Poets with Bands

The second annual New Orleans Poetry Festival presents their famous Poets with Bands at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, at Cafe Istanbul NOLA (2372 St. Claude Ave).

This year’s show features Kelcy Mae, Skin Verb, Jamie Bernstein, The Geraniums, The Call Girls, and special guests.

Admission is free to festival pass holders or $15 at the door.

Kelcy Mae is a New Orleans-based songwriter has penned three full albums: Half-Light (2014), Pennies in Hand (2011), and The Times Compiled (2007). Kelcy Mae’s southern poetics, commanding vocal performances, and genre-traversing albums have landed her comparisons to a varied group of famous songstresses including Natalie Merchant, Regina Spektor, Bonnie Raitt, and Shelby Lynne.

Jamie Bernstein is a narrator, writer and broadcaster who has transformed a lifetime of loving music into a career of sharing her knowledge and excitement with others. In addition to writing her own scripts and narrations, Jamie writes articles and poetry, which have appeared in such publications as Symphony, DoubleTake, Town & Country, and Gourmet.

The Geraniums are a nonconforming New Orleans band known for rare and riveting shows. Their sound begins with the connection of Brendan Gallagher’s lyrics to the music of Jeff Treffinger. Together for nearly twenty years, Gallagher and Treffinger have honed their trades with Rene Coman (bass), Daemon Shea (drums) and Tom Marron (violin and harmonica). The Geraniums are the kind of music you should like.

The Call Girls are a punk rock group in New Orleans.