Cajun and zydeco music is not just for old people

http://www.sfgate.com/music/article/Zydeco-Mexican-Connection-hits-all-the-right-notes-5460769.php

Zydeco-Mexican Connection hits all the right notes
Jesse Hamlin
Eugene Rodriguez: Connecting zydeco with the traditional music of Mexico hits all the right notes
Eugene Rodriguez was playing a gig last year in Pescadero with Los Cenzontles, the Mexican American roots band from the vital San Pablo cultural center of the same name, when the sound man told him he had to meet another rocking musician from the Richmond area, the zydeco accordionist Andre Thierry. The name vaguely rang a bell, but Rodriguez didn't know Thierry's music or much about Richmond's Louisiana Creole community and its rich music and dance tradition.

He got up to speed after checking out Thierry - major instrumental chops, soulful singing voice - and connecting with him online. Rodriguez invited the accordionist to jam with Los Cenzontles and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, a longtime Los Cenzontles collaborator who knew that Queen Ida had been part of a lively zydeco scene in Richmond and who was eager to come play with this young Creole dude. Hidalgo and the band were bowled over by Thierry, with whom they're creating a new multimedia project called the Zydeco-Mexican Connection.

British pop singer Lily Allen listens to Louisiana swamp pop (Wish I could get Lil' Band of Gold to play my wedding. They're a great band. Robert Plant likes 'em too):

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/arts/music/lily-allen-at-home-in-england.html?ref=music

My husband is a big fan of the whole kind of Louisiana swamp pop scene, so we listened to a lot of Cajun stuff. We actually flew a band called the Lil’ Band o’ Gold over for our wedding, and they played here. There’s another guy called Tommy McLain, who did this song called “Before I Grow Too Old,” and that was our first dance.

Lil' Band of Gold are an awesome supergroup of sorts with Steve Riley and others

i have a question... does zydeco still have a lot of popular currency in louisiana/texas? i mean, i know that lots of roots-music heads etc. listen to it, but is it still played in bars and stuff? and what's the usual age of the audience?

Zydeco does still have popular currency in Southern Louisiana and in the Houston region of Texas among Afro-Creole raised residents. It's a passed down family genre that also generates youtube videos of folks dancing to hiphop-inflected, autotuned vocal zydeco songs (upthread I mention and link to some). I shamefully must admit to not having been to those portions of Louisiana and Texas myself, but heard discussions of this at last year's EMP Pop Conference in New Orleans, and I've read and heard and watched stuff myself online and in print (plus seen young zydeco bands on tour and in New Orleans). I think the audience down there may be aging a bit, but there are still young folks into it

http://www.zydecoevents.com/texaszydecoevents.html

Check out the flyers and listings

The Revelers (newish group that contains some folks from the Red Stick Ramblers and the Pine Leaf Boys) play some swamp-pop (yes!)

The Revelers add 1950s and ’60s Louisiana rock ’n’ roll and New Orleans R&B-derived swamp pop to their recordings and set lists. Currently recording the second Revelers album in Lafayette (for release next winter), the band will issue “The History of Swamp Pop, Vol. 1,” in 7-inch vinyl and digital formats in July.

http://theadvocate.com/utility/homepagestories/9084760-129/swamp-pop-supergroup-the-revelers

http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/entertainment/music/2014/06/17/new-zydeco-project-heading-philly-beyond/10704687/

excerpt:

Philadelphia public radio station WXPN announced Tuesday that "Zydeco Crossroads" will present the music's past and present through a 15-month series of concerts, educational events and a new documentary film by producer Robert Mugge.

Supported by a grant from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, "Zydeco Crossroads" is a multimedia project that includes a website with field recordings, music streams, performance footage and original contributions from authors and scholars Nick Spitzer, Ben Sandmel and others.

x-post--I listened to the Revelers on Spotify and they sound great. Some nice rhythmic Cajun tunes plus catchy swamp pop ones that have an almost NRBQ at their most pop phase feel

http://www.rhythmandroots.com/ws/pages/artists.php

Lots of Northeast US zydeco dancers heading to this Labor Day weekend fest in Rhode Island with zydeco, Cajun, Tex-mex, roots and ugh--- jam bands

I'll be there Sunday. The most wonderful time of the year.
Looking forward to The Handsome Family and Charles Bradley in particular.

Chares Bradley sounds great and he and his band put on an enjoyable James Brown inspired show.

