Cajun and zydeco music is not just for old people

Cool. So Blake's with Cedric. Interesting. A bunch of DC area zydeco dance fanatics are heading up there for the Fest. They love it. I'd have to practice zydeco dancing every night for months and months to be anywhere close to the technique level of those hardcore 2-steppers. Most of them have been doing it for years and years. I'm too much of a diletante -- dedicating myself to just Cajun & zydeco is not me (plus parenting, work and more). I wish I could zydeco dance well though.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20101216/ACADIANA04/12140352/Local-events-keep-Carrier-legacy-alive

Some year I need to head down to Bayou country around New year's day

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/clicktrack/2011/03/album_review_mama_ill_be_long.html#more

Amede Ardoin cd collection

Steve Riley east coast tour on now. Bandmate David Greely is leaving after this tour because of ear damage. They have a nice new album with various special guests on it. They are at Artisphere outside DC tonight, then 2 nights in NYC I think

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/travel/24zydeco.html?pagewanted=1

Nice long article on zydeco trail rides by Shaila Dewan. Here's a small excerpt

Virtually everyone wore T-shirts proclaiming their allegiance to a particular riding club: the No Limit Riders of Mamou, La., the Spare Time Riders of New Roads, the Hip Hop Ghetto Riders of Breaux Bridge. Some clubs, like the Exclusive Steppers, showed loyalty to a particular kind of mount, the high-stepping Tennessee walker, considered the Cadillac of trail riding (“If you ain’t steppin’, you ain’t reppin’ ”). Others, like the Wild Bird Riders, honored their favorite whiskey, while the Suga Riders were named in memory of “one of the realest cowboys you would ever get to know,” a Lafayette man who rode his horse to nightclubs. The Mixed Breed Riders, a youthful posse in short-shorts and tank tops, gave a nod to the racial mélange so common in Acadiana. I counted upward of 50 riding clubs, though a few of them didn’t seem to bother with actual horses.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/travel/24zydeco.html?pagewanted=3

If you get a chance to see the Anthony Bourdain No Reservations tv show where he visits New Orleans and Cajun country (where Red Stick Ramblers and members of the Savoy family play at an outdoor feast and cook too) you should

http://rhythmandroots.com/ws/pages/schedule.php

A fair amount of interesting zydeco and Cajun acts at this Rhode Island fest (plus various roots-rock acts)

Big zydeco fest in the W. DC area this weekend

http://dancingbythebayou.com/

And I missed it. There's plenty of zydeco acts coming to the DC area these days(but alas, not those Houston hip-hop inflected ones I am curious about)

I wish Texas writer (and ocassional ILX poster) John Nova Lomax was still writing about Houston zydeco...

zydeco in Opelousas

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20111103/ACADIANA04/111030310

In his year-end wrapup Southern soul blogger Daddy B. Nice said in part:

--The Zydeco sound was contagious, with artists from T. K. Soul to Kenne' Wayne to Ms. Jody endeavoring to incorporate it into their music. All of the attempts paled next to the mesmerizing rhythms of the real thing in the hands of veterans Keith Frank ("Cassanova," "Haterz") and Rosie Ledet ("When I'm Gone"), whenever Southern Soul deejays deigned to insert their masterful work into their playlists.

http://www.southernsoulrnb.com/corner2012.cfm

Zydeco acts are always coming through the W. DC area and somehow I always miss CJ Chenier. Missed him again last night at Hill Country BBque. I like his albums. I think some zydeco dance fanatics are less crazy about him, as he does not always just stick to that zydeco beat

Minneapolis seems to have fallen out of favor for touring zydeco bands, so I haven't seen him for quite a few years now. Always prefer his concerts and albums to Buckwheat. I think he's a better, more soulful singer than many of those guys.

Curley Taylor, Leroy Thomas, Rosie Ledet, Dennis Stroughmatt, Steve Riley, and others are always coming through the Washington DC/Baltimore area.

http://wherewegotozydeco.com/

I wish obscure Houston and Louisiana zydeco bands that rarely tour would come through.

The same bands tour up and down the East Coast. Here's a June 2012 Connecticut fest schedule. But no obscure Houston bands I don't think.

http://www.strawberrypark.net/cajun-zydeco-festival/

Saw Cajuns Goldman Thibodeaux, Hadlee Castille and Steve Riley at Jazzfest in New Orleans, among others.

Missed new and upcoming zydeco artist Ruben Moreno appearing in Maryland last weekend

"New" means he has only been leading a band and touring the East coast recently, but this 22-year-old has been in bands since he was 13

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

lots of zydeco in Texas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu-kzTtrlFg&feature=related

Extended video version of zydeco-r'n'b dance song "Do It With Your Boots On" by Cupid

there's a cajun music thread and i never posted this
http://images.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/drc500/c581/c58105g0898.jpg????

