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No Need to Leave Home!

(October 7, 1998). For the last few weeks, we've experienced an embarrassment of dancing riches in the Bay Area as some of the best Cajun and zydeco musicians have passed our way to play at local clubs and festivals.

The musical feast began at the 2nd Annual Cajun-zydeco Festival at the Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. I attended the first day of the two day event. On the line-up Saturday were local favorites Tete Rouge, Andre Thierry, Motor Dude Zydeco and California Cajun Orchestra featuring Danny Poullard. From Southern California came Joe Simien, and from Louisiana came headliners, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. The festival was well organized, with a large dance floor put out for the occassion. There were cultural booths sponsored by the California Friends of Louisiana French Music, crafts booths and excellent food. Most of the day, the weather was comfortable for dancing, at least until it rained late in the day. Highlights of the day for me were Joe Simien, a Creole accordian player in his 80's who is a seminal figure in the California zydeco scene. Joe plays and sings old style French Creole music, creaky, idiosyncratic and totally charming. He was followed by Steve Riley, who, in complete contrast to Joe, pushes the Cajun envelope to its nouveau extreme. Consummate musicians and vocalists, seeing Steve and the Mamou Playboys is always a joyful treat for me.

Following Ardenwood Saturday night, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys played an evening show at Eagle's Hall in Alameda. The evening's set was over the top, a full house, and. great energy in the room.  The selections that night included songs from the band's latest CD, Bayou Ruler, which sometimes crosses the line from Cajun to rock and roll, as well as older, more traditional material.

And if that weren't enough Steve Riley to last me (I also saw the band twice the prior week in New Orleans at Rock N Bowl, and in Lafayette at Festival Acadiens), I was easily convinced by (one) phone call to drive to the Powerhouse in Sebastapol on Tuesday night to see them again. Not a lot of dancers I knew there, so I settled into a spot in front of the stage and turned it into a concert night. There are not many C/z bands I find interesting enought to listen to for several hours, without dancing, but it was no problem with the Mamou Playboys. If anything, I came away even more impressed by their talents.

After the Steve Riley marathon, it was on to A Taste of Louisiana at Concord Pavillion featuring Sheryl Cormier, Kent Menard, Zydedo Flames, Queen Ida and Geno Delafose. This was a pleasant afternoon, although the acoustics at the Main Stage are marginal and the floor is concrete. The best dancing was on the side stages to the Zydeco Flames and Kent Menard. Also, while it appeared to have entertained some of the crowd to have Louisiana Sue throwing beads from the side of the main stage throughout Geno's set, I found it distracting and disrespectful to the musicians. The festival highlight for me was meeting Michael Tissarand, author of "The Kingdom of Zydeco", who was signing books that day. We talked about his book, Louisiana music and culture, the interviews he did, and the one's he wished he'd been able to do. If you haven't yet read his book, you are in for a treat.(see review ).

Flyers at Concord announced a last minute dance scheduled that evening at DeMarco's in Brisbane featuring Motor Dude Zydeco with rumors of some guest musicians. Quite a few of us dancing fools who hadn't had enough yet headed there to check it out. We were thrilled when Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie showed up to play a half dozen numbers, followed by a second excellent set from Andre Thierry. It was a great night, and felt like a private party.

I missed the dances on Sunday (but still had a New Orleans themed day, attending "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the San Francisco Opera). Tuesday, I went to see Sheryl Cormier at Ashkenaz. Dwight Shackleford contributes the following: "Sheryl is often called the Queen of Cajun Music. She haslead her own band for 10 years and has toured all over,including Europe. She is a protege of Aldus Roger and plays great honky-tonk-style Cajun music. And her husband Russell's beautiful singing is not to be missed. On the way to California, the transmission on the band's van went out. Nonetheless, Sheryl put on a lively set and a collection was taken up that evening to help the band pay for their transmission repair.

Not bad for a few weeks at home!

Sweat Fest (aka Festival Acadiens)

So how sweaty was it? Let's just say I was doing Cajun twirls and spins with a dance partner from the Lafayette area and we kept loosing grip on the turns because our hands were so slick, we couldn't hold on!!

Nonetheless, this may have been my best Festival yet. By my calculations, we had the opportunity to dance  from Thursday night's unofficial kickoff at Rock & Bowl in New Orleans on September 17, 1998 with Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, to my last steps to File at Randols in Lafayette on Sunday. Despite all the bad weather forecast, there was only about 30 minutes of rain during festival time (luckily occurring while we were dancing in a covered pavilion). And the showers helped keep the dust down this year.

Rock & Bowl on Thursday night was the first gathering of the hard-core dance crowd from around the country. Walking into the club, it was just great looking around and discovering which of your favorite dance partners were there from prior festivals and catching up on the news. Steve Riley played a great set as always.

