A Soggy Po’ Boys concert and brief music lecture has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday Aug. 28, at St. Lawrence Arts, 76 Congress St., in Portland.

The band plays New Orleans jazz — uniquely American music with a rich history and complex origin. In a lecture before the show, Stu Dias will present a brief overview of the conventions of the music, the historical context of it and some of the key figures in its origin story. Native to New England, they have quickly become an institution.

They are spreading the good news of New Orleans music across the northeast and beyond, playing at concert halls and street corners; music festivals and burlesque festivals; bars and libraries; wherever the party requires. Part of the beauty of New Orleans music is that it’s celebrated and appreciated wherever it goes, from the street to the theater.

The Po Boys formed in 2012 to shake the walls of a local club on a Fat Tuesday but have honed their sound and become more than a Mardi Gras centerpiece. Exploring the vast musical traditions of New Orleans and expanding their repertoire to look beyond NOLA jazz, the band includes traditional Caribbean tunes (it’s been said that New Orleans is the northernmost city in the Caribbean), as well as Meters funk, soul, and brass band / street beat music.

There are a myriad of traditions that flow into New Orleans culture just as there are tributaries that feed the Mississippi, and the Po Boys are eager to explore what makes the music of New Orleans so damn special. You’ll hear the heavy influence of the New Orleans sound across the band and in the stories told by their original tunes. Despite the scope of its sound, the outfit is only seven people, and thrives on the interplay and group dynamics that bring this music to life.

The Soggy Po’ Boys are: Stuart Dias (vocals, guitar), Zach Lange (trumpet), Eric Klaxton (clarinet/soprano saxophone), Nick Mainella (tenor saxophone), Mike Effenberger (piano), Scott Kiefner (upright bass), and Brett Gallo (drums/percussion).

Tickets cost $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

For more information, visit stlawrencearts.org.