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/music/2012/06/01/why-zydeco-player-curley-taylor-likes-r-kelly/

New York City's zydeco scene is in trouble

http://jimsrootsandblues.com/blog/letter-from-zydecolaura/

Pine Leaf Boys are probably the first Cajun band to tour in these countries

June 13-18 Kyrgyzstan U.S. State Department Tour
June 19-24 Tajikistan U.S. State Department Tour
June 25-July 2 Uzbekistan U.S. State Department Tour

The Savoy family (maybe with Wilson Savoy from the Pine Leaf Boys) were just in the UK, France and Belgium.

x-post re the future of zydeco gigs in the Northeast USA:
Read nice writeup of recent New Jersey and Connecticut festivals with zydeco bands. The zydeco fanatics are making it out to the festivals if not to single band shows in individual East coast towns.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/garden/at-home-with-louis-michot-of-the-lost-bayou-ramblers.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Nice NY Times piece on the fiddle player from raucous Cajun Band Lost Bayou Ramblers and his unique home

Rhythm and Roots Festival, on Labor Day weekend in Ninigret, RI is getting lots of attention from zydeco fanatics although the bill does not look as good as fests in Louisiana or Texas, naturally

http://www.cascadezydeco.com/trips/festivals.shtml

Host Band: The Pine Leaf Boys Featuring Steve Riley, David Bromberg, Geno Delafose, The Gourds, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Johnny Nicholas, Roddie Romero and that's just the start... many more TBA!

Bed & Breakfast Referrals (from Bed and Breakfast Referrals of South Coast Rhode Island)

There are two huge dance floors, and dancers galore of both sexes! Dancing goes til midnight all three days.

I go to R&R every year (we’ll be there Sunday). It’s my favorite festival ever — very relaxed, cool people, great workshop tents, good food. Just a fantastic all-around atmosphere.

I have never been, but I am on a Washington DC area zydeco and root-rock email list with a number of people who go up there every year and always seem enthusiastic

http://www.offbeat.com/2012/10/25/hadley-castille-1933-2012/#.UIoJwNqOB1E.email

RIP. I saw this great Cajun fiddler a few times.

zydeco and Southern soul line dance music come together with autotuned vocals:

Here's the zydeco remix of Bigg Robb's "Work That Sexy"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHCqyrXzMh0

Lost Bayou Ramblers were raucous and rocking in San Francisco tonight, where I saw 'em while on vacation

http://www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/2012/nov/29/issue-79-dragged-through-forest-long-gone-sound-am/

Those old-time Creole fiddlers like Amede Ardoin are great

he was an accordionist iirc.

Doh! Of course. I must have been thinking about Canray Fontenot, who performed often with Bois Sec Ardoin

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/02/obituaries/canray-fontenot-72-a-singer-and-violinist-in-creole-style.html

I need to check out that Oxford issue

I've been listening to the new Oxford CD at work a lot. Some familiar songs ("Bon Ton Roula," "Sugar Bee") but lots new to me: a great Johnny Adams oldie I hadn't heard before, and Margaret Lewis covering Johnny's "Reconsider Me." They always include one or two "arty" cuts (this time it's "Fifteen Saxophones" by Dickie Landry) that disrupt the flow.

Having friends over for jambalaya this weekend, and already planning what NOLA music will accompany!

Step Rideau & the Zydeco Outlaws
STEP IS COMING TO TOWN! IT'S BEEN WAY TOO LONG
@Tremont Suites Ballroom, 222 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD
"Take Off" Texas Rollin' Empire Inaugural Zydeco Gala
Doors Open 8pm - 12 midnight Music all night

Oh that's Friday and Saturday the 18th and 19th plus Dress: Semi Formal Western Wear "Glitz & Jeans"

I like Step's funky zydeco but am not likely gonna be able to head up to Charm City for the gig

Panel discussions Saturday April 20th at the EMP Pop Conference in New orleans at Tulane

Dancehalls of South Lousiana
12:00pm–1:00pm

A brownbag talk with John Sharp
Featuring
John Sharp

The Creolization of Cajun and Zydeco
1:15pm–2:45pm
Featuring
Michael Tisserand
Ben Sandmel
D'Jalma Garnier

http://empmuseum.org/programs-plus-education/programs/pop-conference/2013/emp-pop-conference-2013-new-orleans.aspx

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/04/26/2552992/young-musicians-cling-to-cajun.html

"Cling"

heard lots of interesting stuff re zydeco and Cajun at EMP.

Meanwhile over in Texas there's a great Mothers Day weekend zydeco and Southern soul gig:

94.5's zydeco meets the blues fest:

May 11 (Skyline Ranch @ 1801 E. Wheatland Rd., Dallas, TX, 75241) 1:15pm

Step Rideau & The Zydeco Outlaws, Brian Jack and The Zydeco Gamblers, Lil' Nate & The Zydeco Big Timers Cupid, Mel Waiters, Floyd Taylor, Latimore, Denise LaSalle & The PG Man, and Don Diego & Eddie G

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

So if I was to get just one cajun/zydeco compilation, which should it be?

let me think about it. I hope you realize that Cajun and Zydeco are 2 different things-- Cajun is more country and slower tempoed and is created by white folks descended from the French (and relies more on the fiddle); while Zydeco has faster tempos and is created by Afro-Creoles who incorporate r'n'b influences (and uses the accordion more than the fiddle).

Yes, I realize I'm guilty of conflating two distinct styles. So recommend me one of each, then, fair play.

You can't go wrong with any discs from Rhino's "Alligator Stomp" series. Start with Vol. 1.
http://s.ecrater.com/stores/67628/508d8fc58e9b8_67628n.jpg

As a marketing technique and from folks who don't know the difference Cajun and zydeco are often used interchangeably.

I still need to think of an answer as I just have mostly individual releases from artists and not compilations