Downtown Alive kicked off the Lafayette festival. It featured Balfa Toujours and Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas -and there we were - dancing in the streets! Sometimes the highlights are also in the small things:. as I was leaving my car, I asked a woman for some change to put in the parking meter - it was about 5pm. She told me that after 5 in Lafayette, "you don't have to put any candy in the meter". And of course there are the real highlights from the energy of the dance -particularly hooking up with new dance partners who have the same passions you do - just puts the twinkle back into your toes!

From Downtown Alive, we stopped at the hotel for a needed shower and then had some tough decisions to make: Danny Collett at La Poussierre in Breaux Bridge at a semi-private party, Beau Jocque at El Sido's, Nathan at Poets or Zydeco Joe at Cajun Pier. We opted for a late dinner at Cafe Des Amis (my favorite restaurant in Louisiana) and then went to La Poussierre for our first stop. This is the historic Cajun club where Walter Mouton and the Scott Playboys have been playing Saturday nights for the last 30 plus years and I had always wanted to see it. We were not disappointed. We had some great dances on a terrific dance floor. Around midnight, though it was zydeco time, and we left for El-Sido's to see Beau Jocque. The club was still crowded, and the set I saw was all zydeco (no blues), so the dancers was happy. The word I got from the folks who went to see Zydeco Joe that evening was that he had a small crowd, but put on a great show.

But not to worry, Zydeco Joe was playing at 10:30am the next morning at the air-conditioned stage in the Crafts Hall at the festival. There were a lot of dancers there for that early start, and after 2 songs, I was already drenched with sweat, despite the A/C. Zydeco Joe may just be my favorite zydeco musician performing right now. He has extraordinary musicianship, a great voice, and no attitude (not to mention that his good looks make all the girls swoon!) At one point the emcee told the locals that he wanted all the dancers to mingle and find someone new to dance with from the audience. I happened to be standing by the side at the time, and the dancer I connected with turned out to be one of my favorite new dancers for the festival. I was just grinning from ear to ear after that song ended!

After a short break, we changed venues and went to see Zydeco Joe play another set in the Heritage Pavilion. It wasn't until mid-afternoon, that we got to the main stage, where Horace Trajan was playing an excellent Cajun set.. Balfa Toujurs on Main Stage was scheduled against File on the Heritage Stage. Tough choice, but dancing in the shaded Heritage pavilion won out, and I headed over to File, and from there back to the Main Stage to catch most of Bruce Daigrepont's set. Excellent music, but by then my body needed a break and I needed a shower and food if I were to last the evening. The choices Saturday night were: Zydeco Joe at Hamilton's Club, Chris Ardoin at El Sido's, Steve Riley AND Keith Frank at Grant Street. Figuring Grant Street would be too packed, we headed to see Hamilton's, one of my favorite clubs in Lafayette, to see Zydeco Joe for the third time that day. I lucked out as most of my favorite dance partners made the same choice of venue and I just blissed out for the evening. Laissez le bon temps rouler. Later I spoke to a local dancer who said he left El Sido's for Grant Street at 1 PM. Keith Frank had only started his set at midnight and was still going strong.

Sunday morning, despite the Advil, I was aching! Nonetheless, dance troopers that we were, we were at Girard Park at 11am. The highlights on the Main Stage were Steve Riley and Walter Mouton. At the Heritage Stage, crowds gathered for the Magnolia Sisters, Bois Sec Ardoin accompanied by Christine Balfa & Dirk Powell, and Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas. It seems like Sunday, most all the other dancers 'shared my pain' and we all paced ourselves. Dancing on concrete and packed down lawns is hard work .. Nonetheless, if the music was hot and your dance partner was too, it was time to cut loose. I was delighted that one of my favorite local Cajun dancers from my prior visits showed up and we whooped it up for one number.

The last stop on Sunday for my weekend was Randol's to see File. This is another great dance club, and a good sized crowd showed up for this finale. We also learned there was a jam session going on at Whiskey Landing in Henderson, but I was too sore and exhausted to head over. I heard from some who did attend that it was low-key with musicians from most all of the bands attending.

What a great weekend! I would estimate the Bay Area was represented by about 15-20 dancers this year. This is my third year traveling to Louisiana for festivals (about 3 times/year) and while the music is extraordinary, what keeps me coming back are the friendships I've made in this extended Cajun/zydeco dance community as well as the extraordinary hospitality of the locals who so generously share their culture with us. Seems like we all talk about it with awe and gratefulness. It sure is a wonderful life!

