Parade Alternatives

RJD2

RJD2 is coming to Tipitina’s, and if you haven’t already seen him, you have no excuse to miss this show. The producer/DJ graced the stage at the last Crawfest, where he flaunted his natural affinity for splicing indie rap verses between guitar riffs, eerie synth melodies and jubilant choruses of horns. Next Thursday, RJD2 will surely entertain us with a similar sort of performance, but this time, it will be on a grander scale: The Tipitina’s stage gives him room to display the visual component of his show in full, the likes of which will be filled with haunting images and slightly psychedelic videos. So, if you want to kick off your Mardi Gras weekend in a hip, New Orleans-style way, head to the corner of Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas streets for an unbelievable night.

SUB-SURFACE FESTIVAL

This all-night insanity begins with the first ever Sub-Surface festival at One Eyed Jacks. The red velvet walls of the burlesque club will positively tremble with the grimy bass of Starkey, a newcomer to the dub/breakbeat/electronic scene who’s already won numerous national DJ awards. This master of bass has even managed to hold his own among the elite family of UK dubstep artists, garnering love and recognition from the queen of dub herself, Mary Anne Hobbs. Starkey’s all-things-bass performance will be accompanied by the madness of Uprise, an Atlanta-based duo that merges the brilliance of a live DJ with the aesthetics of a live band, producing a sound that throws melodic synth leads over dirty dub beats. Though your brains might be mush by the end of these performances, you must not stop: Your night is only halfway over.

TREEHOUSE

At first, it might seem a little silly to schedule a music festival in the middle of all the Mardi Gras festivities. Who would want to miss out on sweet Bacchus and Endymion loot just to hear some music? The answer: people who like tree houses — a.k.a. everyone. The Treehouse, a complex five-story art installation started in 2009 by the tenants of the NOLA Arthouse, kicks off its first annual Festival of the Rising Sun 2 p.m. Feb. 13. At a time of year where extravagance and overindulgence are more common than Mardi Gras beads, the fact that parties now have to be held in a 50-foot-tall tree house to be noteworthy is a testament to the great lengths New Orleanians go to let the good times roll.

Guaranteed to have both fewer people and more dancing than Bourbon Street, this elaborate house party will showcase local arcade favorites such as Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Givers and Big Rock Candy Mountain as well as out-of-town acts such as Snarky Puppy and Radius. Just don’t get too drunk and fall out of the tree. Admission is set at $25 for one day or $60 for Saturday through Monday.

TIPITINA’S

Tipitina’s Mardi Gras schedule is jam-packed with the best funk, soul and rock ‘n’ roll that New Orleans has to offer. The festivities kick off, Feb. 10, with Papa Mali’s third annual Supernatural Ball. The event will feature Papa Mali himself and special guests, such as George Porter, Jr. of the legendary New Orleans funk outfit The Meters contributing to Mali’s psychedelic funk-rock. Thursday, RJD2 will work turntables and the stage, playing music from his varied catalog of sampled heavy Hip Hop jams and pop-rock tunes. The party continues Feb. 12 with New Orleans Social Club who will perform their traditional soulful numbers alongside local music scene veterans including Ivan Neville of Dumpstaphunk. Renowned funky rockers Galactic will perform Feb. 13, bringing epic amounts of pounding bass and distorted guitar to the sure-to-be sweaty, writhing audience. On Feb. 14, the young, gifted tromboner and trumpetist Trombone Shorty will host his fourth annual Bacchus Blowout with Rebirth Brass Band and Kermit Ruffins in tow. To close the long weekend, Galactic will rock Tipitina’s once again all Lundi Gras night, concluding the Mardi Gras festivities with one last dose of down-and-dirty funk.