Laissez le bon . . .. . . oh, you know the rest of it – Mardi Gras bash adds heft, and a helping hand
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
February 23, 2006
San Diego's Mardi Gras festival had its humble roots in the old Gaslamp, a tough downtown neighborhood that rarely drew out-of-town visitors.
Today, the Gaslamp Quarter draws tourists shopping at Horton Plaza and hipsters headed for velvet-rope clubs. Case in point: The Gaslamp Quarter-based music festival Street Scene grew so huge the confines of a burgeoning downtown could not house the sprawling event, forcing a move to Qualcomm Stadium last year.
Now, the Gaslamp Quarter Association's Mardi Gras celebration – traditionally a beer-and-beads affair trying to draw a young demographic downtown – is getting serious about booking high-quality bands and widening the audience attending the event.
Jimmy Parker, the Gaslamp Quarter Association's executive director, spent many years on the road as stage manager for bands as varied as Stone Temple Pilots and the Temptations. One of his primary goals today is fashioning the Mardi Gras celebration after the smaller, more diverse Street Scene of a decade ago.
“I had long conversations with (Street Scene promoter) Rob Hagey talking about talent and the old Street Scene,” said Parker, who continues to work on Street Scene periodically. “That's where we both came from. It's about getting bands like the Truckee Brothers. Who knows? They may sign with Capitol tomorrow and be the biggest thing we've ever seen. That's the idea behind creating this local stage.”
The San Diego-based Truckee Brothers are among the bands playing the K Street Gaslamp Stage for Tuesday's Mardi Gras, a stage dedicated to local acts featuring Reeve Oliver, Dirty Sweet and Lady Dottie and the Diamonds. Gone are the cheesy cover bands.
“In the past it was more out-of-town bands, and the focus really wasn't on the bands (at all),” said Cady Truckee. “I think they're trying to give Mardi Gras more of a Street Scene flavor, especially because Street Scene isn't downtown anymore.”
Along with a shift in focus toward more substantial music acts, this year's Mardi Gras also serves as a reminder of last year's tragic events surrounding Hurricane Katrina.
Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”) marks the last day before the period of atonement called Lent in the Catholic Church. It's a time to let loose and have a good time. Given this year's events, Mardi Gras has a more serious undertone. It's still time to let the good times roll, but also to help people in need.
So as the country turns its eyes back to New Orleans during the Mardi Gras season, the Gaslamp Quarter Association realized it was time to import a little New Orleans culture.
The 2006 version of Mardi Gras will include a partnership with the world-famous New Orleans music venue Tipitina's. In wake of Katrina, the Tipitina's Foundation works as a nonprofit organization providing displaced musicians with replacement instruments.
Four New Orleans bands – the Frappe Brass Band, the Wild Apache Mardi Gras Indians, the 504 Brass Band and (former Dirty Dozen Brass Band sousaphonist) Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove – will perform at the Fourth Avenue Tipitina Stage, with all proceeds from that stage going to the foundation.
“I think the right word for us is 'responsibility,'” said Parker. The Gaslamp Quarter's “Mardi Gras celebration has been going for 14 years. So even without Katrina, there's a responsibility if you're throwing a Mardi Gras to throw it in the right spirit. It is Fat Tuesday. It is the beginning of Lent. It's a party to laugh at your sins and your foibles, because the next day is very serious based on the Christian calendar.
“It's stepped up a little bit when you have a Katrina and people dying and ways of life being completely changed. We looked at just having buckets at the door. We looked at partnering with business owners in the French Quarter. And then we found Tipitina's, and it really appealed to everyone involved and spoke to a long-term relationship. We wanted to bring the culture of New Orleans, and especially help out the displaced musicians who lost their livelihoods.
“Musicians are like anyone else: You have to support your family, you have bills. A lot of the people in the music business, they've never been ones to say 'give me a hand.' They want to do their art. They want to work. From the roadie all the way to the promoter, those are hardworking people. When it's taken away, that hurts them more than the money.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
2006 MARDI GRAS AND CARNAVAL SCHEDULE
Brazil Carnaval 2006 (Saturday 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.): Bands include SambaDá featuring vocalist Dahndá da Hora, the Super Sonic Samba School, Mindinho and Capoeira Brasil plus special guest Marcos Santos. Best costume and door prize winners receive roundtrip airfare to Brazil. At 4th & B, 345 B St., downtown; $25 advance / $30 door; (619) 231-4343.
Gaslamp Quarter Mardi Gras 2006 (Tuesday 7 p.m. to midnight): Five stages of Mardi Gras entertainment headlined by KC and the Sunshine Band, Reeve Oliver, Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove and DJ Miss Lisa. Strolling musicians, dancers and the Ladies of Lips will perform. Masquerade Parade with floats begins at 8:30 p.m.
In the Gaslamp Quarter downtown; $15 advance / $20 door; (619) 233-5227.
STAGES AT MARDI GRAS 2006:
G Street Party Stage (DJ Marc Thrasher between sets):
7:30 p.m. – N.R.G.
9 p.m. – Polyester and the Platforms
10:30 p.m. – KC and the Sunshine Band
K Street Gaslamp Stage (DJ Scott Martin between sets):
7 p.m. – Dirty Sweet
8:20 p.m. – Lady Dottie and the Diamonds
9:40 p.m. – The Truckee Brothers
11 p.m. – Reeve Oliver
Fourth Avenue Tipitina's Stage (DJ Mac between sets):
7 p.m. – Frappe Brass Band
8:15 p.m. – Wild Apache Mardi Gras Indians
9:30 p.m. – The 504 Brass Band
11 p.m. – Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove
E Street Club Stage:
7 p.m. – DJs Erick Diaz and Adam Salter
9 p.m. – Scooter & Lavelle
10:30 p.m. – Miss Lisa
The Ladies of Lips will have their own stage at Fourth and G streets.
MORE MARDI GRAS
Hillcrest Mardi Gras (Tuesday 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.): Candye Kane, Cash'd Out and the Lips girls will perform, sponsored by the GSDBA Charitable Foundation and the Hillcrest Business Association.
On University Avenue between Third and Fourth avenues; $15-$75; (619) 491-0400; 21 and up.