Beausoleil, A National Treasure

As I venture further and further in my explorations of Cajun and zydeco music, I sometimes forget how I first got interested in the genre. In the beginning, years before I was dancing, I was a Beausoleil groupie. I first heard Beausoleil playing as part of the the 1986 movie "Belizaire the Cajun". I remember waiting for the film credits to learn who was playing on the soundtrack.. A trip to the record (not CD) store netted me my first Beausoleil album, and I quickly became hooked. I started seeing Beausoleil in the Bay Area and if they appeared in a city where I was traveling on business, caught them there too. My friends received holiday compilation tapes with Beausoleil mixed in with the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springstein, the Neville Brothers, the Waterboys, Graham Parker and whoever else I was listening to that year. And what a surprise it was to see Michael Doucet for the first time, looking not at all like I imagined, from just hearing his recorded voice.

Beausoleil is the band probably most responsible for introducing Cajun Music to the general public. Numerous film credits, appearances on "A Prairie Home Companion", world-wide tours, and Michael Doucet's significant contributions to the Cajun revival, keeping the Cajun heritage alive and vital, has spread the sound of Lousiana accordian and fiddle two-steps and waltzes around the world. From that preliminary introduction, the doors open and out spills the music, dance and culture of Louisiana French Music, in all its wonderful variety: from the Cajun traditions of Dewey Balfa, Dennis McGee, D. L. Menard, Walter Mouton, Iry LeJeune, Bruce Daigrepont, and Steve Riley to the Creole/zydeco contributions of Amedee & Bois Sec Ardoin, John Delafose, Willis Prudhomme, Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis, Beau Jocque, Nathan Williams and Keith Frank, to name just a few.

Which leads me to Beausoleil's Friday night (7/24) appearance at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. How has the big time affected Cajun music's most commercially accepted and successful exports?

Sometimes you take the things you love most for granted. And then bam! something happens and the glaze of the familiar is blown away and you can see with fresh eyes again. And so it was at GAMH. After close to 20 years on the road, Beausoleil continues to put on a stellar show, with an immediancy, professionalism and variety that is second to none. I would classify myself as a compulsive dancer - when the music plays, I gotta dance! Yet during the GAMH show, I found myself wanting to take breaks from dancing so I could watch the band undistracted. Nowadays to me, Michael Doucet's appearance, with his shock of white hair, perfectly matches his voice, which swoops and warbles and growls and yodels and compels you to listen. The band played songs ranging from the traditional, to the show-stopping dueling fiddles tunes , to the fiddle licks Doucet played off Jimmy Breux's accordian phrasings, to their big 'hit' - Zydeco Gris Gris, to one of my favorite newer tunes from a recent album of the same name -" Cajun Conga" - a gypsy voodoo New Orleans Cajun number. Throughout the evening, their consumate professional musicianship shines through, extending itself from the energy on stage, to the well-mixed sound. During the evening Doucet paid homage to the venue - where, he said, the band recorded one of their favorite albums ("Live from the West Coast' - highly recommended). The crowd returned its appreciation, roaring with cheers and applause at those frequent times when the music soared. It was all over too soon. Beausoleil is a national treasure.

The St. Francis of Assisi Zydeco Festival in East Palo Alto

If you were looking for a real taste of Lousiana, then you should have been at the St. Francis of Assisi Zydeco Festival in East Palo Alto last weekend (July 18 & 19). With a line-up headlined by Thomas "Big Hat" Fields and his Foot-Stompin' Zydeco Band, plus two Bay Area favorites with close ties to Louisiana - Andre Thierry and Danny Poullard, and a family atmosphere with a mix of dancers, locals, & church members, this event was only missing the heat and the humidity!

The atmosphere both days was quite mellow. Everyone parked their lawn chairs under some big trees with a nice breeze coming through. There were county fair type amusements for the kids to play in and a half dozen food booths selling BBQ, greens, red beans and rice, gumbo etc. (My favorite was the BBQ place whose logo was "BBQ so good it makes a vegetarian backslide"). The California Friends of Louisiana French Music and Cajun Dance Club of San Jose both had booths there as well.

As for the music, Thomas Field's act has matured since his last visit here. Various band members , including his wife Geneva, nowtake turns at the microphone. There is a wider mix of music, including some blues tunes, thrown in for variety. And his signature rock-steady, mid-tempo beat zydeco tunes continue to grab you and keep you in the dance groove. Thomas always seems to enjoy talking to the local Bay Area audience, and at the East Palo Alto audience, he was really getting into yakking it up with the locals. Throughout the afternoon, he continually asked folks their last names. To a fellow whose said his last name was Richard (rhymes with "pitch hard"), Thomas said he used to be known as Richard (rhymes with "leash hard') in Lousiana until he crossed the Rockies & came to California. (I think you had to be there).

Andre Thierry and Danny Poullard both put on fine sets too and kept the dance crowds as well as the sizable non-dancing audience happy.

If you missed this festival, you missed a great community event true to the Lousiana spirit..

True Confessions - from the Zydeco Extravaganza, Long Beach Festival and John Delafose Memorial.

