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Lafayette Update: Secret Handshakes and the End of an Era
(6-15-05) Sometimes I think I am part of a secret society. At least that's how
I feel whenever I get home from spending a week at Dewey Balfa Cajun/Creole
Heritage Week, sponsored each year by the non-profit Louisiana Folk Roots
organization. As it has been for these last few years, Balfa camp was one of
the highlights of the wonderful spring festival session which included Festival
International in Lafayette, the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge, Jazz Fest
in New Orleans, and a trip to the new south Florida Cajun/Zydeco festival in
Deerfield Beach (near Fort Lauderdale).
Balfa camp is basically a Cajun/Creole cultural immersion program. For seven
days you eat, breath, play music, sing, dance, drink and sleep in a beautiful
Louisiana state park surrounded by your musical and cultural heroes, and your
old and new friends, all of whom share your passion for this music and
culture. Reality slips away quickly and soon you live in a world where it seems
like everywhere there is just you, your friends and the music and that the only
thing you and your fellow campers are concerned about is how to take it all in
until you feel like you are overflowing with the good energy around you and
drunk on it all. It's so much fun you just don't want to stop. I've been
playing guitar for almost two years now and while in former years, I focused on
culture or dance at this camp, this year I got to take a week of intermediate
guitar lessons with Al Berard, one my musical heroes who plays Dennis McGee
tunes on his fiddle so sweetly you want to cry but is also a fabulous guitarist
and patient teacher. I also managed to fit in other guitar lessons and private
tutorials with Ann Savoy and Blake Castille. Besides that, I went on a nature
hikes, listened to stories told by some of the local legends, danced every
night, and played music til my hands cramped up and my fingers were sore. When
I was too exhausted from all this fun, I'd nap on outside benches and listen to
music classes, or individuals practicing under the shade of the trees or jamming
together as I dozed off. I participated in a great band lab and at the end
of the week, our band, called the Nouveau Natives because most of its members
had recently moved to Louisiana, performed one of the songs we'd been
practicing all week in front of the camp. I also sat in on an impromptu jam
where I played triangle with the members of Balfa Toujours (and no one stopped
playing after I joined in!). When people ask me, what's so special about
attending the week, sometimes all I think to say is... you just have to be there
and experience it for yourself. Afterwards, it seems like the world is almost
divided into 2 groups: those who've attended, and everyone else. Oooooh... the
Cult of Balfa Camp.
Towards the end of April and early May, the major festivals start here in
full force. There are lots of visitors in town and the clubs are hopping. Each
festival has a different feeling to it. Festival International is held on 5
different stages, in the streets of downtown Lafayette. There is, of course,
lots of local music: Cajun, Creole, zydeco and swamp pop, plus bands with a
French flavor from Europe, Canada and Africa. This year the Mammals, a folk
rock band from the Northeast, played a song with political content (anti-Bush)
that upset part of the crowd (while others cheered). Apparently, although it
was hard to be sure what exactly happened, the Festival organizers suggested
that the band not play that song again. Then there was talk of possibly adding
what amounts to a censorship clause to future FI contracts which book
participating musicians. Well, that causes an uproar, and the local newspapers
were filled with Letters to the Editorial for a few weeks, both pro and con.
Last I heard, the contracts weren't being changed.
Much less controversial this year was the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge,
which still has a small town feel to it. Two big music stages plus one small
one, a crafts show and carnival rides set the scene here. A mix of Cajun,
Creole and zydeco music for three days and good weather made for a lot of happy
attendees. On the other end of the spectrum, New Orleans Jazz Fest is a huge
event, with great music (maybe a dozen stages), excellent crafts, fabulous
food and terrific crowd watching. How many other places can you catch over
sixty bands a day from all over the world. I particularly enjoyed seeing Steve
Riley & the Mamou Playboys, The Magnolia Sisters, Cedric Watson , Stevie
Winwood, John Mooney, James Andrews, Sonny Landreth, & Zap Mama,
In May I fit in a trip to the new Deerfield Beach Cajun/Creole festival, while
visiting my parents who live in South Florida. This festival attempts to fill
the shoes of the now defunct and fondly remembered Ft Lauderdale festival ,
which lost its city sponsorship after many wonderful years. I thought the
organizers did a decent enough job for their first year, but on the day I
attended, I missed the crowds, energy and professional feeling of the original
event, which had been one of my favorites.
Lastly, it is with great sadness that I have to report that Hamilton's Club,
the landmark zydeco club in Lafayette which has been in existence since 1956, is
closing for good on Father's Day, June 19th. The last dance will feature Geno
Delafose and Keith Frank. A combination of serious health problems and
dwindling crowds finally caused Mr. William Hamilton, the owner, to make the
decision to shut down. Hamilton's, over the years, had a reputation for being
especially gracious to both black and white crowds, and in the early 80's even
established a "White Night" where Cajun or rock 'n roll dances were held
weekly. On the zydeco side, everyone from Clifton Chenier to Curley Taylor has
played there. I always enjoyed my visits to Hamilton's. The wooden dance
floor was great, the ventilation system seemed to keep the smoke down, and the
crowd was friendly and laid back. While there are certainly other places to
dance or hear music in Southwest Louisiana, Hamilton's Club always seemed
special and will be greatly missed.
