The Radiators

First, to clear up any confusion: This is the Radiators from New Orleans, the three-decades-plus-strong bluesy, funky rock group, not the also three-decades-strong band from Australia. These Radiators are sort of the ur-jam band; their first album was in fact a live one. The quintet dips equally into roots rock and funk as well as blues and other Nola musical traditions. We'd make the requisite corny joke about gumbo here, but the Radiators have actually dubbed their style "fish head music." Most impressively, since the band's formation in 1978 and over the course of ten studio albums and two live albums, the five-man lineup has remained the same. The group may not have had huge commercial success with its studio albums, but that's not what the Radiators are about. Above all, they're a performance-centric act intent on creating a party vibe. Theirs is a participatory, almost rabid fanbase, and they pay back their crowd by allowing live recording of their shows. Would-be bootleggers, then, should have plenty of material this weekend, as the group hits Culture Room two nights in a row for what promises to be an intimate sweaty, brassy rave-up.