Ok. Maybe two weekends in a row traveling to Cajun-zydeco festivals is a little obsessive. My first stop was Lafayette LA to attend the Zydeco Extravaganza over the Memorial Day weekend.. Last weekend I flew to Long Beach, CA to attend the annual Cajun-Zydeco Festival there. In between, I was dancing in the Bay Area at the John Delafose Memorial Dance. But it could have been worse (or better). I missed the Ft. Lauderdale, FL Crawfish Festival (and I actually did have air/hotel reservations for that festival at one time!) (Although I do know of several people who attended all three events!)

For me, there is nothing quite like traveling to dance for renewal of the spirit. After four years of dancing and traveling to festivals, it seems I know folks from all over the country who do the same. Part of the fun of each event is seeing who will show up and reuniting with favorite dance partners. And then, of course, there is the music...and dancing to exhaustion... and using that as an excuse to eat all the fried catfish and oyster po-boys and gumbo and crawfish etoufee and sweet potato pies you want for a few days! Oh, and did I mention the music???

Where to begin?

How about Memorial Day weekend? Eight Bay Area dancers were on the Friday morning plane to Lafayette to attend the Zydeco Extravaganza. Some on the plane would be attending a two day zydeco dance workshop at Hamilton's Club, taught by New Orleans Michael Seider. Thanks to Ellen, we also knew which bands were playing where and were able to map out a loose strategy for the weekend. Which started as soon as we touched down in Lafayette. We picked up our rental car and headed immediately to downtown Lafayette where Zydeco Joe was playing a two hour set as part of Downtown Alive! (Several streets are closed to traffic, a stage is erected, and the Friday night party begins.) We were dancing in the streets within 45 minutes of touchdown! I would say about 20 others from the Bay Area were in the crowd, plus I saw familiar faces from Washington DC, Boston, Alabama, and of course Lafayette and vicinity. Zydeco Joe sounded great, and we left at the end of his set to check into our hotels, shower, and catch a great dinner at Enola Prudhomme's before heading out to Hamilton's Club. Zydeco Joe was playing again, and it was a party. Zydeco Joe's music leans towards the Creole tradition (vs nouveau zydeco). He is a very creative accordianist with a good voice and some nice original material. We had more reunions with and dances with old friends in this air-conditioned club before we crashed for the night.

Next day, part of the out-of towners went back to Hamilton's for dance lessons. My car headed to the Cafe des Amis in Breaux Bridge for a great breakfast (with a surprise New Orleans style jazz duo playing). From there, we played tourist - heading south to St. Martinville. A suggestion and impulse had us stopping at the Evangaline Oak where two charming, retired Cajun brothers (Les Freres Romero - Lennis and Ophie by name) seranaded us on accordian and triangle. They sang in that off-key, off-beat traditional style the songs they grew up with, followed by loose translations. One song we recognized from Steve Riley's regular repetoire, and none of us had any clue what it meant until Ophie gave us the scoop- beware of the girl with the sneaky eyes!). From St. Martinville, we continued on to Abbeville to find the 'best' oyster place, according to one source. Founded in 1869, Dupuy's Oyster House was selling them for $3 per dozen! We indulged, even though the price had gone up from $2/dozen that our source had paid a year or so back. A little more sight-seeing in Abbeville before we headed back towards Lafayette, stopping at some motorcycle shops and antique shops on the way. And then it was time to eat again! Dinner was at Catahoula's in Grand Cocteau. Nice atmosphere, good Lousiana food (and salads!) but very slow service. Go early so you have a lot of time to eat and digest before club-hopping.

After a leisurely day filled with three outstanding meals, we were ready to work it off. Saturday night was a plethora of choices.. Keith Frank at Slim's, Roy Carrier at Richard's, Lil Pookie at El Sido's and a fairly new band, Jean-Pierre and the Zydeco Angels, at Hamilton's. We started out at Slim's and joined the crush at Slim's in Opelousas for a few hours. It seemed to me Keith Frank was playing shorter songs than usual - about Boozoo length, which is good or not, depending on your dance partner! When the crowd got to be too much, we drove back to Lafayette to check out Jean-Pierre. The audience was smaller, but still quite a few dancers, plus the air-conditioning was a relief. Jean-Pierre plays a piano accordian in the style of Clifton Chenier but still has a way to go before becoming a head-liner.

