Let's Get Small

The Nevilles, Drive-By Truckers, ONUINU, Prytania Fest and a Saturday night of insurgent Carnival are among the week's highlights in New Orleans.

Carnival starts this weekend, and 'tit Rex is among the weekend's highlights in New Orleans.

SXSW Bounce Fundraiser #1, 10 p.m., Siberia: Katey Red and Cheeky Blakk will represent the New Orleans bounce community in Austin at SXSW this year, but SXSW isn't cheap. Magnolia Rhome, Ha-Sizzle, JC Styles, Rusty Culotta, Diamond Dolls and The Danger Boyz will also perform at this fundraising show. 10 p.m., (tickets) Also on Friday: Keller Wiliams, 10 p.m., Tipitina's (tickets); Slow Burn Burlesque presents "The Big Sleazy" (tickets); The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, midnight, The Maple Leaf

Saturday: The Nevilles, 10 p.m., Tipitina's: Aaron's no longer a part of the family band, but Art, Charles and Cyril will be on hand with special guests for a gig that celebrates Art's 75th birthday. (tickets): Bantam Foxes, Hello Chief, High in One Eye, The Rigs, 10 p.m., Siberia (tickets): Kristin Diable & the City, Colin Lake Band, 10 p.m., One Eyed Jacks (tickets); Claudia Acuna, 8 & 10 p.m., Snug Harbor

Sunday: Drive-By Truckers, Houndmouth, 9 p.m., Tipitina's: Bands that endure go through changes, and The Drive-By Truckers illustrate that well. Recently, they lost guitarist John Neff, and Mike Cooley and Jay Gonzales have released solo albums (The Fool on Every Corner and Mess of Happiness respectively). They've matured as a band and moved past their days of reincarnating Southern rock, but they're in no danger of growing up too much. (tickets) Also on Sunday: Zappa Plays Zappa, 8 p.m., House of Blues (tickets); Hot 8 Brass Band, 10 p.m., The Howlin' Wolf's Den (tickets); Jesse Tripp and the Nightbreeds, Split Lips, Trampoline Team, Birthstone, 10 p.m., One Eyed Jacks (tickets)

Tuesday: Jason Marsalis, 8 p.m., Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse: Marsalis has a strong new album, In a World of Mallets, due out shortly with his vibes quartet. 

Wednesday: ONUINU, Terrain, 10 p.m., Siberia: Portland's Dorian Duvall is a one-man electro-pop band with cool grooves and a sweet pop sensibility. (tickets) Also on Wednesday: Young Jeezy and Monica, 9 p.m., UNO Lakefront Arena (tickets); Queen V unplugged, 10 p.m., The Circle Bar; Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue, 8:30 p.m., Rock & Bowl

Other Events

This weekend starts Prytania Fest, a series of shows at Cafe Prytania that follow the weekend's parades. Tonight after Oshun and Cleopatra, The Prytania Bar presents Rotary Downs, Sun Hotel and Yelephants. Saturday night after Sparta and Pygmalion, Brass-A-Holics and Sexual Thunder will perform.

In other Carnival news, I'll have a float in 'tit Rex when we parade Saturday starting at 5 p.m. The world's first microkrewe will start its parade at the St. Roch Tavern and parade through the Marigny until we arrive at Gallier Small in the AllWays Lounge. At 8 p.m., another insurgent krewe, the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus will roll in the Marigny with Grand Marshal Peter Mayhew - Chewbacchus in the Star Wars films. It will be a good night of Carnival.