Frenchmen Street is where New Orleans residents go to hear live music, and it is better than Bourbon Street in almost every way. The two-block strip in the Faubourg Marigny just downriver from the French Quarter has a dozen venues ranging from the intimate to the large, most with no cover charge, all with live music every night of the week. Jazz, brass band, funk, blues, and everything in between.
The best approach is to wander. Wander into the Spotted Cat, into the d.b.a., into the Blue Nile, listen for five minutes, move on if it's not clicking, double back when you find something you love. The outdoor art market operates on weekends, adding to the festival atmosphere. On a good night — which is most nights from Thursday to Sunday — the whole street becomes a block party with musicians spilling outside and people dancing on the pavement. This is the New Orleans that songs are written about.