Postponed - TBA. As our part of the country continues to dig out from Sandy, many memories continue to turn to our brothers and sisters in the Gulf who continue to deal with the lingering aftermath of two of the biggest storms in recent history- Katrina and Rita. While the government and many citizens learned a great deal about emergency response from those horrific hurricanes, what we learned most of all was how to be resolute and resilient in the face of tragedy and how to never let the party die.

     That spirit has also been maintaining and strengthening the annual bacchanal known as  "Wolf's Mardi Gras Ball" (http://mardigrasballs.com), an annual cavalcade of local talent that has been stoking the local music scene and the general party scene while also supporting musicians in other regions. It returns to T.T. the Bear's Fri. Feb. 8 and Sat. Feb. 9. “The Mardi Gras Ball was originally one of many experimental 'theme' shows that my old band Slide used to do,” explains Ball founder Shaun Wolf Wortis. “We had been to New Orleans both on tour and as a pilgrimage and thought that it'd be fun to play some old NOLA R&B at a show and see if anyone would show up in masks.”

     Not only did people show up, but some have been coming back year after year to keep the show and the spirit of New Orleans going strong. “Musicians in Boston seem to love to get involved,” Wortis observes, noting the generosity of spirit with which his fellow musicians share their time and talents to make the Ball an annual hit. The hardest thing is just trying to keep up with who is on the scene.”

     Fortunately, while Wortis once had to seek out other singers and musicians to perform, these days, many of Boston’s best seek out the Ball and are all too happy to participate. “I would ask and they usually were interested,” he recalls of the early days, thanking early adopters like Tanya Donelly and Willie Alexander for helping to get the Ball rolling.  “This year,” Wortis explains, “I thought I'd reach out to some of the folks who sang in years past. I sent out a big email [and] those who responded are singing!”

     Thanks to the critical mass of Massachusetts-based talent, the Ball has long been one of the top nights on the Boston-area musical and social calendar. This year, it will become two of them! To mark its 20th anniversary, the Ball will magically double in size, offering a double-dose of Delta dancing as it turns Cambridge’s Central Square into Boston’s slightly milder version of New Orleans’ Congo Square when it hits TT the Bear’s. And while many of the artists will be present for both, Wortis assures that folks who come to parts one and two will be rewarded for their dedication.

     “The Legendary Vudu Krewe cannot play anything the same way twice,” he says. “Each night will be a completely different experience!” Though he and the show are both physically based in Cambridge, Wortis’ heart is deep in Dixie and he makes regular pilgrimages to find the deepest and Delta-est musical cuts and costumes to fuel his annual fest. “I've got a pretty massive collection of New Orleans music,” Wortis explains, “and I love to pour through it to find the 'perfect' matches for guest singers.” Thus regulars of Wolf's Balls could very well be the only folks outside of the Crescent City to now be thoroughly familiar with Oliver Morgan's "Who Shot the La La,” the Pelicans' "Drunk Drunk Drunk" and the many other N’awlins nuggets that Wortis offers them. “New Orleans R&B is unpretentious, ragged, irreverent, sexy, [and] funky,” Wortis says. “Once they hear the music, they're hooked!”

     The musical attraction is so strong that many Ball guests come back year after year, often bringing their own songs and sounds and creativity to the musical gumbo. “We've definitely had incredible support from the musician community over the years,” Wortis observes, mentioning artists who have come back for seven or eight years straight. “Shaun first asked me to do the Mardi Gras Ball in 2006,” recalls Jen D’Angora Jenny Dee and the Deelinquents (among other bands). Though she did not know Wortis well at the time, she could sense his love for music and his love for his fellow musician. “Shaun is a great guy, even greater musician, and what an awesome person to boot,” D’Angora says. “He's always thinking of the other guy (or gal), and he's one of my favorite guys to sing with.”

     And, as is the case with so many artists who participate in the Mardi Gras Ball and Wortis’ summertime party- the Bastille A-Go-Go,” D’Angora is a devoted fan. “I love being involved in anything Shaun puts together!” Though the Ball features some of the most talented musicians and artists around, Wortis cites his “house band” for holding the Balls together. “My band is incredibly dedicated,” he says. “Paul Ahlstrand has played in over 20 Mardi Gras Balls and Bastille Day A-Go-Gos. Chandler Travis has been in 19 of these. Ducky Carlisle [has done] 25, and, of course, the guys in Slide who've been in dozens each.”