Go see the Revelers for me--Swamp pop and Cajun band I mentioned a few posts up. I have never been to the fest. It does look like it has lots to offer

This jam is some dope-smoking long-haired swamp pop from 1972 - has a bit of a Doug Sahm vibe. It's a borderline novelty song - all the youtube comments are from locals who remember loving it when they were little kids - but it's catchy as hell. It's on one of the Aquarium Drunkard Louisiana mixes too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=018Wyc36YGc

also Arhoolie's selling off their 45's at 5 bucks a pop, and saying they won't be repressing them. lots of classics here:
http://www.arhoolie.com/vinyl-lps-and-45s/45-rpm/

Cool. Thanks

thank you! this thread is great, wish I had more to add.

Wish I could fly down to Louisiana for this Thursday event and a festival that's going on through the weekend (with good music plus alligator po-boys to eat). Spitzer, Ancelet, and Sandmel are smart and entertaining, and the musicians panel should be great too (based on having heard some of them speak before)

http://www.festivalsacadiens.com/music/40th-anniversary-events.html

Thursday, October 9

Hamilton Hall Auditorium - University of Louisiana at Lafayette

9:00 - 9:45

"Themes of Cultural Conservation, Creolization and Modernization in the Work of Alan Lomax and Ralph Rinzler"
Nick Spitzer, keynote

10:00 - 11:30

"Academic and Journalistic Perspectives on Festivals Acadiens et Creoles"
Mark DeWitt (moderator), University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Barry Ancelet, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Josh Caffery, Indiana University
Nathan Salsburg, Association for Cultural Equity
Ben Sandmel, writer and folklorist
Nick Spitzer, Tulane University

11:30 - 1:30

Lunch

1:30 - 2:15

"The History of Festivals Acadiens et Créoles"
Barry Ancelet, keynote
With personal observations by Keith Cravey

2:30 - 4:00

"Musicians and Family Members Reflect on the Festival"
Pat Mould, moderator
Lawrence Ardoin
Christine Balfa
Michael Doucet
Ann Savoy
Gary Newman

http://www.festivalsacadiens.com/music/

Hmmm, the Thursday through Sunday music schedule is not opening for me right now...

http://www.arnb.org/louisiana.php?genre=cz

Plenty of listings here. Ooh, Warren Storm's gonna be at that fest, swamp-pop fans!

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/46442/lil-pookie-and-the-zydeco-sensations-at-college-park-american/

A current fave of mine. He's gonna be at the Dancing by the Bayou fest in Glen Echo, MD near DC Saturday; and in College Park, MD Sunday

It bugs me that the folks who do that American organization in Nashville and do an annual festival now (that was covered by NPR/Bob Boilen and by Ann Powers reverently) do not emphasize zydeco

Americana I mean...

KRVS is hosting two events at the Blue Moon Saloon Thursday, October 30th. From 7-10pm, we're celebrating a KRVS member-only LIVE broadcast and taping of WXPN's Zydeco Crossroads featuring Creole United with hosts David Dye of World Cafe and KRVS' own Herman Fuselier. This will be followed by an after party from 10pm-12midnight with music by Soul Creole.

Creole United is an all-star band made up of six Zydeco band leaders: Andre Thierry, Sean Ardoin, Edward Poullard, Rusty Metoyer, Jeffery Broussard and Lawrence Ardoin.

This is how they do zydeco in Houston...an upcoming January gig:

Come pass a good time with the Wolf Pack Riders and Lil Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers! If you were there last year you know that it was bananas inside! FREE FOOD! This yr we are offering reserved tables with bottle service starting at $80!

It's Jabo, the Texas Prince of zydeco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OXEtnhGZLI

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-03-09/how-cajuns-reinvented-rock-n-roll-swamp-style

swamp pop history lesson (leaves out some but still worth hearing)

ace records has been putting out a seemingly never-ending string of swamp-pop and louisiana R&B compilations that are all pretty smokin'

Old school swamp pop singer and drummer Warren Storm used to drum and sing for Steve Riley & CC Adcock's side-project swamp pop and rock group Lil Band of Gold. Saw them live twice and they were awesome.

Baton Rouge or New Orleans based Stephanie McDee did this song a few years back and it was more recently covered by Neneh Cherry and the Thing (the jazz group she worked with for awhile)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ayo2iTVpOI

Quintron & Ms Pussyvcat also covered that song, plus Keith Frank's "Haterz"

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2015/03/30/feufollet-capably-mixes-alt-country-and-cajun-music

Feofollet have changed singers and their sound a bit. They're getting good reviews. I haven't heard it yet, and missed their most recent show in town

Feufollet

The Annual Easter Zydeco, Trail Ride, and Rodeo Weekend is April 3rd, 4th and 5th the Trinity Valley Exposition Fairgrounds, FM 563 in Liberty.