Sunday was the big event - the Zydeco Extraganza at the Blackheim Colliseum. $8 admission got you an incredible line-up....Willis Prudhomme, Step Rideau, Lil Pookie, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas, Boozoo Chavis and Keith Frank. Not only that, but the venue was air-conditioned, and non-smoking, with a huge, temporary wooden dance floor, bottled water for sale, and an adequete number of clean, well-maintained restrooms. The acoustics were acceptable, too. We got there at about 11:30 and danced to an outstanding set by Willis. I ran into quite a few people I had only known via email (Sharon Mader from Memphis, who with Rick Blahunka, runs a great web page featuring all you need to know about visiting and dancing in SW Louisiana) or by reputation (photographer Philip Gould, who has published an outstanding book of Cajun and zydeco photos) or video tape (Lafayette dance teachers Roslyn and Jose (josezydeco@linknet.net). At the ZE, the show was both on the stage and on the dance floor. I went up into the stands at one point, and tried to estimate how many people were dancing - my best guess was 1500-2000!). Besides Willis, I really enjoyed the sets by Lil Pookie and Nathan - some blissed out dancing moments there. By the time Boozoo came on, at 7:30 pm., I have to confess we were exhausted. The crowd was making even that huge dance floor packed and dangerous, and about mid-way through Boozoo's set, we decided to leave. The plan was to catch dinner at Randol's and dance to the traditional Sunday night set by File. Unfortunately, contrary to our information, File was not playing that night, and the Cajun band that was there was not inspiring (nor was dinner - go to Randol's to dance, not eat.) We debated going back to the Extravanza, driving 45 minutes to Richard's, crashing...or going to the all night Wal-Mart's - a Lafayette tradition for some of us. So, believe it or not, while Keith Frank was movin' on up at the ZE, we instead chose to be Wal-Mart shoppers! Only the strong survive?

Monday we flew back to the Bay Area and since we hadn't danced all day, we had the zydeco jones. Luckily, Lil Malcolm and Tony Delafose were just starting their sets at Eagle's Hall. So again, straight from the airport we headed out to Alameda. Lil Malcolm sounded great - a strong performer with a great, funked up, nouveau zydeco sound and a dynamic act. Tony Delafose's band followed. Also on stage with Tony was Gerald Delafose on rubboard (John's grandson), and Dewayne Rubin, Rockin' Dopsie's youngest son. Rubin was hot! A 20-year old playing his father's red accordian, this kid has it all - a strong voice, a commanding stage personality and a virtuoso on the accordian. His improvisions on melodies made you stop, and listen, and his interaction with the audience literally made people stop dancing and watch as he jumped down from stage and rocked out in the crowd. The only downside, if you want to call it that, was that he played the accordian so hard and so fast, that some numbers were really too fast to dance to (although in my opinion, the musicianship was so strong, that it more than compensated.) If talent wins out, Dewayne will go far.

After seeing Tony Delafose and Dewayne Rubin a second time Friday night at Eagle's, I flew down to Long Beach for Franklin Zawacki's annual Cajun-Zydeco Festival at the Rainbow Lagoon. The line-up included Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Walter Mouton, Rosie Ledet, Terrance Simean, the Zydeco Bone-Shakers (from Lake Charles), Andre Thierry (from the Bay Area), and Arcadiana (from Southern California). The weather was perfect for dancing. Unfortunately, the dance floor was still placed away from the stage. This continues to be a source of irritation for dancers about this festival . For most of us, one of the pleasures of dancing to live music is to also see your favorite bands up close and you can't do that at this festival. I left the dance floor for parts of all the sets just to spend some time watching the bands. I would now give this festival a limited recommendation for dancers because of this annoying set-up for the last three years. (The festival will be moving to a different location in Long Beach next year, but that is still no guarantee that management will also relocate the dance floor closer to the stage.)

Bitching aside, the Bay Area was well represented at the festival as always - 30-40 folks I recognized in attendance. Lots of old friends at Long Beach as well - some traveling from as far as Boston, and Washington, DC.

Musically, I enjoyed Walter Mouton's traditional sets, and thought the Zydeco Bone-Shakers did a good job. Rosie continues to disappoint me. I get a kick out of her recordings, and her stage presence (and sound mix) is improving, but it seems to me her band drops the beat frequently (perhaps it is intentional) and I find that annoying. I know the opinion in New Orleans is much different, as she continues to rack up Offbeat awards there. Terrance Simean did his crowd thing and the California bands (Andre and Arcadiana) had folks commenting favorably about their sets.

For me, once again the highlight of the festival were the two Steve Riley sets. Their musicianship continues to grow and impress, even as they venture away from traditional Cajun. Steve was doing his best this festival to bring back the spirit of Elvis - long sideburns, poufy (vs spikey) hair, dark wraparound sunglasses. But where was his lime-green lame shirt from festivals of yore? All kidding aside, this is still the band that sets the bar - the band to beat at any festival - from the inspired dueling accordian and guitar licks that Steve and Jimmy Domengeaux traded during the final song - to the grand time the band members always seem to be having when they play (can Jimmy possibly grin any broader and wider?) to David Greely's inspired fiddle playing - to Peter Schwatz's & Jimmy's Motown moves - to the good beat put down by Kevin Dugas. The Mamou Playboys may not be entirely traditional, but they are nonetheless consummate musicians working with, improvising on and growing the Louisiana traditions to amaze, entertain and give your listenin' ears and dancing soul the nourishment it needs!

