From the Bayou to the Bay: Cajun and Zydeco music thrives outside of Louisiana

Queen Ida. Danny Poullard. Documentary filmmaker Les Blank. Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records. These are names that are familiar to many fans of Cajun music and zydeco, and they have one other thing in common: all longtime residence in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are all part of a vibrant scene of dancing and live Louisiana French music that has been going on for decades.

Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California: Modern Pleasures in a Postmodern World (University Press of Mississippi) traces how this region of California has been able to develop and sustain more than a dozen bands and several dances a week. Ethnographic description of this active regional scene opens into a discussion of several historical trends that have affected life and music in Louisiana and the nation. The book portrays the diversity of people who have come together to adopt Cajun and Creole dance music as a way to cope with a globalized, media-saturated world.

Celebrating life on the dance floor to the accompaniment of an accordion, fiddle, and a rubboard is one way to cope with a world that has come to be shared by Creoles, Cajuns, folk revivalists, and others who have been drawn in by the vibrant dance music.

Ethnomusicologist Mark F. DeWitt innovatively weaves together interviews with musicians and dancers (some from Louisiana, some not), analysis of popular media, participant observation as a musician and dancer, and historical perspectives from wartime black migration patterns, the civil rights movement, American folk and blues revivals, California counterculture, and the rise of cultural tourism in “Cajun Country.”

Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California reveals the multifaceted appeal of celebrating life on the dance floor, Louisiana-French style.

MARK F. DEWITT is an independent scholar living in Oakland, California. He has published articles in the world of music and Popular Music and Society.

Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California
Modern Pleasures in a Postmodern World
By Mark F. DeWitt
University Press of Mississippi
ISBN 978-1-60473-090-6, hardback, $50
 

Hi Folks..

Well, was it just me or was Andre really crankin' it out last Friday night at the Eagles? Man, he was doing it to death last week..His band was supertight as well and the whole night was workin' strong..Was especially nice that we got to celebrate our anniversary w/not only some great cake, but Andre played straight through from 9:10 to 12:03 without a break..Damn, almost 3 straight hours on a hot night as well..But it worked out well, as many people asked why don't more bands do that? Had to tell them it wasn't easy to do and some bands like to have a break..So do the dancers and the bar does too..Luckily the we fellow Eagles are not super tight about the bar, like some scenes in Salsa or such where the band plays for 40 mintues and takes a 45 minute break..We are so blessed to have LIVE BANDS PLAY..Can't stress it enough..Thanks Andre, oh and by the way,his CD is really good..Was playing it at this private gig on Sat. afternoon and lots of people liked it. So get it, and support a wonderful talent and nice kid..
 
Had to also say that Andre and the Flames were on Sat. night at the Ashkenaz as well..It was nice teaching there like Lisa and I do from time to time, although I do have to that folks at the 'Naz go there for other reasons than to social dance..The lesson was ok, although many folks, including some long time dancers,couldn't' seem to get a very Basic turn in two Basic Steps..Many people seem to like to ONE-STEP it through, which is not really keeping time to the Zydeco Beat..Was interesting to see..But that's just me..One thing though that was a bit unusual is that I had more than one person come up and ask how I am now that Eagles is no longer functioning..Had to disappoint the people who asked me when I said that Eagles is still going strong..A couple of these folks seemed saddened that we are still going. It was a bit weird but oh well, if they don't' want to come it's their loss..I'm writing this to let people know that as of now, there won't be anymore times where I defer to other people, and that Fridays WILL GO ON, as long as I'm there..So let people know if and when you can..
 
Which brings me to my next thing about this Friday..We have a special show coming up, with Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars, from Lafayette..Roddie and his band were Grammy nominated for Best Cajun/Zydeco Record, and althoug they didn't win, they are a force to be reckoned with..I've personally known Roddie since the early 90s' when he had a band called Roddie Romero and the Rockin' Cajuns..They played a lot of stuff in the Wayne Toups style that was big back in the day..He also used to do a lot of stuff like Boozoo and John Delafose that again, back in the day, at certain places, wasn't all that appreciated..He was out here a few years back w/Steve Riley as his guitarist, before Sam Broussard joined that band..He's a killer talent on accordion, guitar, and vocals..He plays a little bit of everything, Zydeco, Cajun, and some Swamp Pop thrown in..Personally I think he has a good band, it's that simple..He's coming out to headline the Sebastopol Zydeco Festival, and we traditionally always do the Friday night dance, like we have w/Rosie, Geno(twice), Chubby, and Sean Vidrine..So if you want to dance to a great band, and they play a variety of music, then come down..Many folks have asked us to diversify the music at times, so here you go..There will be a dance lesson at 8:15 and Roddie will start around 9pm..
 
