Between singer and keyboardist Jordan Anderson’s soulful voice and his band’s saxophone and trumpet twin horn attack, J & The Causeways embodies what their hometown—New Orleans—is all about: “It’s that breath of fresh air that is New Orleans,” Anderson, 34, noted in press materials. “There are no bounds for music, food, art, people, and culture—everything is enriched here.”
This week, Numbskull and Good Medicine present Anderson and his band in Club Car Bar on Thursday, Sept. 18 (3 to 6 p.m.; all ages; $21.32 presale or $24.41 day of show at goodmedicinepresents.com). They’re touring in support of their new 10-track album, Motions, whose theme they describe as “togetherness and compassion.”
“This album is about getting the listener to tap into their own inner power and inner beauty,” Anderson said. “Stop searching outward for those answers. Start searching inward. And then, maybe we can raise ourselves up and out of our sadness and problems.”
Anderson, a Louisiana native, was raised in a rural community by a musical family. If they weren’t playing and singing together, they were listening to records by Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and Otis Redding.
Motions was recorded by musicians/producers Robert Mercurio and Ben Ellman of NOLA cosmic funk outfit Galactic at Studio in the Country and Esplanade Studios.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel like this album was some sort of creative burst,” Anderson said. “There were no compromises made on this. This is absolutely the closest version of who I really am that I’ve been trying to record and put out.”
They’ve been together as a band for eight years now, and Motions is actually their debut full-length after recording an EP, live album, and a couple of singles. As his bio explains, Anderson spent years trying to discover his voice and identity “in an often hard-to-navigate music industry filled with seemingly endless unknowns.”
“At first, it was so stressful, because you’re finding your sound and you’re gritting it out, trying to find something that is you,” Anderson recalled. “But now, when we got into the [recording] process and started putting these songs on record, I can’t believe what I was hearing back—it was what I wanted and more.”
An immediate touchstone to explain his sound might be St. Paul & The Broken Bones. Like singer Paul Janeway, Anderson is white and has an incredible range and emotive power.
“It’s that vulnerability of going around your house and being real goofy with your voice,” Anderson said. “And that really does factor into learning how to get a boastful and unique voice, by being vulnerable and trying things—finding the value of looking inside yourself.”
Anderson’s enjoying his moment of finally becoming comfortable in his own skin.
“There’s no other true time. The past and the future? It’s all just made up,” Anderson asserted. “All we have are these moments that we’re having right now. This album is about vibrations and helping people put their own energies out into the world.”
Also this week from Good Medicine and Numbskull, check out Bad Cop Bad Cop at Club Car Bar on Sunday, Sept. 14 (3 to 6 p.m.; all ages; $14.63 at goodmedicinepresents.com), with opener Build a Rocket.
Bad Cop is an all-female pop punk band that sounds like Bad Religion or NOFX. They’re touring in support of Lighten Up (Fat Wreck Chords, releasing on Sept. 19), the SoCal group’s fourth album.
New Zealand reggae act Katchafire plays The Siren on Sunday, Sept. 14 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $35.74 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The all-Maori band has “six successful albums, platinum sales, hit singles, and a massive fanbase selling out shows around the world,” according to their bio.
Fans of Chris Stapleton won’t want to miss Traveller, a tribute to the famed singer-songwriter behind classics like “Tennessee Whiskey,” “Parachute,” “Broken Halos,” “Starting Over,” and “Fire Away,” when they play BarrelHouse Brewing on Friday, Sept. 19 (6 p.m.; all ages; $32.65 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Expect “an immersive, high-energy experience that will leave audiences captivated and eager for more,” Traveller’s bio states.
Rockin’ Americana
Aaron Golay and the Original Sin play music that’s immediately accessible. There’s something deeply satisfying about listening to the harmony singing between frontman Golay (vocals, guitar, harmonica) and his bassist Darcy Erickson. Add in drummer Michael Tetro’s dynamic drumming and this soulful Americana and roots rock outfit is intoxicating. And the songs? Hooky, smartly written, and fun to move to. See them in The Siren on Friday, Sept. 12 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $15.30 at tixr.com) with AC Myles opening.
There’s also free music at The Siren on Saturday, Sept. 13, starting with high-octane rock cover band Undercover (2 to 5 p.m.; 21-and-older). Later that night, Murder Hornets bring their surf, psych, and punk rock to the club (7:30 to 10:30 p.m.; 21-and-older).
Hardcore legends
Hermosa Beach circa 1979 was a primordial musical stew bubbling with talent and untamed restless energy. Out of this gumbo formed Circle Jerks, with former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris teaming with Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. Their 1980 debut, Group Sex, is still considered a genre-defining record.
The band’s broken up and reformed a number of times, but Morris and Hetson remain, currently joined by Zander Schloss and Joey Castillo. They play the Fremont Theater on Sunday, Sept. 14 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $42.23 at prekindle.com), with Ceremony and Negative Approach.
Indie rock hat trick
SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock present a three-band show this Thursday, Sept. 18 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $20.79 at ticketweb.com), when Couch Dog plays with local indie rockers The Let Downs and Avalynn.
Originally from SLO Town, Couch Dog recently relocated to Los Angeles.
“Over our four-plus years as a band, we have cultivated a strong local community and gained notoriety across California by playing shows all along the coast,” the band said in their bio. “As we grow, we have garnered a nationwide community of listeners and community members. From performing a sold-out Fremont Theater show to 900-plus people, to opening for larger acts like Sad Park/The Frights and Dayglow, to consistently playing DIY house shows, and playing the Shabang Music Festival for three years in a row now, we have done it all. We are Couch Dog! We make music for dancing, crying, and kissing.”
¡Arriba!
Nederlander Concerts presents legendary regional Mexican group Banda El Recodo in the Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Friday, Sept. 19 (doors at 6:30, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $35 to $150 at ticketmaster.com).
“Banda El Recodo formed in 1938 and has been under the direction of the Lizárraga family ever since,” according to press materials. “They are the only band to win the Latin Grammy nine times.”
Expect lots of horns, two singers, matching outfits, and traditional Mexican music. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Student Guide 2025.