And the Band Played On...Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie at Eagle's Hall

Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie are currently on tour in the Bay Area. I caught the band Wednesday night, April 15 (tax day!) at Eagle's Hall in Alameda. There was an excellent turnout for a weekday night - I would estimate about 200 dancers, including a few visitors from Seattle. There was also a larger than usual line-up of women on the side - my theory is the guys were staying home trying to complete their taxes last-minute, while the women probably had their taxes filed weeks ago (This is a joke!) (Reminds me of another joke from "Fiddler on the Roof"... a beggar in the little village always gets a small donation every week from the same local merchant....one week he looks in his hat & sees his donation is cut in half... the merchant tells him that business was way down that week. The beggar replies, "So if you have problems, why do I have to suffer?") ANYWAY I digress...

So aside from the availability of dance partners & the bad jokes they inspire, how was the band? Pretty good, but suffering from the total non-participation of Steve Nash, the rubboard player. Steve stood stone-faced, no smiles, minimal energy, barely scratching that board the entire evening. Quite a few people in the audience started commenting about it because normally there is great band interaction on stage and Steve is a whirlwind of energy. Not last night, though. Geno continued on & did his best to compensate for the black hole on stage, playing a mix of zydeco in the style of Clifton Chenier & his father, John, some Cajun, and some rearranged oldies to a zydeco beat. Later, home boy Andre Thierry got on stage and played three blistering zydeco numbers - and the place rocked out. Interestingly enough, Andre's set was the only time all evening I saw Steve smile & get involved with the music. Then Geno back got on stage and played until about 11:30 pm.

I should mention that the band itself took NO breaks all evening and consequently, when the music stopped there were still close to 75 dancers ready to continue on! Maybe some local bands should consider this strategy!

Kent Menard: The Spirit was Willing but the Body....

Kent Menard played Eagle's Hall on Friday, April 3rd in a battle of will power over a severe case of what turned out to be food poisening. It was painful to watch as Kent kept playing, while taking frequent breaks, sometimes in the middle of a song, to pull himself together. Despite the physical challenge, and an understandably, low key set, I found myself having to stop, listen, and get totally absorbed as Kent performed one of the most soulful interpretations of a zydeco song I have ever heard. Kent sang a slowed tempo version of "Lake Charles Connection" in which the accordian sounded like a blues harmonica, and his singing, with his gravelly voice singing quietly & almost lost in meditative thought, matched the mood. It was intimate, mournful and those of us on the side who were listening just stopped, and stared at each other in amazement. It was the zydeco equivalent of Delta blues and I don't know what part of deep inside himself Kent pulled this out from, but I was blown away!

P. S. I learned that after the show, Kent was hospitalized for several hours!!

Mardi Gras Marathon

If you've never been to Southwest Louisiana during Mardi Gras, and I hadn't, it is a cultural experience not be be missed. I had always thought of Mardi Gras as a big parade in New Orleans, or Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Little did I understand how pervasive, important and widely celebrated Mardi Gras was to the local culture, to the point that most businesses, except those catering to the festivities actually close down for the party.

We arrived in Lafayette on Friday afternoon, and our first stop was Cafe des Amis in Breaux Bridge for dinner. The food was so good, I went back for breakfast the next day and would have returned again had they not been closed the remainder of my stay so the owners could party in New Orleans. Friday night at the Cafe turned into a semi-reunion as we ran into a table of about 24 fellow dancers. From there we caught a few songs by Lee Benoit at Mulates and then headed over to Opelousas to see Lil Brad and Kojak at Slim's. The venue wasn't very crowded, but we all managed to get in several good dances and I thought Kojak had a great stage presence and tight band.

Saturday morning I headed over early to Cafe des Amis for an incredible breakfast, with the intent of catching the jam session at Marc and Ann Savoy's later that morning in Eunice, and then attending the matinee show at the Liberty Theater. Instead, I ran into a local resident with whom I share mutual friends, and joined him and his family for breakfast, and then spent the morning in Breaux Bridge at his place engaged in one of the most interesting conversations I have had in a long time - covering the local culture, dance scene, outside dance styles and influences, and bands. I learned a great deal and felt privileged to get an honest local perspective on what I can only see with outsider's eyes. I finally tore myself away early afternoon to head over to Eunice, stopping briefly at the Music Machine (a CD store with a good selection of regional music) and the Liberty Theater, which I had never been to. Richard LeBoeuf and Jambalaya Cajun Band played to a standing room only crowd. Also on the program was a fascinating and haunting call and response rendition of the Mardi Gras song, performed by local residents in full traditional Mardi Gras costumes.Later, a historian explained the significance of the costumes and some of the traditions. There was also some good Cajun dancing with old friends (and some new ones).

