New Orleans jazz exponents Soggy Po Boys, native to New England, will return to Blackstone River Theatre for a Saturday matinee show to celebrate the release of their 6th full-length album, “Leave the Light On.” Spreading the good news of New Orleans music across the northeast and beyond, the Po Boys formed in 2012 to shake the walls of a local club on a Fat Tuesday but have honed their sound and become more than a Mardi Gras centerpiece. Exploring the vast musical traditions of New Orleans and expanding their repertoire to look beyond NOLA jazz, the band performs traditional Caribbean tunes (it’s been said that New Orleans is the northernmost city in the Caribbean), as well as Meters funk, soul, and brass band / street beat music. Their latest record captures the 7-piece band’s mission of embracing tradition without becoming a museum piece. By blending traditional and original songs, the album embraces themes of joy, frustration, loneliness, love, and sadness, and explores these feelings with the group’s trademark humorous sincerity. “These guys have done their homework, worked it out on the bandstand and put in the hours in the studio. It all adds up to a party you can bring with you when you want to treat your friends to a real good time,” says Ben Schenck of New Orleans’ Panorama Jazz Band. We couldn’t agree more!
