-garde jazz, bebop, hard bop, Russian folk music, surf rock, goth, electronica, salsa and a horde of disc jockey’s have graced the stages. The club offers: a new wave DJ upstairs every Sunday and hip-hop DJ down stairs, the best reggae night in the city every Wednesday and drum and bass sets every Thursday. This club is usually hit or miss but offers some of the best shows in the city, granted you check their calendar often. No matter what, if you are already on Frenchman Street, this bar is worth stopping by.

The Late Night Dive: Apple Barrel
609 Frenchman St.

If you are looking for a good time, no matter what time it is, make your way down to the Apple Barrel on Frenchman Street. This tiny juke joint is recognizable by its stain glass sign and its infallible leaky roof. Blues-men like Coco Robicheaux play into the morning hours on most nights with no cover, and the bar offers a full selection, but it’s cash only.
The Early Bird Special: Preservation Hall

726 St. Peter St. (Just off of Bourbon)

This historic bar lends itself as the home of New Orleans Jazz and features its own house band, the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band, special guest musicians on most nights, Brass Band Thursdays and the house regulars, The St. Peter All-Stars. This bar costs $10 every night, opens at 8:00 p.m. for an 8:30 p.m. show and closes its gates at 11:00 p.m. sharp.

The Surprise Venue: Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub
733 Bourbon St.

For some of the best jazz in the city, go to Fritzel’s for a surprisingly classy Bourbon Street experience. There is no cover charge, and anyone is welcome as long as they buy a drink. The club boasts regular acts like Tom Fischer, Chuck Brackman and Barry Foulon, The Cotton Mouth Kings and their house band, The Fritzel’s New Orleans Jazz Band. This small venue is hard to spot, but it is near the Esplanade end of Bourbon, a conveniently close walk to Frenchman Street. Make sure you go to this bar early in the night as it usually closes just past 1:00 a.m. on weekends.

Other bars worth checking out:
Blue Nile
532 Frenchman St.

Blue Nile is another venue that offers New Orleans music including Johnny Vidacovich (Sept. 4), Soul Rebels (Sept. 12), Big Sam’s Funky Nation (Sept. 19), Kermit Ruffins (Sept. 25), and Sasha Mazakowski with Giant Cloud and Caddywhompus (Sept. 26). This venue offers great music, but has both expensive tickets and drinks.

d.b.a.
618 Frenchman St.

This 21 and over bar offers some of the greatest jazz and blues in the city with regular acts like The Cotton Mouth Kings (formerly the New Orleans Jazz Vipers), John Boutte, Walter Wolfman Washington, Hot Club of New Orleans and the Palmetto Bug Stompers. The shows are cheap but the drinks are expensive.
Garrett Cleland can be reached at [email protected]

The Inevitable: House of Blues and The Parish @HOB
225 Decatur St.

The House of Blues offers legendary acts this season such as Victor Wooten (Sept. 23), Arctic Monkeys (Oct. 2), Mae (at the Parish on Oct. 2), The Dead Weather (Oct. 3), Tower of Power (Oct. 4), Little Feat (Oct. 22), Hanson (Oct. 30), Peaches and Men (Nov. 4), Elvis Perkins and AA Bondy (Nov. 11), The Wailers (Nov. 14) and Dan Auerbach (Nov. 18). Be wary of high prices on tickets and drinks and maybe save this one for a special occasion or just after you get paid.

The Hipster Venue of the Semester: One Eyed Jacks
615 Toulouse St.

Forget The Republic and Howlin’ Wolf because One Eyed Jacks, by far, has the most essential line-up of the season. With ticket prices under $20, this roomy venue offers two bars, though drinks are on the pricy side. With nationally known bands such as The Horrors and Crocodiles, Sept. 22; The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Sept. 26; The Walkmen and Here We Go Magic, September 30; Blitzen Trapper, October 4; The Sounds, Oct. 5; A Place to Bury Strangers, Oct. 9; TV on the Radios lead singer Kyp Malone’s solo project, Rain Machine, Oct. 10; Junior Boys, Oct. 21; The Whale, Oct. 27; and White Denim, Nov. 22; there is bound to be a good, and affordable show for any modish college student.

