Crisp weather and clipped grass awaited those entering into the Voodoo Experience as they passed the New Orleans Museum of Modern Art, bags open and ears at the ready. Tents lined both sides of the pavement walkways, with even more booths and greenery dividing the paths. Chefs hocked their edibles while various merchandise booths attempted to lure people in with promises of free items and great deals.

Kicking off Friday’s Voodoo Experience on the WWOZ/Southern Comfort Stage was Kristin Diable, an artist with an established music career in New York City spanning eight years who had recently moved to New Orleans. The day was slightly chilly, signifying autumn’s imminence; Diable’s warm voice came in like a soothing cup of cocoa. Her band The City, which Diable joked was their name for today, assisted in backing a mellow set with songs such as “Poor Boy” adding the necessary energy to rouse the early morning fans. During the set, I was able to sneak backstage to get a feel of the land and ended up running into her fellow bandmate and beau, Brandon Blouin. Blouin explained that the band was planning a trip to Mexico after Voodoo so to recognize Dia De Los Muertos, the left-hand side of the stage was packed with ghostly folk with painted faces and simple black costumes. Although not necessarily a set inspired by Mexican culture, Diable will have plenty to sing about upon her return.

The next band of the morning was Miracle at St. Anna, taking the Sony Make Believe stage. My introduction to the group came in the form of a deafening growl from lead singer Cody whipping through the Toyota tent as I colored a record player-shaped shrinkydink. Watching their set was a workout in itself, as the band played an energized set of pounding hardcore songs. Cody worked himself into a guttural groove, mixing light harmonies with dark thrash, as exhibited in “The Party Song”, yet due to their early time slot failed to attract many metal heads. The most I could hope for was to wait for those early partiers to wake up from whatever haze they’d arrived in.

Seeing that I had a bit of time between Miracle at St. Anna’s set and Blue Party’s (featuring Natalie Mae), I decided to reap the benefits of a press pass and try to obtain as many gratuitous items as possible for the sake of journalism. The first foray into free came at the Sony tent, where I played an impassioned game of Playstation Move ping-pong with a fellow music fan. While pretending I had fantastic motor skills, I talked with a man named Alex who’d had his birthday the day before and coincidentally had run into Muse’s lead singer Matthew Bellamy and bassist Christopher Wolstenholme on Frenchman St. During that conversation, I found out that they were both very personable. Soon enough, I was out of the stifling video game tent and meandering towards another band and a whole new set.

Blue Party had the pleasure of playing three different times during the first day of Voodoo Experience. The first of their sets featured Natalie Mae. Originally from Manchester, Michigan but currently based in New Orleans, Mae delivered a great performance, mixing smooth jazz vocals with Loretta Lynn grit. Her song about going home, “Cross the Mississippi” perfectly captured the feeling of a long commute to where you really want to be.

Halfway through Blue Party’s set, Fitz and the Tantrums were just starting up at the BINGO stage. Fitz and the Tantrums began their anachronistic set with a full horn section and vocals to rival it. Singers Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs blended voices beautifully, their vocals almost daring one another’s to evoke more energy in their songs. The band was dressed to the nines, a staple of their act, and something Fitzpatrick says has become quite common to see amongst their fans as well. With such a versatile sound, drawing from Motown, chamber pop, and all sorts of indie genres in between, Fitz and the Tantrums was able to attract a relatively nice crowd, one that really fed off the onstage energy they exuded.

Diagonally across from the BINGO stage, the main Voodoo stage loomed forth. With purple banners and large flat-screen on the right hand side of the stage, the big stage meant big acts, one of which was Ponderosa. Based out of Athens and Atlanta, Georgia and recently on Austin City Limits, Ponderosa continued their mainstream ascent, taking the Voodoo stage for their set. Lead singer Kalen Nash and bassist J.T Hall were truly awed by the experience. As Nash explains, “we went to playing 300 seat gyms…to this.” The band has been touring for about three years; early this year their ascent began, as they were signed to New West Records. Although at first glance, the band’s name is reminiscent of popular Western series Bonanza, Nash says the name actually came from a gang/group in his high school. In previous interviews, Nash has described the band’s music as “just good rock and roll”, which it was. The band looked reminiscent of Lynyrd Skynyrd and truly drew from them as influences, as well as other southern rock bands such as Georgia Satellites.

As Ponderosa’s set ended, I ended up walking by tent after tent of various periodicals from the area. Zines such as Offbeat and Antigravity boasted Voodoo-centric covers and stories. The Gambit even had an entire issue dedicated to the weekend’s events. Down near the Le Plur stage was the LOA Lounge, a VIP section that was amazingly off-limits to my press pass and me. However, the American Spirits smoking lounge was quite available. Through them, I found out that Federal Law prohibits free distribution of cigarettes as samples, yet gift certificates for them seem to be no issue.

Following a line of smoke from one American Spirit to another, I ended up at the Le Plur stage. The stage was a great way to bring another facet of New Orleans’ musical gumbo to Voodoo Experience, yet its morning-to-afternoon sets seemed to lack the same energy as a night of glowsticks and beach balls brought on by later headliners. Cantrelle’s set effectively displayed his versatility with a consistent blend of acid with a eurotrash feel. Unfortunately, Trent Cantrelle fell victim to the early timeslot he was placed in and the energy of the crowd just wasn’t there.

Continuing on in musical diversity came Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes. Another local band in a long series of them, they had a full horn section and interestingly, an electric cello. Mixing the two, they added a southern rock feel to establish a strong groove throughout their set. And even though it wasn’t quite Halloween just yet, drummer Dirty Johnny wore a colorful Sgt. Pepper-esque uniform while keeping time. By the time their set was finished, the band had extended to even more genres, masterfully covering many facets of music a la Ween.

Going back to the 60’s and the Beatles era, however, were AM. They played mostly from their new album, Future Sons and Daughters. The band also utilized horns, adding them to the many psychedelic grooves that influenced them from way back when. Towards the end of their set, they brought on New Orleans artist Theresa Andersson and covered Four Tops’ “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” in a mellow yet effective mix of driving soul and indie.

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