We’re taking a break…
It’s pretty obvious that things have slowed down on the High ISO Music website. We’re working on a few very time-consuming projects and our celebration of live music is suffering accordingly, at least for now. In the meantime, please feel free to dig around in the archives and enjoy yourself. Maybe we’ll see you in […]
L7 and ¡No Acción! at the Catalyst!
Really loving a band that’s “gone” is rarely enough to make them come back, because who’s that generous? But we’re stubborn (and our love stronger than most), so we resorted to love tinged with voodoo. Strategy: Play “Scrap” from the L7 “Bricks are Heavy” album on repeat, forever, until the band reforms. Love every moment […]
Jazz Fest 2017 Walkabout
Our Jazz Fest 2017 Walkabout, dedicated to D. L. Menard (RIP, and a great last show).
Putting Sonny Rollins Back in the Playlist
I’ve been listening to Monk and Miles almost non-stop for the last year and somehow Sonny Rollins fell off the playlist. On a recent roadtrip, I tried to correct that error and listened to a bunch of Sonny Rollins stuff, and my appreciation for how spectacular the album Saxophone Colossus is was quickly renewed. I […]
Flashback: Heavy MTL
The 2011 version of Heavy MTL was one of the most monumental metal fests of all time, with every second still burned into our brains. We’ve lost some of the metal greats from that festival, including Lucker and Lemmy, but their memories live on in our solid metal hearts, eh? Here are some of our […]
Voodoo Fest 2016
It’d be lovely to say, “As we emerge from the long, hot New Orleans summer…”, but who are we kidding? We’re barely halfway through and starting to wilt, not only from the heat and murderous humidity, but from the lack of music. No one in their right minds would hold a festival now but looking […]
Water Detereth Not…
…Neither Mandingo Warriors nor roaming groups of T-shirted Bacchanalians, worshipping, making love to, and then eating (off the organic Jazz Fest mud) watermelons, while celebrating the lives of Prince and Allen Toussaint (don’t ask): The Mandingo Warriors: And those crazy watermelon people:
Lauryn Hill at Jazz Fest 2016
Terminally late to shows (less so this year at Jazz Fest but still late, on the order of 45m late when she played at Voodoo, and then 30m late for a makeup show at the same festival), prison for tax evasion, only a single glorious studio album in a bit less than 20 years, and […]
Jazz Fest 2016, Part Two
The first weekend at Jazz Fest was uneventful, but the second weekend brought all kinds of eventful, including torrential downpours, flooding, the cancellation of big acts like Stevie Wonder, Beck, and Snoop Dogg. But Neil Young. Despite being almost drowned trying to shoot the show, viewfinders full of water and equipment malfunctioning, there was 2+ […]
Jazz Fest 2016
And, we’re back! And off to a good start, because the driver for our first Uber trip to the Fair Grounds was the son of Robert Parker, of Barefootin’ fame. We got the lowdown on the song’s origin and while we’re saddened to hear that he’s mostly retired, we also learned that he’s tearing the […]
Tribute to Allen Toussaint at HoB NOLA
On April 8, 2016, the House of Blues in New Orleans will host a tribute to Allen Toussaint, who passed away on November 10, 2015. The impact that Toussaint had on music of all genres, both in the New Orleans area and beyond, is virtually indescribable, with his original music covered by Glen Campbell (currently […]
High ISO Music’s Best of 2015
Metal. Machine Head. Rob Zombie. Ringworm. Behemoth. Blues. Beauty. Perfection. Power. Rage, rage… Because you never know when this time is the last. Happy Holidays, and see you in 2016.
Lydon Saves Voodoo Fest 2015
Not really, but he played a big part in brightening up Day Two. Day 2 With rain on the second day keeping us off the grounds until late evening (and the last day ultimately washed out completely), Voodoo Fest 2015 was in dire need of a corrective. Enter Johnny Rotten, fronting P.I.L., a band he […]
Landing Fest!
Hope to see all of you at Landing Fest, 9/26 and 9/27, for Cake, Galactic, Eagles of Death Metal, and more! More details at The Landing Festival.
Voodoo…and We’re Back!
Things really mellow out in the summertime for us, with the heat keeping us inside and in a more introspective, shutter-preserving mood. But the days of high humidity for 2015 are now numbered and Voodoo Fest is right around the corner. This year’s lineup is one of the best in many years, with Ozzy (Slash […]
Ringworm at Siberia!
How much happiness can one pair of photographers stand? Rob Zombie’s show followed by an unexpected (at least for us) Ringworm show, in New Orleans. We’ve been monitoring their Twitter feed for a NOLA show, and a few days ago, the news came in with a -ding- on the iPhone during an extended bubble bath. […]
Rob Zombie at the Civic
We were thrilled to catch Rob Zombie at a smaller venue and The Civic Theater in New Orleans was perfect, from the high, wide stage, to perfect sound, to the frosty Tall Boy in our free hands. Until recently the Civic had boomy acoustics and we hadn’t been back since this problem was addressed. And, […]
Tank and the Bangas at Jazz Fest 2015
We first saw Tank and the Bangas at Chickie Wah Wah. That night began with limited interest, frankly–I had no idea who they were, was a bit tired, and I’m not saying I was down on New Orleans music (a native would never dare), but I was preemptively dreading “same old” or disappointment. What an […]
Jonathon Boogie Long at Jazz Fest 2015
We don’t love the hat. But just about everything else is what’s not to love? Jonathon Boogie Long shredded the other bands at the Best of the Beat awards. Terrorized the Blues and BBQ festival. Was easily the best blues act at Jazz Fest 2015. Has been called the “living embodiment of the modern state […]
Vintage Trouble at Jazz Fest 2015
Vintage Trouble have only been playing together since 2010, but you’d guess more like 1960. Consisting of Ty Taylor (the suit-shredding front man), Nalle Colt, Rick Dill, and Richard Danielson, they play…umm… never mind. We’ve raved about their “apartness” in the past, and they fit precisely (we love irony) into the hard to categorize, visual/musical […]
The Killer at Jazz Fest 2015
Jerry Lee Who? gets you banned forever. Or “volunteered” for that no return expedition to Mars, where you can die alone and cold, screaming for human comfort. But still, we looked at the schedule and thought: Is Jerry Lee Lewis actually alive? How? Ultimately, shame on us. But even when we made it to […]
Elton John at Jazz Fest 2015
Many festival purists are skeptical of the big acts at Jazz Fest, but Elton John proved to be a an exemplary exception, in the eyes (and ears) of everyone we spoke with. We grew up listening to Benny and the Jets and marveling at the crazy piano player in the gigantic glasses and outlandish costumes […]
Slayer: At the Civic in NOLA and Headlining Mayhest Fest 2015!
Photo by Andrew Stuart. Seven days until the Slayer show during Jazz Fest in New Orleans, LA (at the Civic). And just announced: they’re headlining Mayhem 2015!
Slayer at the Civic!
Slayer returns to NOLA, this time at the Civic Theater! More details to come, including some info on future projects from their publicist. In the meantime, grab your tickets–there are only a few tickets left and they won’t last long!