Many aren’t even full-time music clubs. Some are restaurants with the tables pushed aside to make room for a stage, while others only have live bands one or two nights each week. No matter their schedule, these clubs are on the short list of New Orleans treasures, where, on any given night, you can catch a glimpse of a new star rising or see an established artist shine.

Delta Blues Bar & Grill
542 S. Jefferson Davis Parkway, (504) 822-0358.

The Delta Blues Bar & Grill is an oasis for music lovers with big appetites and tiny budgets: The drinks are inexpensive, there’s no cover charge, the kitchen is open until midnight and the music is top-notch. At the Delta Blues, you don’t get what you pay for — you get much more.

That’s probably why plenty of folks stop by this neighborhood bar and grill to eat oyster poboys, fried chicken, pork chop platters and bread pudding with rum sauce on weekdays. Everything they serve is priced to sell —with many hearty menu items priced under $5 and cocktails starting at only $2.50. The atmosphere is refreshingly informal, too; the menu is handwritten on a posterboard sign that hangs between the kitchen door and the video poker machines.

But every Friday and Saturday night, budget-friendly entrees take a back seat to the blues. Notable talents such as Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Marva Wright and Little Freddy King have all graced the low, gray stage tucked just inside the front door. Then, as is usually the sign of a good blues club, there’s plenty of slow dancing between the six vintage Formica-topped table and chair sets in the dining room.

The décor is a testament to this part-time musical legacy. The vintage, white pressed-tin tile wall and ceilings are the backdrop for a collection musical instruments including broken cymbals, a cello and trumpet, as well as autographed black & white photographs of many of the musicians who have performed there.

The crowds are small, with even 40 people making the Delta Blues look as though it’s bursting at the seams. Patrons looking for a place to rest their feet while still hearing the music can escape to the round cast iron tables and chairs on the sidewalk, which are bathed in subtle warm light from the red and orange patio lights that hang above them.

Price Tag: $2.50 domestic, $3.50 import beer. $2.75 - $4.50 mixed drinks. $3.50 wine.
Cover Charge: No
Perks and Food: Pool sharks will be happy with the two pool tables hidden in the back room, while gastronomes will be thrilled that the same great food the Delta Blues serves during the day is served until midnight on weekends.
Music Schedule: Live blues bands every Friday and Saturday night, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Genre: Blues. Past performers include Little Freddie King, Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Marva Wright. Quite Contrary and Bill Shaka Harp & Soul have also perform here.


Vaughan’s Lounge
800 Lesseps Street, (504) 947-5562.

Vaughan’s Lounge only hosts one band and they only play on Thursday nights. But what Vaughan’s music schedule lacks in frequency, it makes up for in intensity. Vaughan’s city permit only allows them to host live music one night each week, but that one night is usually more action-packed than seven nights at any other place all rolled into one.

The band is Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, and their legendary Thursday night shows at Vaughan’s are so appealing because they have become a star-studded event — no one knows who is going to show up and sit in with the band. Fellow New Orleans jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, saxophonist Wessell "Warmdaddy" Anderson and guitarist Mark Whitfield have all joined in on Ruffins’ upbeat, jazzy jam sessions.

And as if the crowd needed any more reason to be excited, the night starts with a pot of red beans and rice. Then, there’s the barbecue. It seems the Barbecue Swingers isn’t just a band name; it’s not uncommon for Ruffins to set up a grill on the sidewalk and start cooking up sausage and ribs for everyone, insuring that Thursday night at Vaughan’s not only feeds the soul with great music, but fills the stomach with unforgettable food.

Vaughan’s just proves the old adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover — the white ramshackle building with green pillars and a red- and- white rusty awning buried deep in the Bywater has the look of a 100-year-old corner grocery store that could fall down at any moment. But inside, there’s an energetic bar full of folks dancing between the tables to modern New Orleans jazz swing. The neighborhood watering hole is also a pivotal part of the community; it was the headquarters for the 2003 Bywater home tour, starting the day off right with its rum punch cocktails.

Price Tag: $2 doemstic beers; $3 mixed drinks; $3.25 wine. Cash bar. No credit cars are accepted.
Cover Charge: $10
Perks & Food: Vaughan’s only serves food on Thursday nights, when they put on a pot of red beans and rice. Sometimes, Kermit Ruffins will barbecue on the sidewalk between sets.
Music Schedule: Vaughan’s permit only allows live music on Thursday nights. The show starts around 10:30 p.m.
Genre: New Orleans-style swing jazz with an unforgettable impromptu jam session. Ninety percent of the time, it’s Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, but occasionally someone else — such as Trombone Shorty — will fill in.


Ruby’s Road House
840 Lamarque Street, Mandeville, (985) 626-9748. www.rubysroadhouse.com

Ruby’s Road house has everything a good bar needs — four walls, stiff drinks and live music by an ever-changing rotation of entertaining original and cover bands. One night, Theresa Andersson may be shaking her stuff on the 4-foot tall stage, against a backdrop of rough brown wood walls covered with neon beer signs and crooked posters. Lynn Drury and Bad Mayo or Tab Benoit might take the crowd by storm the next.

Tucked on a side street off of highway 190 in Mandeville, Ruby’s is an authentic Depression-era roadhouse with lots of character. They’ve been entertaining and serving cold drinks to North shore working folks since the 1930s, when local laborers used to relax here after long days at area sawmills and railroads.

The small, green and white building that’s dressed in red, green and blue Christmas bulbs all year long, is still a favorite Mandeville hang out. Today, regulars leave their mark by writing on the ceiling — it’s actually a giant chalkboard, where patrons past and present have scribbled barroom philosophy, insights and notes. A long bar runs along one wall and the handful of tables in front of it leaves the large rectangular room simple, uncluttered and perfect for kicking up dirt on the dance floor.

