Similar cultures and music scenes have birthed San Francisco and New Orleans, and this weekend, SANFRANOLA celebrates those commonalities in the Bay Area. SANFRANOLA will take place Saturday at the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco. The lineup includes New Orleanians DJ Brice Nice, Rotary Downs, the Stooges Brass Band, and San Francisco’s Jazz Mafia Horns. The show will also include the SANFRANOLA Brass Band All Stars, which will merge the groups into one musical entity combining the unique sounds and rhythms of both cities.
Rotary Downs, Zack Smith second from the left.
“We’re going up there to show people some good music. All you need is a good vibe, people who can relax and hang out together,” Zack Smith says. “Look what can happen – business can spread, new music can be formed and new relationships can be made.”
For photographer and Rotary Downs drummer Smith and the Canary Collective, this project is a natural follow-up to last year’s BROOKLYNOLA.When they began noticing similarities between Brooklyn and New Orleans, a group effort began to orchestrate a party between the two cities.
“We threw out Brooklyn having that kind of neighborhood vibe,” Smith says. “A lot of musicians in New Orleans go back and forth there, a lot of Brooklyn musicians go back and forth, so I said, ‘All right, why don’t we throw a party in Brooklyn?’”
New Orleans rock band Generationals performed with DJ Soul Sister spinning in-between sets. Smith created the Brooklyn Nola All Stars which consisted of players from New Orleans, Brooklyn and travelers between cities. “We said, ‘Alright guys, we’re putting you on stage and you guys can do whatever the hell you want.’ That symbiosis of the two cities came together musically,’” Smith says. Partygoers got a taste of New Orleans sound as well as jambalaya from Cook Me Something Mister chef Kristen Preau.
After the success of BROOKLYNOLA, it was evident that the collaboration between cities had to expand and be taken elsewhere. San Francisco was chosen to be next on the itinerary.
“[Brooklyn and San Francisco] both have these neighborhood vibes with the local cultures reflected in the food, the music, the people,” Smith says. He and his crew from Canary Collective wanted to choose another city that New Orleanians travel to frequently; San Francisco seemed like the natural selection.
But there are greater goals behind SANFRANOLA than just partying. Smith admits that the initial goal is to have a good time and bring cultures together, but he also hopes to have local sponsors jump on board. Smith describes a “cross powerization” between businesses from the South and West that are coming together thanks to SANFRANOLA. “[We have] a couple sponsors out West – Village Hat Shop, Reap and Sow Records. They’re doing ads over here, so they get some exposure,” Smith says. “We’re trying to bring business back and forth.”
SANFRANOLA hasn’t taken place yet, but Smith and the Canary Collective are already making plans for more similar events. Future plans include AUSTINOLA, PORTLANDNOLA and AMSTERNOLA – Amsterdam in 2013.
