If you’re planning on hitting Frenchmen Street (and surrounding venues) this weekend for the inaugural foburg Music Festival, the fest has supplied these handy daily schedules and a map. Today’s schedule is below. Hit the jump for the rest of the weekend’s lineup (and map).

To the NOIRC’s credit, they wrangled a pretty impressive lineup for a freshman festival — in New Orleans, the week before Austin’s South By Southwest, no less. Among national artists at the fest, highlights include Yardwork and Hope for a Golden Summer (Saturday at d.b.a.), Signals and The Show is the Rainbow (Sunday at Blue Nile), and JEFF the Brotherhood (Sunday at Maison).

As for locals? There are tons, and all worth checking out. Keep an extra eye on Jean-Eric, the Bellys, Caddywhompus, Sun Hotel, Giant Cloud and Givers.

Visit foburg’s Web site for ticket information ($25 for a weekend pass to all shows) and more.

(Click for a larger version.)

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You know a phenomenon has gone mainstream when it’s written up in Vanity Fair, the coffee-table bible of trends and tastes from high to low. And so it goes with “sissy rap,” which was the subject of an award-winning Gambit cover story by Alison Fensterstock in 2008 — and is now immortalized in VF under the headline “New Orleans Sissy Bounce: Rap Goes Drag.” The article, by Brett Berk, begins:

You do not need to spend much time in New Orleans to realize that it occupies a unique position within the pantheon of American cities. As different from similar-sized towns like Pittsburgh as a coyote is from a mound of cottage cheese, the Big Easy is wholly it’s own scrappy, disheveled self (and I mean that as a compliment).

Berk goes on to profile the biggest New Orleans sissy rappers, including Katey Red (who tells him “It’s not sissy bounce. It’s Bounce music. It’s just sissies doing it”), Sissy Nobby, Big Freedia and Vockah Redu.

Whatever you (or Katey) want to call it, this seems to be the season of the sissy. Vockah is also on the cover of this month’s Antigravity magazine, and a clutch of New Orleans rappers (sissy and otherwise) will be appearing at the New Orleans Bounce Showcase at South by Southwest Mar. 20. Then, on April 22, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art will present Where They At: New Orleans Bounce and Hip-Hop in Words and Pictures, an exhibit curated by Fensterstock and Aubrey Edwards, which will go on for most of the summer and have a satellite exhibition at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

In the meantime, don’t miss the Vanity Fair story, which reveals something truly interesting: Katey Red is starting her own marching band, which we hope is rehearsed and ready for next Mardi Gras.

VIP LADIES & KIDS SOCIAL AID & PLEASURE CLUB 7TH ANNUAL PARADE SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2010 – 12:00 P.M.

Start: Dorothy’s Lounge, 1528 S. Liberty. Proceed out S. Liberty to Felicity St. Turn left on Felicity St. Out Felicity St. to Simon Bolivar Blvd. Turn right on Simon Bolivar Blvd. Out Simon Bolivar to Jackson Ave. Turn left on Jackson. Proceed out Jackson Ave. to Baronne St. Turn right on Baronne St. Continue out Baronne to Second St. Right turn on Second St. Out Second St. to Dryades St.

Stop: Sportsman Corner, 2433 Dryades St. Out Dryades St. to Danneel St. Turn left on Danneel St. Out Danneel St. to Washington Ave. Turn right on Washington Ave. Out Washington Ave. to S. Saratoga.

Stop: Purple Rain. Continue out Washington Ave. to Loyola. Turn left on Loyola to Foucher St. Left turn on Foucher St. Out Foucher St. to S. Saratoga.

Stop: The Other Place. Turn left on S. Saratoga. Out S. Saratoga to Louisiana Ave. Turn left on Louisiana Ave. Continue out Louisiana Ave. to Feret St. Make a left turn on Feret St. Continue out Feret St. to General Taylor St. Turn right on Gen. Taylor. Continue out Gen Taylor to Magnolia St.

Stop: Silky’s Lounge. Continue out Gen. Taylor to S. Claiborne Ave. Turn right on S. Claiborne Ave. Continue out S. Claiborne Ave. to Washington Ave. Make a left turn onto Washington Ave. Continue out Washington Ave. to S. Rocheblave.

Stop: Tapps II/Foxx Lounge. Continue out Washington Ave.

Disband: Stanley U, 4300 Washington Ave.

ahhh… Bounce. That soul-stirring street poetry set to triggaman beats that speak candidly to real life situations such as “It must be the pu*#&y cause it aint your face”. Right? Like how often have you seen a rough-on-the-eyes woman walking arm in arm with a fine ass brother and thought ‘wtf is going on with that??’ And then there’s my personal favorite, the Rampart Street Boys anthem coined by Sissy Bounce pioneer Katie Red, “I’m a punk under pressure. When you’re finished leave the money on the dresser.” Katie deserves her own postal stamp with the words ‘REAL TALK’ underneath it for that one. And her colleague Sissy Nobby’s bounce supplement, the how-to P-Pop video ‘Spinning Top’, an absolute must have for every girlfriend looking to give her ‘wifey-for-life’ act that little something special.