      As much as the veterans love the Ball, some of the newer talents get into it just as much.“I performed for the first time on this two or three years ago at Shaun's invitation,” recalls vocalist Gabrielle Agachiko, who regularly performs with fellow NOLA-lover Ken Field of Revolutionary Snake Ensemble. “I love the show because the music is ALWAYS outstanding!”

      Even Boston legends and fellow impresarios like Rick Berlin (most recently of the Nickel and Dimed Band) give Wortis all the credit for launching and maintaining his Spring and Summer music fests. “It’s Mr. Wortis throughout,” Berlin explains. “The idea wouldn't exist without him.”

     As Wortis was one of the first bands to perform in Berlin’s famed cabaret revue “Marlene Loses it at the Lizard Lounge,” and as Wortis had also contributed graphic art to Berlin’s albums “Me & Van Gogh” and “Old Stag,” the two musical aggregators and party people had long known each other and had collaborated often. Though Berlin is well known for his intimate solo shows, even he loves the everyone-on-the-stage madness that is the Mardi Gras Ball.

      “I love the giant band with the giant horn section,” Berlin says, recalling dueting with Laurie Sargent in “ugly drag” at his very first Ball, back when the event was hosted at the dearly departed Kirkland Cafe. “I love the drunken, Beasts of the Southern Wild vibe and dressing up, the camaraderie and of course the cause.” That cause is the New Orleans Musicians Clinic (www.neworleansmusiciansclinic.org), who have been benefitting from this Bayou-d bacchanal for the past 10 years.

    “At some point, I got to know the New Orleans Musicians Clinic and was really psyched about the work they were doing,” Wortis explains, noting that his Balls have raised thousands of dollars for the NOMC. “I felt turning the Ball into a benefit show was an opportunity to give back to musicians whose work I'd been loving for years and whose work is so important to all the music all of us play in the rock sphere.”

     When asked how he chose NOMC, Wortis replies, “I choose the New Orleans Musicians Clinic because they've done it right in my opinion. They have an association with a good hospital, [and offer] excellent communication. They are a superb organization!”

      In encouraging bands to donate their time and talent to benefit their fellow artists, Wortis and his fellow musical mensches make sure that fans in Boston and in New Orleans all benefit from his efforts. It has also helped Wortis attract other artists who share his love of music and of the place where much of American music was born.

     “I believe my first Mardi Gras Ball was 2005,” recalls Valentine, who got the “Wolf whistle” after appearing in Al Janik's Annual Polka Party. As she (like Wortis) is such a talented artist both musically and graphically and as her heart (like Wortis’) is very much in New Orleans, Valentine was a natural for the show and has been an integral part ever since.

     “Post-Katrina, I'd helped out on some other small benefits for the Clinic,” Valentine explains, “so the cause was already close to my heart. I have great affection for the city of New Orleans and have been singing, collecting, and DJ-ing NOLA…music for years, so when I moved to Boston in 2003 it was a really beautiful surprise to find this amazing group of like-minded souls!”

     In addition to allowing Valentine (and many others) to give back to the music community in Boston and beyond, the Balls have encouraged many regulars to collaborate on other projects as well and to share their love of music and their favorite songs in the show’s free-form Delta jam style.

     “It’s good for New Orleans, but it’s good for the heart and soul of Boston music too,” Valentine suggests, adding that the Mardi Gras Ball is one of the three shows (along with Wortis’ Bastille Day A-Go-Go and Janik’s Polka fest) for which she would travel from her current home in Pittsburgh to attend.“This is one of the three best musical events of the year in Boston,” Valentine claims, calling the Mardi Gras Ball a “rare opportunity to see pure unadulterated joy on the dance floor, a world-class band, amazing guests, incredible tunes that you never get to hear, and all sorts of people coming together for one really, truly, awesomely good time. It’s a gem and a treasure and a helluva party, and I look forward to the next 20 years!” 

- Matt Robinson 

10 Brookline St., Cambridge, 617-492-0082 http://mardigrasballs.com www.ttthebears.com