Our hero Lazerbeak is in New Orleans this week, enjoying some hard-earned time off with the wife piece. His text messages imply that he’s doing Nola in high style—several dinners a day, with drinks before and after. If not for his three tender children, I suspect he’d be tempted to shred his return ticket and start a new life in Louisiana. (I can already imagine Beak busking on Bourbon Street with his drum machine, festooned in gold and purple beads).

The morale in my home office, I must admit, is not as festive. I’d been under the weather for a few days last week, but had very much hoped I’d recover in time to sing the national anthem at the Twins season opener yesterday. Despite gallons of tea and a small fortune at the pharmacy, I couldn’t quite rally. My mom took it hard. I admit to a lot of pouting on the couch, ensconced in tissues. A brass quintet from the Minnesota Orchestra, however, slayed it in my absence.

My own show with the orchestra is just under two weeks away and the rehearsal schedule this week is intense. Aby Wolf has been hard at work creating audio files and color-coded lyric sheets to help the guest vocalists learn their parts. (I’m lucky enough to be joined on stage by Matthew Santos, Ashley Dubose, and Cameron Kinghorn for this one.) If you can make sense of the tie-die job below, you’re hired.

Meanwhile, Sims is overseas several stops into his European tour. When not on stage, you might find him enjoying a beer at a local pub, or even performing an impromptu bridge-side duet.

If you’re in Europe, or you’ve got friends in Europe, here are the rest of Sims’ dates with the homie DJ Fundo.

I’m on the mend today, but could use a little pick-me-up after yesterday’s sick day. A DTR VIP named Cally hipped me to the Bonus Jam below. Sniffles and self-pity are no match for this guy’s impassioned accordion work. La Santa Cecilia live at KEXP in Seattle:

La Santa Cecilia – “Nunca Mas” (Live on KEXP)