LUNDI GRAS' traditional introduction of Rex and Zulu royalty brings plenty of revelry as well, with two ceremonies Monday offering family fun, fireworks, live music and, of course, anticipation of Fat Tuesday. Starting upriver, Kenner's Rivertown (Williams Boulevard at the river) hosts a Lundi Gras celebration for the fifth year, this one in honor of the 2003 Queen and King Zulu, Gary Thornton and Beverly Dempsey Thornton. The afternoon includes free admission to the Mardi Gras Museum (open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), music by Mike Teifer "Off the Record" Mobile DJ, the Regal Jazz & Brass Band, and Casa Samba. The combined antics of Lilly the Mime, juggler and stilt walker David Hunt and Dwaino the Clown will keep the kids happy. At 1:15 p.m., Kenner Mayor Louis Congemi joins King and Queen Argus, Danny Martiny and Alana Lincoln, and King and Queen Zulu in a toast to the general public (that's us). Following at 1:30 p.m., a mini-parade with four floats second lines down Williams Boulevard to the La Salle Landing on the river and escorts the Zulu royalty for their trip downstream to New Orleans. Landing at the Riverwalk Marketplace, King and Queen Zulu will meet with Rex, King of Carnival. Besides this time-honored tradition, Riverwalk's 17th annual Lundi Gras festivities include a day's worth of live music. At 1 p.m., '80s cover band the Molly Ringwalds (pictured) take the stage at Spanish Plaza, followed by Chee Weez (2:45 p.m.), the TopCats (4:30 p.m.), with the night's headliner, Rockin' Dopsie Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters, starting its set at 6:30 p.m. At 6 p.m., the music pauses for Rex's arrival and subsequent ceremony and fanfare, punctuated by a huge fireworks display over the river. Good thing Rockin' Dopsie's set ends at a sleep-friendly 8 p.m., as everyone, royalty included, has a big day tomorrow. -- Frank Etheridge

Interpol 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Check your watch. It's been almost 20 years since the explosion of the Manchester, England, New Wave sound, and last year's release of the Michael Winterbottom film, 24 Hour Party People, confirmed our suspicions that it's about time for a revival. The movement is getting under way, and Interpol is leading the charge, probably because the New York City band successfully revives the post-punk sound of Manchester's Joy Division and the scores of emotionally-charged alternative '80s bands that followed. The current shining star of legendary indie-rock label Matador Records, Interpol's 2002 album, Turn on the Bright Lights, proved critically pleasing, making it to many year-end top album lists. It's a well thought-out expression of visceral concepts, but the album's value lies solely in its nostalgic allusions, offering little groundbreaking material as it drones on in unresolved misery. Mysterious Danish rock band the Raveonettes open. Admission $13. -- Cristina Diettinger

The Royal Rounders 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26 Lounge Lizards, 200 Decatur St., 598-1500 The Royal Rounders' charismatic style and upbeat stage presence epitomizes blithe New Orleans spirit. Led by pianist/vocalist and raconteur David Roe, the quintet's extensive songbook is filled with a frothy blend of R&B, traditional New Orleans songs, and blues. In addition, multi-reedman Frederick "Shep" Sheppard is apt to bring the house down via his soul-inspiring performances, drenched with polytonal choruses and progressive jazz improvisations. Electric bassist Irving "Punchy" Williams pushes and prods the band with rock solid lines, and drummer Freddie Staehle's legacy is well documented around these parts. The musicians bring gobs of experience to the forefront, due to their respective legacies performing with the likes of Fats Domino, Dr. John and Ray Charles. Roe certainly knows how to woo an audience, via his charming between-song banter and rollicking piano performances, but the quintet's euphorically rendered approach -- when viewed as a whole -- makes it a winner. No cover. -- Glenn Astarita

Ludacris 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Out of all the Dirty South rappers, Atlanta's Ludacris is easily the dirtiest. He sets up his flow so that his signature accents fall on all the dirtiest words and gets the hottest producers to slap it over the dirtiest beats. It's no wonder his breakthrough single, "What's Your Fantasy?," was the foremost strip-club anthem of 2000, with its four-minute run-through of whips, chains, libraries, whipped cream, cherries, the White House and every other sexual adventure you can think of. In 2001, he rallied for stamina on Missy Elliott's "One Minute Man" and teamed up with Nate Dogg and Jazzy Pha on "Area Codes," claiming to have "hos" in several. If Ludacris' appeal to primal instincts could sell records, the higher-ups at Reebok figured it could sell shoes, so the sports-shoe company paired him with Dr. Ruth for one of the most entertaining ad campaigns of 2002. Even in the face of the crumbling record industry, Ludacris is topping charts -- cell phone ring-tone download charts. He's No. 1 with "Rollout (My Business)." On the contagious Neptunes-produced track, he calls it "bizn-ass," and warns listeners to stay the f--k out of his. The Disturbing Tha Peace Family opens. Tickets $39.50. -- Diettinger

