With the second weekend of Jazzfest officially underway, it was time to venture deeper into the late night scene. This night (April 30th) I headed down to the Bywater neighborhood to the Studio at Colton to hear Bonerama and afterhours brass battalion, the Midnight Disturbers.  What originally was Colton Highschool, the Studio at Colton has recently been transformed into a community arts school complete with educational, presentation and exhibition space. The large, recently refurbished structure, bears many elements of past renovations – most noticeably embellishments from the late Sixties. Creepy, though not quite David Lynch creepy, the building certainly carries with it an eerie charm. The immense, out-dated auditorium, on the other hand, definitely harbors B-movie mystique. As I walked in, Bonerama’s Mark Mullins rattled off an unhinged solo from his wah-rigged trombone.

Refreshing, relaxing, soulful, and insightful, the deep-seeded, southern blues of JJ Grey & Mofro blends the strength and simplicity of a back-porch folktale with the gritty, earthen rhythms of the swamp. In their own unique way, they serve up home-cooked lessons of truth embroiled in the rowdy spirit of a hot, sweaty roadhouse.  And that’s just what I needed to escape the drone of the weekly grind – that and a strong drink and a breath of fresh air.  So I set out for the House of Blues on Wednesday, January 28 to absorb the narratives and the grooves of a master storyteller and fine blues outfit.