Well if da truth!, meth-amped beats and core-building exercises like the ones shown above get you all loose and open then you’re in for a treat because the good folks at P-Pop Central have organized New Orleans First Annual Bounce Festival which takes place tomorrow from Noon to 9pm. 800 Jackson Avenue at Annunciation. Tickets $7 in advance, $10 at the gate.

To see the line-up, go here or contact Lucky at (504) 913-5153 for more info.

Your day job is safe - unless you collect balls tossed into a miniature hockey rink for a living.

Those curious about robot sports and the engineering prospects of area high schoolers may want to catch the competition at the Alario Center this weekend. NASA staff from the John C. Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis provide mentors, coaches and referees to teams from 36 schools in Louisiana and Mississippi. Local competitors include New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School, Lusher Charter School, McMain Secondary High School, Sarah T. Reed High School, John Ehret High School in Marrero, Mandeville High School and St. Paul’s High School in Covington.

This year’s competition is more like a soccer game involving teamwork. We’re not sure if the robots have become self-aware and learned how to take a dive yet, but keep a sharp eye on them. The finals of the Bayou Regional are Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Watch highlights from last year’s regional set to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” after the jump. Or highlights set to Cascada’s “Every Time We Touch.” Your call.

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… and it’s called “Say Uncle” — an image of the inimitable Uncle Lionel Batiste of the Tremé Brass Band, painted by Terrance Osborne. Osborne did the 2007 poster of Rebirth Brass Band’s Philip Frazier, and this one is done in the same vibrant style.

Here’s the link to Osborne’s gallery, and the link to pre-order a poster. Prices range from $69 (unsigned) to $329 (double-signed).

Thoughts, Gambiteers?

The past few weeks have been chaos for Roots of Music. The program moved down the street from its comfortable space at the Cabildo to a one-room auditorium at the U.S. Mint, and instructors had to get more than 100 students ready for six parades. Add the usual headaches — arranging transportation, feeding 100-plus mouths, tutoring — and a grim reality: If program directors can’t scrape together funding within the next few weeks, March looks bleak. In this week’s cover story, I followed Roots of Music as its 2010 class prepared for its Mardi Gras debut, and hopefully not its last.

The free program for at-risk students ages 9 to 14 helps low-income families get their children on the right track. Derrick Tabb (Rebirth Brass Band drummer and CNN Hero) and Allison Reinhardt founded Roots of Music in 2007, and it includes (among other things) free transportation from school (and back home), meals, tutoring (required) and a world-class music education from Tabb and New Orleans musicians like Edward Lee from Soul Rebels Brass Band, as well as Allen Dejan Jr., Shoan Ruffin and Lawrence Rawlins. Oh, and Trombone Shorty and Phil Frazier serve on the board.

Gambit photographer Cheryl Gerber documented the band’s three-step parade prep: rehearsal, dress, and the finale — marching and playing in Carnival 2010. (Hit the jump for the photos.)

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The Saints parade is so two weeks ago. You need to get ready to stand up and get crunk at tomorrow’s parade: THE TREME SIDEWALK STEPPERS (route below). TSS gets my nomination for best parade of the year. Their noteworthy accomplishments include the having the hypest brass band performances of the second line season, working tailor-made leather suits like no other ghetto superstar can, yawning at awe-struck paraders and throwing them the ‘don’t try this at home’ side-eye while dancing with fairy feet afire and tumbling head first under bridges and over potholes, and finishing off with the most FIYAH! finale in the history of second lines - TSS president Charlie Brown climbing atop the roof of Sydney’s Saloon and shredding his $2,000+ designer suit with a razor blade, making soft leather raindrops shower over the crowd. Basically they provide more entertainment in one parade than all the music award shows on TV in the month of January. This commendation is well-earned.

You need not take my word for it though - check out these clips of last year’s parade and see for yourself. Seriously, watching these clips make me wanna grab a trumpet and a blunt, hit it and split it with one of the groupies outside the Blue Nile, then run up to the set of David Simon’s HBO show ‘Treme’ and school those extras on how to sing the second line neighborhood anthem: “6th WARD! 7th WARD, 8th WARD, 9th WARD - THAT’S DOWNTOWN!”

Parade route and more vids after the jump:

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From last night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC. New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas (at 1:18) and safetys Roman Harper and Darren Sharper (at 1:57) explain muffalettas and float riding to a “Who Dah?” chanting Guillermo, Kimmel’s security guy and Mardi Gras correspondent:

More Saints on TV: Thomas and wide receiver Lance Moore will be on BET’s 106 & Park this evening at 5 p.m.

Mardi Gracias, y’all.

This is how we close out Mardi Gras in the Treme. After Zulu, the Indians, and all the hip hop and R&B acts finish performing under the bridge at Orleans and Claiborne (aka Black Mardi Gras), Rebirth Brass Band convenes at the Treme Cultural Center on St. Philip and Villere and rolls thru the hood for a good ole fashioned second line. Hands down, best way to end Carnival season.

And the best way to start Fat Tuesday IMO: the Skeleton Krewe at the Backstreet Cultural Museum. Deets after the jump:

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