Saturday night was a problem because there were so many dance choices: Would it be an invitation only Mardi Gras Ball with Lil Pookie, Balfa Toujours at Gilton's, Keith Frank at Slim's, Step Rideau at Richard's, Willis Prudhomme at Hamilton's or Marcia Ball (ok not C/z, but I like her anyway) at Grant Street Ballroom? We opted for the Mardi Gras Ball and then Keith Frank. Mona Wilson reserved a large table near the band, and about 25 out-of-towners walked into a packed convention center room - I would estimate over 1000 people - all in splendid costumes. There was recognition to various members of the Krewe and the people who worked so hard to put on an incredible party. We danced a set to Lil Pookie, and then headed out to see Keith Frank. As expected, Slim's was packed. The club had moved the bandstand against the back wall, rather than in the center of the room, which meant no one had to dance behind the stage. This was an improvement from my last time there. Keith put on his usual high-energy, professional show and we had some good dances, closing the club at about 2:30AM.

Sunday it rained. Most of the out-of-towners headed over to Lake Charles for a trail ride, and then to the Habibi Temple to see Keith Frank and Chris Ardoin. I understood it was a good show. I opted to sleep late and have a Cajun day. I caught a parade and a bit of St. Martinville's Le Grand Boucherie festival, where I saw Richard LeBouef. Steve Riley was also scheduled to play, but perhaps due to the cold, rainy weather, the crowd was small and I didn't see many non-coupled dancers, so I opted to go to the next, inside venue. (I was told later that the local dance crowd was eating gumbo at a nearby home and came out once they heard Steve's set begin.) In any case, I drove down to Whiskey River Landing in Henderson to see Balfa Toujours. This was a great space - a big room with a decent dance floor, surrounded on three sides with big picture windows that looked out onto the bayou from where the swamp tours begin. There was a big crowd there and a number of regular dancers, who I think actually outnumbered the dance tourists. I stayed for a set, until the smoke started to bother me, and then headed over to Randol's to see File.

Sunday night at Randol's has become my favorite venue in the Lafayette area. The dance floor is good, there is free water at the bar, and File can't be beat. Plus the club has a large number of friendly regular dancers, who will take their chances to dance with some of us visitors. I had a chance to practice my Cajun dance moves with some excellent partners and had a blast.

Monday was Mardi Gras eve and the energy level edged up a notch. We drove to Mamou and danced at Fred's Lounge and outside on the sidewalks. I found it interesting that all the storefronts that weren't involved in catering to the party crowd, boarded up their windows. A local shop-keeper said that they had problems with horses breaking through the glass, excited by all the crowds and party-hardy riders. . She said Tuesday was Mardi Gras day, and Wednesday Dixie Glass made the rounds. Monday was another day of too many dance choices, so we stayed long enough to catch Kojak on one end of Main Street, and a few songs by Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys (who I always wanted to see in Mamou) on the other end, before we headed back to Lafayette.

Monday night the choices were File at Randol's for a Mardi Gras Ball, Keith Frank at Slim's for a Mardi Gras Ball, Step Rideau at El Sido's, Boozoo at a church dance or Beau Jocque at Grant Street. We opted to start with Beau Jocque. Now I haven't seen Beau Jocque for a while, and was really impressed by his first set of very energetic zydeco as well as how healthy he looked (I think he's lost considerable weight). He stood for most of the set, and the band was tight, not venturing off into blues for at least 90 minutes. There were also some good dance partners there. From there we went to El Sido's to see Step Rideau. The club was as crowded as I'd ever seen it, but for me personally, the set I saw was a let-down from the one we just saw. When Beau Jocque is on, he has very little competition in my opinion.

Mardi Gras Tuesday we opted to head out to Iota to see a very family oriented Mardi Gras celebration. The weather was sunny and almost 75 degrees, a welcome relief from the rains we left behind in California. JoJo Reed played a zydeco set on a big stage set up in the middle of town. The street was filled with craft booths, and food stands. In addition, there was a children's stage, where 6 year old Martin Hayes played accompanied by what seemed like an even younger drummer and fiddle player. A Bay Area musician was standing with us and commented that the kid put a lot of older Bay Area musicians to shame - imagine what a few more years will do!