First Annual Femme Fatale Bal Masque 9 p.m. Saturday, March 1 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 For many, Mardi Gras brings to mind images of formal balls, parades and children perched on stepladders. But for those who would prefer to observe the holiday by getting sloppy in a dingy club in the middle of the night, there's the First Annual Femme Fatale Bal Masque. Hosted by all-female parade band Pink Slip, the event will aim to satisfy all of the major Dionysian tendencies, with plenty of music, drink, beauty and perversion. This year's theme is "Kinkiness Is Next to Gaudiness." Organizers will turn the Mermaid into "a decadent outpost of the Weimar Republic, laced with Fellini-esque fantasy, punk-rock style." At midnight, a crew of alt-fashion crusaders will transform the Mermaid's long bar into a high-style catwalk and parade their outrageous creations to a crowd of drunken revelers. Attendees are encouraged to make their own contributions to the aesthetic via the Femme Fatale costume contest, judged on "a sliding scale of kinkiness and gaudiness." All-grrrl musical guests include Won Ton Lust, the Hazard County Girls, Sexmog, and Grown Up Wrongs. Admission $10. -- Diettinger

Fifth Annual Masked Band Ball 10 p.m. Sunday, March 2 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 More a biannual event than annual, the Masked Band Ball appropriately enough sets up shop during Halloween and Carnival, where an identity crisis is always a good thing. Local musicians shed their own artistic skins and strap on those of artists from days gone by -- usually with a punk, post-punk or hardcore verve to them. (This past fall's Ball was truly a scream; the White Bitch was a musical revelation with his guitar-style keyboard as he aped Prince. It was as if Weird Al Yankovic had teamed with Jon Spencer. Talk about identity crisis!) This Ball appears to be rooted in the post-punk bliss of the late '70s/early '80s magic of bands such as The Clash (as performed by Mermaid Lounge co-owner Johnny Macullom and others), Brian Eno (Hagus), the Talking Heads (Potpie, Anton and, yes, DJ Davis), and Wire (Zoom with Art Boonparn). They'll all come costumed, so why shouldn't you? Tickets $7. -- David Lee Simmons

Quintron and Miss Pussycat Lundi Gras Show 10:30 p.m. Monday, March 3 El Matador, 504 Esplanade Ave., 569-8361 Quintron and Miss Pussycat will venture slightly upriver to bridge the Lundi Gras-to-Mardi Gras Day gap with their unique blend of party music and puppets in a night serving as a broad umbrella to several bands, curious attractions and all-around lunacy. This June, Quintron and Miss Pussycat's freshly finished album, Are You Ready for an Organ Solo?, will be released, marking Quintron's seventh recorded effort. Their accompanying puppet show, "Sewing Odyssey," comes well rehearsed after the duo recently toured the work. Also on the music end of the offerings are Chicago's Misty & the Novice (formerly Misty Martinez), along with Memphis-based electronic metal group the Pelicans. Free post-show massages, a random Billy Joel cover and Rio Hackford's construction of furniture from old king cakes ensure planned chaos in a slice of time and space gone totally mad. Cover TBA. -- Etheridge

Mark Chatterly: Recent ceramics Through April 3 d.o.c.s. gallery, 709 Camp St., 524-3936 Truly large-scale ceramics are rarely seen, in part because they have an unsettling tendency to blow up while being fired. Ceramic artist Mark Chatterly seems undeterred by such ballistic mishaps, however -- his show at d.o.c.s. features work that is sometimes as much as 8 feet tall. Even so, another kind of violence seem implicit in these survivors. Typically based on the human figure, their glazed finishes appear pitted and mottled, as if excavated from the long buried archeological sites of forgotten civilizations. Melding archaic and mystical symbolism with a rugged, even raw, sense of sculptural presence, Chatterly says his work is based on "perceptions tied in a knot, then heated to the melting point," and that ultimately it's all about continuity, "a connection from the past to the present, entangling history with the future." -- D. Eric Bookhardt