John Prine, Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Sylvan Esso Perform On ‘Live From Here’

On Saturday, Chris Thile brought the recently renamed Live From Here to New Orleans for a live broadcast from the Saenger Theatre. This week’s episode of the radio variety show featured performances from John Prine, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sylvan Esso and comedian Rory Scovel.

The two-hour show saw electronic-duo Sylvan Esso perform four songs throughout the night including their recently released single “PARAD(w/m)E” (pronounced “Parade”) and a trio of tunes from their 2017 release What Now. Crescent City institution the Preservation Hall Jazz Band offered up “Convergence” from last year’s So It Is and teamed with vocalist Gaby Moreno for a take on the Mardi Gras party tune “Iko Iko.”

Saturday’s night broadcast also featured legendary singer-songwriter, John Prine. The 71-year-old musician performed a pair of songs from his catalog, while also using the opportunity to preview two new tunes from his currently untitled album that will be released as he joked, “sometime between March and May.” Prine offered up “Humidity Built the Snowman” from Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings and “Summer’s End,” joking prior to it that he writes a new song about once every 12 years.

Later in the evening he teamed with Live From Here host Chris Thile for takes on “Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness” from German Afternoons and his second new tune of the night “Lonesome Friends of Science.” Prine described the song as an epic about the, “humiliation of the planet Pluto, who was told it was no longer a planet. The romantic escapades of a Vulcan in Birmingham, Alabama and the end of the world as we know it all in a little over four minutes.”

Stream the entire episode here and watch a handful of performances below:

[Speed of the Sound of Loneliness – John Prine]

[Humidity Built the Snowman – John Prine]

[Musician Birthdays: Kevin Parker/ Janis Joplin/ Ethel Merman/ Charlie Waller/Allen Toussaint]