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....
Here is my Zydeco and Cajun wish list for 1998, in no
particular order.
bullet Keith Frank to play the Bay Area.
bullet Equal numbers of male and female dancers to show up
at all dances
bullet A renaissance of dancers and dance venues on the San
Francisco side of the bridge
bullet No triple booking of dances on any given night in
the SF/East Bay clubs.(There's too few of us to adequetely
support so many conflicting venues, and it makes it way too
difficult to decide where to go.)
bullet A regular West Coast Louisiana band touring circuit
- with at least one Louisiana band playing the Bay Area
each week (I said this was a wish list!)
bullet Fall and spring Cajun-Zydeco festivals with line-ups
that combine the best of the Plaisance Zydeco Festival and
Festival Acadiens.
bullet New knees to dance with!
Thanks, Santa