“So you want to be a rock ‘n’ roll star,

Then listen now to what I say…”

—The Byrds, 1967

The Home of the Blues, the Birthplace of Jazz—yes, we all know the litany. But try being in a rock band in New Orleans. It’s a lonely existence.

In most American cities, when patrons go out for an evening of live music, the music is rock. In New Orleans, rock resides in about tenth place—after all the so-called “roots” musics. We’re famous for a wide assortment of ...