The Meters Featured On 27th USPS Jazz Fest Envelope

Since the Meters broke up in 1977, members of the funk band have played in groups such as the Funky Meters and the Meter Men.

Now they might be considered the postal Meters.

Photo: Jason Moore

Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Calif.

The band is shown against a purple, green and yellow background on the U.S. Postal Service’s 27th annual envelope commemorating the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

The Meters acted as the house band for Allen Toussaint’s New Orleans soul classics of the late 1960s and brought New Orleans second-line grooves into popular music. They opened for The Rolling Stones on the Stones’ tour of the Americas in 1975 and of Europe in 1976.

The original members of the Meters – keyboardist Art Neville, bass player George Porter, Jr., drummer Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste and guitarist Leo Nocentelli – are expected to perform at Thursday’s unveiling ceremony. They’ll also be performing May 3 at Jazz Fest.

Each envelope bears a stamp with the picture of rocker Jimi Hendrix. But at $15 a pop, they’re more likely to be framed than mailed.

Neville has had two previous appearances on a “Jazz Fest postal cachet.” The first was in 2000 as a member of the Neville Brothers. In 2006, he was featured for his solo work.