From Iota we headed to Eunice. Here was the culmination of the festivities - a not-to-be missed Mardi Gras parade. Traditionally costumed revelers walked or rode horses through the middle of town, tossing beads to on-lookers as their gumbo ingredients (mostly chickens) hung from their saddles. I was told there were over 750 registered participants.The parade lasted close to an hour. It was a multi-sensory experience - there were live Cajun bands driving by on trucks, the 'odor de horse and horse manure' was everywhere, natural born comedians teased the on-lookers as they called for beads, dare-devil paraders stood on their horses as they rode by, the crowds were cheering and applauding and the colorful costumes came from another time and place. I didn't know what to expect, and I'm not normally a big parade lover, but this was an awesome event. Afterwards, things settled down a bit and I saw a little of JoJo Reed, and later Steve Riley. I also ran into one of my all-time favorite dance partners from my last visit to Louisiana in the Steve Riley dance crowd, so the afternoon culminated for me with an exhilarating Cajun two-step. I was smiling the rest of the day!

After Eunice, we headed back to Lafayette, cleaned up a bit, and headed over to the Cajun Pier to see Zydeco Joe. Only a small dance crowd showed up, which was a shame, because Zydeco Joe and his band played one of the most musically sophisticated zydeco sets (if you can use sophisticated to describe the zydeco genre) I saw this trip. The band was tight and very creative - a joy to listen and dance to. Our last stop was Chris Ardoin at El Sido's. The crowd was more manageable than the night before, but still there were a good number of local and out-of town dance partners to pass a good time with. Chris put on a respectable set, and then it was all over!

Five great days of dancing combined with traditional celebrations, good food, reunions with old friends, and brand new friends - a most memorable Mardi Gras, indeed.

Mona "Zydeco Queen" Wilson Shares Some Insights on the Broussard Family

(Reprinted with permission by Mona Wilson,, and thanks to Steve Swezy)

Joely Bias is one of the grandsons of Delton Broussard; Delton is also the
father of Jeffery Broussard who is the accordian player for Zydeco Force.
Joely used to sing vocals in Zydeco Force's band and can be heard on "Pop
That Couchie & Roaches". If you have the tape or CD of Zydeco Force's
Shaggy Dog album, you will see Joely on that layout (I think that's the
one). When I was in radio (Pt. Arthur, TX 1990-1992), I booked and helped a
lot of bands, Zydeco Force was one of the bands that benefited from my
efforts tremendously. We are all still good friends and I help them out
whenever the opportunity is available. Their unique background and
experience is what led me to have them play the dance for my dance video
"Zydeco Dancing, Etc.!!" In my video you will find Jeffery Broussard, Mary
Broussard Bias (Delton's oldest daughter and Joely's mother) and Joseph
"Joely" Bias all dancing at this taping. Delton died a few years ago but
his legacy goes on. At Delton's funeral, Jeffery and John (two of his sons)
and Lil Pookie (grandson) all played their accordians together for a few
songs to honor him--it was really a tear-jerker.

FYI, Lil Pookie and the Heartbreakers will be playing for our workshop at
the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia this July. Lil Pookie
is another one of Delton Broussard's grandsons and just like Zydeco Force, I
chose him to play for that workshop because of his background and
experience. If you close your eyes while he's playing, sometimes you would
think you were listening to Zydeco Force.

Lil Malcolm Rocks the House

Lil Malcolm and the House Rockers lived up to their name at the West Coast Cajun & Zydeco Music and Dance Association's 5th Annual Awards Dance held at Eagle's Hall in Alameda on Sunday, Nov. 9th. Lil Malcolm surprised the audience with two unexpected high-voltage sets that delighted and energized the crowd. The second set was made possible by the cancellation of the Zydeco Flames set, due to an injury to their accordionist, Bruce Gordon.

From Lake Charles, LA, Lil Malcolm plays nouveau zydeco with a bluesy, funky edge. In addition, the band is great entertainment with an high-octane stage presence. They are as much fun to watch as to dance to. 23 year old Malcolm, the band-leader, works the crowd, along with rubbord player, John Weatherwall, in a neon blue suit, by hovering over to the edge of the stage and doing Motown style synchronized stage routines. The House Rockers, which also includes Malcom's father, Percy Walker, Sr. on guitar, his brother, Percy Walker, Jr. on drums, and Classie Ballou, Jr. on bass looks like they are having the time of their lives while performing. The audience responded in kind and the band sold out of CDs before the dance was over.

The rest of the dance was devoted to our local bands. The theme of the Awards was "Making the Music That Makes You Dance" and recognition was given the many original compositions by local composers. . Ed Luckenbach of Tete Rouge got a well-deserved Rising Star award, and Louisiana Sue was surprised by an appreciation award for her contributions to the Bay Area Cajun-zydeco music scene. Her recent teamwork with other Western promoters to create a "West Coast circuit" that would make it financially attractive to have Louisana bandsplay here on a regular basis gets my vote of approval. Make it so!

My Holiday Wish List...

Dear Santa,

I know I am sending this early... but hey, the stores had Christmas displays up in August, and at least I waited until Halloween....

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