Gates open 12 noon Fri., April 3. Lil’ Nate & The Zydeco Big Timers will perform 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. Friday evening.

Sat., April 4, Calf Roping begins at 9 a.m. Gospel singing by Chester Baldwin starts at 10 a.m. The trailride is at 2 p.m.

Leon Chavis & The Zydeco Flames will perform 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. Saturday evening.

The Easter Rodeo is Sun., April 5. Sunday evening’s entertainment is Brian Jack & The Zydeco Gamblers from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

http://www.thevindicator.com/history/article_557196ca-d8af-11e4-bb85-3b3f6754cb18.html

Liberty is a Texas town in the Houston area

Turner Classic Movies cable channel(TCM) is showing a bunch of Les Blank movie docs tonight Tuesday the 28th through the wee hours of Wednesday morning. They are starting at 8 EST with

8 pm Les Blank 1 hour doc Always for Pleasure from 1978 New Orleans that includes Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas , the Wild Tchoupitoulas and more;

Later there will be docs about Creole and Cajun culture and cooking plus a post-midnight showing of a doc about zydeco legend Clifton Chenier

TCM website has the listings

You are fucking kidding me? I canceled cable not four days ago and I've been wanting to see these for years. I was going to buy the Les Blank Blu-Ray set, which includes "Always for Pleasure," but I was hoping for the price to come down. I would have DVR'd all of these. Fuck me.

I was up way too late and saw a little of the Clifton Chenier Hot Pepper one. It had some great footage of him onstage; and also playing on a front porch with his cousin. I got my dad to dvr some of 'em for me.

There's an interesting Christgau commentary on Les Blank from back in 1979 I think (someone just tweeted it). Will add it here later

http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/

The Les Blank movies are available on TCM on Demand until August 5th

http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/misc/blank-79.php

Christgau re Les Blank

The Les Blank movies are available on TCM on Demand until August 5th

I still need a cable provider to watch TCM on demand, and all I’ve got is Apple TV. Think I’m just going to shell out $65 for the Blu-Ray box set. The more I read about these films, the more they’ve got me salivating.

And I did. Package is expected to arrive tomorrow.

I watched some of the 1978 one about New Orleans on my 'puter, as I pay too much for cable.

http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150823/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/150829859#

Rhythm and Roots fest in Rhode Island organizer struggles a bit, but he's got zydeco and more this year

My wife and I will be there Saturday. Always our favorite day of the year. However, I heard they were getting rid of the main stage dance tent this year, which sucks if true.

I know some zydeco dancing folks from my part of the US who are traveling up there for the fest. I am not gonna make it.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2015/10/15/sonnier-responds-tragedies-healin-song/73923682/

Sonnier unveiled “The Healin’ Song” and its all-star lineup of musicians at a press conference Wednesday at the Community Foundation of Acadiana. Sonnier and organizers hope the song and video move listeners to donate to the Healin’ Song Fund, an account with funds that the CFA will administer to community needs on an as-needed basis.

Sonnier called on Cajun and zydeco musicians who account for nearly 40 Grammy nominations and 10 Grammy wins to sing or play on the project. Wayne Toups, Steve Riley, Chubby Carrier, Buckwheat Zydeco, Yvette Landry, Roddie Romero, Eric Adcock, Michael Doucet and Sonny Landreth were among the participants

been watching a bunch of les blank docs and it's making me think i need more cajun/zydeco music in my life. also more cajun food.

Those Les Blank docs will do that. I am not enough of a foodie to know which is Cajun food and which is Creole food...

Just me being pedantic re Cajun being country (French Acadian-Louisiana), and zydeco being Creole (afro-Louisiana but also a bit French Acadian)...

I take Xgau's point about Blank, but I love his stuff because I'm more of a rank sentimentalist/folkie

This looks great but a roadtrip is not in the cards for me this weekend

WXPN's Zydeco Crossroads Weekend
in Philadelphia October 23 & 24

Details here:
http://tickets.worldcafelive.com/event/934713

Featuring:
Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band
Rosie Ledet
Ruben Moreno
Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band
Wayne Singleton & Same Ol' 2 Step

and the premiere of Robert Mugge's film
Zydeco Crossroads: A Tale of Two Cities