Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Revue

Formed 2004 — New Orleans, Louisiana

Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue were at the vanguard of New Orleans’ now-thriving country scene when they formed in 2004, and they’ve remained in a league of their own ever since. Fronted by Appalachian-born songstress Vanessa Niemann — sometimes called the “punk rock Patsy Cline” — the Revue’s infectious western swing energy has earned them multiple Big Easy and Best of the Beat Awards and an avid fan base of two-steppers around the world.

Why We Love Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Revue

There is no cooler room in New Orleans than a dance hall floor when Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue lock into a two-step groove. Vanessa Niemann sings like she was raised on Patsy Cline and raised hell on punk rock — and the Revue behind her swings like a band that has studied the Western swing songbook the way jazz musicians study changes. They play the classics with reverence and their own songs with the same conviction, which is why a Honky Tonk Revue show feels like both a revival meeting and a Saturday night. They were doing this before country was cool in New Orleans again, and they’ll be doing it long after the trend fades.

Biography

The Real Deal of New Orleans Honky Tonk

“The Gal” is Vanessa Niemann, an Appalachian-born songstress who has lent her powerful voice and magnetic stage presence to musical projects in New Orleans and around the country. When she formed the Honky Tonk Revue in 2004, New Orleans’ country scene was barely a rumor; she and the band were its vanguard. Over the years the Revue has counted among its ranks some of the finest musicians in the region, and its dance-hall show and infectious stage energy have made it one of the city’s most beloved live acts — sometimes billed as the “punk rock Patsy Cline” experience.

"her voice is like butter melting on hot pancakes"

— National Geographic

The honors have stacked up: Big Easy Awards in 2008 and 2009, a Best of the Beat Award in 2010. They’ve shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett (opening for him at the 2014 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival), and the Blind Boys of Alabama, and they’ve carried the two-step to Germany, Switzerland, England, and Scotland. Twenty years on, the Revue is still the standard against which New Orleans country is measured.