Those who want a break from the music or the crowd can sneak off to the brick-paved outdoor courtyard hidden in back, where there’s a full bar, mood lighting — red, white and blue rope lights are strung between the beams — and plenty of comfortable picnic-style seating at well-worn wooden tables.

Price Tag: $2.50 domestic beer, $3.50 import. $4 to $8 mixed drinks. $4 wine.
Cover Charge: $8 - $10
Perks & Food: There’s no food in sight, but Ruby’s does have several dartboards.
Music Schedule: Music Friday and Saturday nights, 10p.m. to 2 a.m. Call for more information. Genre: Pop. An upbeat place with cover bands as well as original New Orleans pop and R&B music. Recent performers include Theresa Andersson, Tab Benoit, Lynn Drury and Bad Mayo, Anders Osbourne and the Rockin’ Jake Blues Band.


Eddie Bo’s Check Your Bucket
2107 Banks Street. (504) 581-5505. www.checkyourbucket.com

The only indication of what’s inside the tiny white building at the intersection of Banks and S. Johnson streets is the red and white polka dot sign with yellow letters by the door. It reads, "Eddie Bo’s Smoke Free - Stress Free Zone."

The Check Your Bucket lives up to its promise. It is stress free, as well as smoke free — one of only a handful of places in New Orleans that doesn’t let patrons light up. It’s a diner during the day, serving up poboy sandwiches and hot lunch specials. But on Saturday nights, the cozy dining room with its silver and white pastry case and café seats for two, is transformed into the best-kept secret on the New Orleans music scene.

That’s when Eddie Bo and the band move a couple of tables aside, set up a piano and two microphones, and dish out four hours of tight New Orleans contemporary jazz and blues music. Bo is a New Orleans piano master known for his "junker style" music — a mix of blues, funk and jazz — whose career has kept him touring and recording for close to 50 years.

The red floral carpet, earth tone walls and low ceilings make the show at the Check Your Bucket feel like a gathering of old buddies jamming in their mamma’s living room. It’s comfortable and so casual the drink specials are written on a dry erase board propped up on a bar made from a card table covered with white linen. And the smiling waitress not only takes your order, but makes your drink, too.

The crowds are small — maybe 20 people at any give time — and everyone is treated like family. Bo often calls out audience members by name, asking how the kids are or what’s going on at work. Occasionally, a regular joins Bo in singing a song or two and by midnight, the enthusiastic handful of onlookers is dancing between the tables.

Price Tag: $2 coffee, soda, iced tea and bottled water. $2-$3 domestic beer, $4 import. $4 wine. $5 mixed drinks. Since the Check Your Bucket only serves liquor one or two nights each week, the bar is limited to the basics — one or two brand name rums, vodkas, whiskeys, and liqueurs.
Cover charge: $10
Music Schedule: Saturday nights, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Perks & Food: No smoking is allowed inside, so it’s a great place for people who can’t tolerate smoke-filled bars for extended periods of time. The extensive non-alcoholic drink selection is also friendly to the non-drinker. Unfortunately, they don’t serve food during shows, but if you’re in the neighborhood between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., it’s worth the trip to stop by for a Popeye’s spinach salad — named after Bo’s 1961 dance hit "Check Mr. Popeye."
Genre: Rhythm and blues, usually Eddie Bo and his band. Other musicians play there occasionally. Call for dates, times and performers.


Spotted Cat
623 Frenchman Street, (504) 943-3887.

The Spotted Cat is hard to miss. There’s a constant flow of traffic in and out — but mostly in — of a simple door wedged between two gigantic glass bay windows on Frenchman Street. Above the door, hangs a long and slender wooden cat, painted white, with black spots, that sways gently in the breeze of music and barroom chatter flowing out of the door.

Even though it’s nestled between larger, more well-established clubs like The Blue Nile, which hosts an eclectic mix of bands and events, and Café Brasil, known for its live late-night reggae and Latin music, the Spotted Cat is carving its own niche by featuring a low key, but upbeat mix of original music in genres from jazz and swing to rockabilly.

And the Spotted Cat has become just as much of a musical hot spot as its neighbors. It boasts two live shows each night, every night without sacrificing quality for quantity. Generally crowded but cozy, the early show is the best bet for demophobes who want some elbow room, as the Spotted Cat usually gets busier as the night progresses. Early birds usually manage to nab the best, most comfortable seats in the house, too — two rows of wicker loveseats separated from the stage only by a thin strip of concrete floor that, although it’s supposed to be for exiting and entering, is usually transformed into a mini dance floor by night’s end.

The Spotted Cat has a relaxed, semi-Bohemian feel to it; an ambience set by earthy beige walls, white icicle lights, paintings of polka-dotted cats and a mixed crowd of 20-something hipsters and graying college professors. The club’s diminutive size is also more of a boon than a barrier to the music because it’s not hard to hear the acoustic tunes over the barroom hustle-bustle.

Price Tag: $3.50 domestic beer, $4 Abita and import, $5 - $5.50 for Guiness and premium beers. $4.50 - $5.50 mixed drinks. House specialty: vodka infused with fresh strawberry or cantaloupe, $6.50.
Cover charge: No
Perks & Food: No food. The Spotted Cat is a great place to start the night, since it is close to all of the action on Frenchman Street.
Music Schedule: Two bands every night, one at 6:30 p.m., one at 10 p.m.
Genre: Many acoustic bands in a variety of genres, but primarily jazz, swing, blues and rockabilly. Regular bands include the New Orleans Jazz Vipers and Jeremy Lyons & the Deltabilly Boys.