The Wolf Magazine

Issue date: 3/12/10 Section: Music and Entertainment

Media Credit: Erica Colbenson The New Orleans Indie Rock Collective prepare upcoming Foburg festival

Media Credit: Erica Colbenson From Left to Right:

When it comes to music in New Orleans, people think of the essentials: jazz, funk, and blues. Tourists and even some locals do not consider rock music as a culture defining aspect. But with the help of four avid indie rock fanatics, that may soon change.
Loyola A' 08 Michael Girardot, Tulane A'06 Mark Heck, Rachel Puckett, and Loyola A'07 Nick Thomas wanted to create an outlet for local indie rock musicians to become better known within the city.

"I just moved to NOLA and I didn't know how to find out about any of the local indie rock bands," Puckett says. "Nick [Thomas] has worked in almost every facet of music industry job in this town and was very aware of the fractured infrastructure of the music scene. Serendipitously, we were all connected through mutual friends, interests, and the motivation to do something."

The idea bounced around of somehow making the indie rock scene bigger and exposing talents beyond the borders of small venues and even smaller crowds. At the time, local bands did what they could to spread the word for themselves, along with other bands.

"We all helped each other out, either by word of mouth or flyering. It was really disorganized and without any real reward," Girardot says.

Having something like the collective was not a new idea. Several people, including venue owners and promoters, wanted to develop the idea as something concrete, but little had come of it. Finally, these four decided to take the first step.

"We saw a need for an organized group to come together and basically organize the scene and help local musicians out with exposure," Puckett said. "I think we took the concept and built a huge engine behind it. We turned the concept into reality and talk into action."

They formed the New Orleans Indie Rock Collective (NOIRC) in spring 2008 with two basic goals in mind: to help develop the careers of local musicians and to expose the indie rock scene to more people. After forming, the collective's second step was to make a compilation CD of local bands to hand out for free at shows and nationally.

"We try to introduce New Orleans as a rock scene. We're also about giving good music to people who haven't heard it before, and that's why we give it out for free," Michael Girardot says.

Featured on the first CD, titled Rock Beats Paper, were Theresa Anderson, Rotary Downs, Antenna Inn, The City Life, The Revivalists, Big Blue Marble, MyNameIsJohnMichael, and The Other Planets.

The collective realized people would not be interested with the CD alone, so they decided to hold a three day festival in October 2008, showcasing each band on the CD. The bands loved the idea.

"I love that it brings awareness to the indie rock scene and that it gives lesser known local bands the opportunity to play with bigger names. It puts everyone on an even playing field," Richard Dubourg of MyNameIsJohnMichael says.

With the growing popularity of indie rock music, the collective continues to make more space for the future. From Mar. 12-14, the collective is hosting Foburg; a multi-day festival featuring bands who have been featured in the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference (SXSW), along with local indie talents Pumpkin, MyNameIsJohnMichael, The Blue Party, and others.

"It is kind of like our own mini SXSW. It's a big animal with a lot of potential, " Puckett says.

With this festival and other efforts, the collective continues to look for new ways to provide for local bands and make indie music an essential part of New Orleans culture.

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