I’ve been photographing different iterations of these musicians for a while now, but this was the first time I had the chance to shoot them under the name Dumpstaphunk. Getting to do that during their Mardi Gras run at Tipitina’s made the night feel even more special.

It really doesn’t get much more New Orleans than a packed room at Tip’s with members of the Neville family on stage. There’s a certain energy in that building during Mardi Gras — the crowd knows the music, the band feeds off it, and the whole place turns into one big groove.

From the moment the band hit the stage, the room locked in. The rhythm section drove the night forward while Ivan Neville led the charge on keys and vocals. Songs stretched, grooves deepened, and the band let the music breathe the way great New Orleans funk always does.

Another thing that elevated the night was the visuals from Optic Tempo. Their projection work added an entirely different layer to the show, washing the stage in color and movement that pulsed along with the music. It created this immersive atmosphere where the sound and visuals felt completely connected.

The set ran long, but somehow by the end it felt like it had just started. That’s usually the sign of a great show — when the music flows so naturally that time disappears for a while.

And when the lights finally came up, it was clear the band had left the crowd wanting more.

A Mardi Gras night at Tipitina’s with Dumpstaphunk. It doesn’t get much better than that.