Autumn Reflections
(10/20/04) Last week was my first trip back to the SF Bay
Area since
permanently moving to Lafayette, LA, in January. It was
very strange
flying to a place that was home but yet, no longer, HOME. I
rented a car,
stayed at my cousin's house, visited with friends, played
tourist (Wine
Country/Half Moon Bay/Berkeley, SF/ Walnut Creek/Alameda in
6 days),
visited my old SF neighborhood and the house I sold, stared
at the enormous
selection of veggies in the supermarkets, and stocked up at
Trader Joe's. My
timing coincided with several splendid days of perfect
Indian summer
weather. I also attended two dances at Eagles Hall,
featuring Steve Riley
& the Mamou Playboys and the Zydeco All-Stars, &
went to the
weekly Cajun jam at Blair and Steve's.
My flight back to Louisiana then gave me time to reflect on
my new life.
While the summer time weather is oppressive (the cliche is
too true: it's
not the heat, it's the humidity), and the produce selection
and natural
foods selection in the local markets leaves much to be
desired (although
Whole Foods is opening in Baton Rouge soon, with Lafayette
rumored to be not
far behind, and an organic CSA subscription farm is on
schedule to be
planting its first crop this year), everyday life here is
user friendly,
filled with music and dance, and easy visits to see friends
and socialize.
Instead of spending time in cars, on freeways and bridges
and looking for
parking, I go to music festivals, and get impromptu phone
calls to play in
jams and come over for a visit. People actually 'stop by'
here. And there
isn't even a traffic report on the local Lafayette radio
stations. (You have
to dial in Baton Rouge radio to find out about traffic
jams).
The music and arts community is vibrant. This month, the
Acadiana
Center for the Arts had its grand opening. A new art museum
opened this
year as well. There's a monthly ArtWalk and a thriving club
scene downtown.
Entrepreneur Magazine recently named Lafayette a top 10
upcoming tech
town.
September is always a great music month in Southwest
Louisiana,
bracketed by two long-standing festivals. Labor Day weekend
is Zydeco
weekend: anchored by the zydeco festival in Plaisance and
the Dog Hill
celebration put on by Boozoo Chavis's family. Performers in
multiple
venues over the weekend included Keith Frank, Step Rideau,
Brian Jack,
Zydeco Joe, Poncho Chavis, Dexter Ardoin & Lil Pop
Ledet., among
others. And the third weekend in September is Festivals
Acadiens, which
focuses on the French music of the Cajun tradition. Balfa
Toujours,
Charivari and Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, were
predictable crowd
pleasers this year, with some astonishing twin fiddling
performances by
Kevin Wimmer & Mitch Reed, Mitch Reed & Jonno
Fishberg and David
Greely & Steve Riley. The Lost Bayou Ramblers put on an
incredibly
dynamic, kinetic stage show that in some ways reminded me
of early Bruce
Springsteen and the E Street Band. Another highlight was
slide guitarist
extraordinaire Sonny Landreth & fiddler Al Berard
uniting with the
Traiteurs to play rocked out Cajun music for the Tommy
Commeaux scholarship
fund at the Blue Moon. Scattered on the 'off' weekends was
a blue grass
festival, music jams and festivals celebrating rice, giant
omelets, and
frogs, among other things.