While it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Mardi Gras, students should focus on getting the most out of their festival season experience. Countless parades, events and people fill the streets during this time of year, but, often times, concerts off the beaten trail prove to be the most interesting of all. Students have their pick as well with an abundance of shows occurring nightly. 

Friday and Saturday

Celebrate Mardi Gras the right way with some classic New Orleans brass, jazz and funk by heading to the Howlin’ Wolf this weekend. Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band will take the stage for back-to-back performances, accompanied by Hazy Ray on Friday and Naughty Professor on Saturday. Both performances begin at 10 p.m. If you haven’t been able to see Rebirth at any recent Tuesday nights at the Maple Leaf Bar, now is your chance to groove with one of the most talked about and well-known brass bands in New Orleans. To make the doubleheader of foot-stomping funk and pure New Orleans brass bands even better, both of these shows are free.

Sunday

After a long day of parades, stick around the Quarter to see Sexual Thunder! at 9 p.m. Sunday at One Eyed Jack’s with Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes. Composed of recent Tulane graduates, Sexual Thunder! knows how to bring the funk to its high-energy, hip-swaying performances. At a Sexual Thunder! show, the excitement and energy seems to bounce from the band to the audience and back again. The band members sport heart-shaped sunglasses, brightly colored bandanas and boas, and sometimes not much clothing at all. Nothing says “carnival season” like nudity. The group released its debut EP “Cheek Sweat” last fall, featuring six original songs of psychedelic funk. Sexual Thunder! brings such infectious enthusiasm and energy to its live concerts, it’s impossible to avoid the dance fever.

Monday

Galactic’s annual Lundi Gras show Monday night at Tipitina’s will be the perfect way to close out the Mardi Gras season with a bang. The show starts at 11 p.m. and will undoubtedly keep you moving and grooving into the wee hours of the morning. Since Galactic’s conception 18 years ago, the band has been a major player in the New Orleans’ jazz and funk scene. Expect to hear plenty of tunes from the group’s most recent album “Carnivale Electricos,” which revolves around the Mardi Gras season, and its Brazilian counterpart, Carnival season. “Carnivale Electricos” embodies all things New Orleans and Mardi Gras; it features hip-hop artists, vocals of a Mardi Gras Indian Chief, a local Brazilian drum troupe, and a high school marching band.