Earphunk OUT After Bear Creek Bayou

To say that 2016 has been a difficult year for the music world would be a gross understatement. We’ve lost so many of our heroes in the past nine months.

We’ve lost festivals, too, over the past year or so; we lost the magnificent AURA Music and Arts Festival this year shortly after a brilliant March weekend. On that weekend, we also lost a great band, as Greenhouse Lounge played their very last gig at AURA.

Paul Provosty of Earphunk

While many are ready to celebrate the return of Bear Creek, albeit in a new form as Bear Creek Bayou Music Festival, now an urban fest in New Orleans, we learned Tuesday that yet another great band on the jam circuit, one of New Orleans’ stalwarts, are playing their last show this Friday during the Bear Creek rebirth.

Their first festival appearance would have been at Bear Creek on 11.09.12. We can confirm that it was a remarkable performance. They returned to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park on a number of occasions, including 2014 AURA, 2014 Bear Creek (shows on two days), and this year’s Purple Hatter’s Ball, where the Crescent City quintet crushed yet another great set.

Mark Hempe of Earphunk

If you are at Bear Creek Bayou this Friday, be sure to bestow your love and appreciation on Paul Provosty, guitar; Mark Hempe, vocals/guitar; Christian Gallé, keys; Michael Comeaux, bass; and Michael Matthews, drums.

They deserve it for all of the glorious Prog Funk they gift-wrapped for us over the years. And we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Photographs courtesy of Mandi Nulph