Dan Deacon in New Orleans

Dan Deacon is coming to New Orleans at Tulane University on Monday, April 13 2009. And you should be there. If you do not know who Dan Deacon is, then stop reading this and start reading this. His new record Bromst was released a few weeks ago, and it is one of the best records of the year. Bromst combines lush electronic arrangements with interesting beats and a bevvy of backing instruments. "Red F" and "Snookered" are just two of the outstanding tracks that Dan Deacon had provided for his faithful followers on Bromst.

Anyways, Dan and his Bromst band are touring the country in a school bus that has been converted to run on vegetable oil. It is as awesome as it sounds. In an effort to keep costs down and recycling up, Dan is asking folks coming out to his concerts to bring some vegetable oil by his show in exchange for a +1 on the guest list. His full request can be read here, via Pitchfork

hello,

the school tour bus the 20 of us are riding in runs on veggie oil. we need help gathering that oil to fuel our bus. if anyone can bring at least 5 gallons of waste veggie oil to one of the shows we will put you on the guest list. it is easily found behind almost all restaurants.

if the oil looks dark and full of crud we can't use it. the lighter the color and the less viscous the better. if you can bring us CLEAN and filtered oil we can put you + 1 on the list.

an easy way to filter the oil would be to stretch a tight sheet or t-shirt over a bucket and pour the oil into the bucket through the sheet to get all the gunk out. a slower way, but better way, would be to tie one of the pant legs of jeans into a tight knot and hang that over a bucket and pour the oil into the jeans, and clean oil will slowly pass into the bucket.

to arrange the grease for list swap you can call geoff at 862-266-6130. call or text him. he is our oil master. the more oil the better. we have enough storage for 100 gallons of oil. if you can get us 30 gallons we'll cook you dinner on the bus (we have a little kitchen and many great cooks).

please repost this to anywhere you think it might help. thanks you!

dan deacon

Not only is this a good cause, it's a great show. Consider bringing yours to Tulane when you come over to the show on Monday. Listen to "Build Voice" from Dan Deacon's new record, Bromst, via Nasty Panda.

Ratatat in New Orleans at House of Blues

Everyone's favorite guitar-synth duo Ratatat are returning to New Orleans for a show at the House of Blues. Tickets are still available at the door, and Ratatat are a guaranteed good time. Last year's LP3 made most top ten lists, so I am not only one hyping this show. So put on your dancing shoes, and get ready to climb aboard the Ratatat railway. Check below for a sample of their sound.

"Hey, Stella!," It's The Tennessee Williams Festival

Tennessee Williams' 1947 New Orleans masterpiece "A Streetcar Named Desire" remains an important piece of popular theater 50 years after its first performance. Streetcar is also the play that inspired the literati of New Orleans to organize a festival honoring Tennessee Williams. The Tennessee Williams Festival has attracted writers, actors, students, and play goers to New Orleans since its inception years ago, and this year's festival was the biggest and best yet.

One of the most popular events is the "Stella" screaming contest, during which, 25 participants gather in the heart of the French Quarter and get the opportunity to yell out Stanley Kowlaski's famous exclamation, "Hey, Stella!" While the role is probably best known for Brando, Williams' Stanley is dynamic enough for any festival-goer to find a new way to scream out to the Stella stand-in perched on a balcony on one of the famed Pontalba apartments in the French Quarter.

Each entrant competes by calling " "Stella!" (or "Stanley!") three times. Loudness counts, but contestants should also portray Stanley’s angst and emotion. Finalists selected in the outdoor portion of the contest compete on the main stage of Le Petit Theatre for the grand prize.

For the past several years, the French Quarter contest has grown in size, and the quality of the competition has also improved.

This year's competitors, not all of whom were from New Orleans, ranged in age and approach, but all of them yelled for Stella with intensity and passion. It was a fun and interesting way to successfully close this year's Tennessee Williams Festival. It was also just one more reason why you should come and visit New Orleans, one of the most interesting cities on Earth. Below is one "unique" performance that attendees were treated to.