On Sunday night, photographer Steph Catsoulis shot the show, and here are her notes.

On Sunday, Adan Jodorowsky made his first appearance in New Orleans at Gasa Gasa. The French-Mexican guitarist and son of film director Alejandro Jodorowsky topped a bill that also included Julie Odell and Tasche and the Psychedelic Roses. Photographer Steph Catsoulis was there to shoot in the artists in the venue’s low-light situation, which sometimes allows beautifully intimate photos. Here’s her take on the night:

Tasche De La Rocha hit the stage with gold dust on her lips and eyes, and her charisma and the bond between her and the Psychedelic Roses drew the crowd to the front of the stage. Some came to dance, while others were clearly struck by her hypnotic, gravely voice. The backing singers’ voices were as idiosyncratic and haunting as hers, and the vibe between them, the band members and the audience brought the room together.

Jodorowsky was the reason for the show, but a lot of the crowd was clearly there for De La Rocha and Julie Odell, whose raw emotion and vitality captured the room as soon as she stepped onstage. Her songs felt loose, almost improvised, but her musical relationship with her drummer made it clear that they weren’t. That improvised feel and the occasional shows of vocal power gave her set emotional and musical immediacy.

Jodorowsky began his performing career as Adanowsky, and even though he sings in Spanish, with a little coaching he got the audience to sing along. The show was clearly a performance down to comedic moments with the band including one where everybody froze in place. That theatricality played nicely with looser moments, including one when he brought a couple onstage to dance with him. With Gasa Gasa’s low stage, stage/audience divisions often feel artificial. He addressed it by letting fans cross it, and the night was better for it. 

On the marquee, the Latin Jodorowsky seemed like an awkward fit with two female New Orleans singers, but on stage, the night’s through-line was clear. Folk music was at everybody’s core. Jorodowsky’s vocals were often hushed, but that leant them the same intimacy that Odell and De La Rocha achieved in other ways.