The Classic: Tipitinas
501 Napoleon Ave.
This legendary venue offers great drink specials every week while serving up New Orleans jazz, rock, funk and folk, as well as nationally known bands. This season’s bill includes Rebirth Brass Band, Sept. 12; The Dirty Bourbon River Show and Honey Island Swamp Band, Sept. 25; Phoenix and Chairlift, Oct. 1; Andrew Bird and St. Vincent, Oct. 3; Os Mutantes, Oct. 17; Galactic, Oct. 30; Trombone Shorty, Oct. 31; Camera Obscura and Papercuts, Nov. 18; Cajun Fais Do Do and Bruce Daigrepont every Sunday; Thursday Home Grown Nights featuring New Orleans bands; and a two night review of post-World War II blues on Oct. 9 and 10. Tipitinas offers something for any, and every taste, though the ticket prices can be higher than other venues.

For the Best Jazz Brunch: Oak Street Café
8140 Oak St.

Situated close to Loyola’s campus on the newly paved Oak Street, this small café offers a full breakfast and po-boy menu, with reasonable prices. The café’s owners offer a Jazz Brunch on most weekend mornings, with a live band that changes each weekend. Get there early to grab a seat because the crowds can get pretty large.

Best Open-Mic Night: Neutral Ground Coffee Shop
5110 Danneel St.
This small coffee shop’s walls are littered with bizarre items and local art, and it offers free singer/songwriter shows most nights. The price of drinks is comparable to most New Orleans coffee shops and the venue offers an open poetry night on Wednesdays and an open-mic night on Sundays. The Neutral Ground is also conveniently close to campus.

The Hole-in-the-Wall Gem: Dragons Den
435 Esplanade Ave.

This two-stage venue is a diamond in the rough, despite having no extensive event calendar for fair warning. Anything from avant-garde jazz, bebop, hard bop, Russian folk music, surf rock, goth, electronica, salsa and a horde of disc jockey’s have graced the stages. The club offers: a new wave DJ upstairs every Sunday and hip-hop DJ down stairs, the best reggae night in the city every Wednesday and drum and bass sets every Thursday. This club is usually hit or miss but offers some of the best shows in the city, granted you check their calendar often. No matter what, if you are already on Frenchman Street, this bar is worth stopping by.

The Late Night Dive: Apple Barrel
609 Frenchman St.

If you are looking for a good time, no matter what time it is, make your way down to the Apple Barrel on Frenchman Street. This tiny juke joint is recognizable by its stain glass sign and its infallible leaky roof. Blues-men like Coco Robicheaux play into the morning hours on most nights with no cover, and the bar offers a full selection, but it’s cash only.

The Early Bird Special: Preservation Hall
726 St. Peter St. (Just off of Bourbon)

This historic bar lends itself as the home of New Orleans Jazz and features its own house band, the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band, special guest musicians on most nights, Brass Band Thursdays and the house regulars, The St. Peter All-Stars. This bar costs $10 every night, opens at 8:00 p.m. for an 8:30 p.m. show and closes its gates at 11:00 p.m. sharp.

The Surprise Venue: Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub
733 Bourbon St.

For some of the best jazz in the city, go to Fritzel’s for a surprisingly classy Bourbon Street experience. There is no cover charge, and anyone is welcome as long as they buy a drink. The club boasts regular acts like Tom Fischer, Chuck Brackman and Barry Foulon, The Cotton Mouth Kings and their house band, The Fritzel’s New Orleans Jazz Band. This small venue is hard to spot, but it is near the Esplanade end of Bourbon, a conveniently close walk to Frenchman Street. Make sure you go to this bar early in the night as it usually closes just past 1:00 a.m. on weekends.

Other bars worth checking out:

Blue Nile
532 Frenchman St.

Blue Nile is another venue that offers New Orleans music including Johnny Vidacovich (Sept. 4), Soul Rebels (Sept. 12), Big Sam’s Funky Nation (Sept. 19), Kermit Ruffins (Sept. 25), and Sasha Mazakowski with Giant Cloud and Caddywhompus (Sept. 26). This venue offers great music, but has both expensive tickets and drinks.

d.b.a.
618 Frenchman St.

This 21 and over bar offers some of the greatest jazz and blues in the city with regular acts like The Cotton Mouth Kings (formerly the New Orleans Jazz Vipers), John Boutte, Walter Wolfman Washington, Hot Club of New Orleans and the Palmetto Bug Stompers. The shows are cheap but the drinks are expensive.
Garrett Cleland can be reached at [email protected]