And speaking of the Sebastopol Festival, it has moved to a new location..It's not at the old ballpark anymore..It's more downtown Sebastopol..For more info, check out the website; www.rotarycajun.com <http://www.rotarycajun.com>  ..It's going to be at St. Ives Park.This has always been a very cool festival so we hope to see you there..It's also the last one of the year up here, so plan to come to both, Eagles and Sebastopol..Lisa and I will again be doing the teaching between sets..it's always fun, fast, funky and furious..But again, lots of food, drinks, and good music w/the Wild Catahoulas, Zydeco Flames w/Andre, Mark St. Mary and Roddie..The guys putting this on are spending big time bucks so help 'em out..It's always for a good cause too..
 
Lastly, we have a nice lineup coming up this Fall:

Next Week, we have another special show for a band that rarely travels outside of Louisiana, let alone come to California..Feufollet is a very strong Cajun Band that has been around for over a dozen years now and they are still a bunch of young talented people..Some of them started in the very early teens and EARLIER, and are now veterans of playing some great, great stuff..Many, many people, again, have asked me to book some Cajun stuff, so here you go..They play two-steps, Waltzes, some shuflles, and some swing tunes as well..I'm jazzed about them as I"ve heard them a couple of times in the past, the last time in Mamou at a Mardi Gras Party w/John Helinski and Andrea Rubenstein and some local Cajun ladies dancing all night on the street having a great ol' time..They just killed the audience. So mark it down, next Friday Sept. 12..
 
In Oct. we have another special guest who, also like Feufollet, has actually never been to California..Miguel Fontenont is a wonderful accordion player who lives in Beaumont Texas and plays around there a lot..He has been at Geno's House Party and played there many times..I've seen him there twice and have always been blown away by what he does..So we're getting him here to be backed up by Andre and his band..If you like older school sounds, which I do, then come out and see a great accordion player and singer..He'll be here in Oct. on the 10th..
 
And if that is not enough, Wayne Singleton will also be coming out on Thanksgiving Weekend to play w/Andre and back Andre up..Wayne is a very talented cat, who has been the leader of the Same Ol' Two Step..He really digs playing the older stuff, feels more at home doing it, so he's coming out for a special weekend show..We'll be doing a Sunday show for that Weekend as well..Wayne and the Same Ol' Two Step played out here a year ago and were just terrific..he's going to be here on Thanksgiving weekend..
 
Damn, this isn't even including Andre playing, or the Flames or Dexter Ardoin or LeRoy Thomas either,who will be out here in Dec. to celebrate his birthday..The Zydeco Flames will be having their 13th Annual Zydeco Halloween Dance on Halloween..And if all this is not enough for you, the Zydeco Funkateers will be making their Annual appearance at my Birthday Party exactly two weeks later..
 
So all in all, a very wonderful lineup is coming. I hope that you keep supporting us in good causes and it's great the Eagles are sponsoring the dances. To those, lastly who signed up as members back in Jan. your dues have been up for awhile now..If you want to renew at the $20 dollar rate, this is the last chance to do so..You'll get a card and a $1 off each dance..
 
Thanks for the support all these years and remember to keep on dancing.
 
Dana DeSimone

Eagles Hall - 2312 Alameda Ave, Alameda, CA 

Link to Map 

Three years after Hurricane Katrina, there's finally a bill in Congress that will give Katrina survivors a fair chance to rebuild their lives. But it won't become law if enough representatives don't stand up to support it.

The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act would hire 100,000 Gulf Coast residents and evacuees, providing them with training and jobs to rebuild their homes and communities. It started as nothing more than a good idea, but after thousands of ColorOfChange.org members called on Congress to support the plan, and after years of persistent activism from students and Gulf Coast organizations, it now has a real chance of bringing some justice to the Gulf.

Even though it's come this far, it will take massive public pressure on each member of Congress to get the bill passed. If we want justice for Katrina survivors, we need to make our voices heard now as the media focuses its attention on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

I've signed on with ColorOfChange.org to tell my member of Congress to co-sponsor the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act, will you join us?

http://www.colorofchange.org/gulfcoast/?id=2447-186762

The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act represents a powerful shift from what's currently happening in the Gulf. It calls for hiring 100,000 Gulf Coast residents to rebuild New Orleans and the surrounding region. They'll be provided with temporary housing and job-training and will build and repair houses, schools, parks, and other civic buildings.

The idea behind the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project is not new. During the Great Depression, the federal government believed it had a responsibility to ensure that those hit hardest did not fall through the cracks. It also knew that those Americans wanted a hand up, not a handout. So, in 1935, Congress created a program to hire out-of-work Americans to get things done to benefit their communities.

It's a plan that makes sense--for displaced survivors, for the communities of the Gulf Coast, for the nation as a whole. It provides an opportunity to invest in Americans while reversing the most glaring problems that plague current rebuilding plans: gentrification, government waste, and massive corporate profiteering. It would revitalize the Gulf Coast's economy while rebuilding its infrastructure, and it's a model that could be applied to solve similar problems across the country.

Learn more and please join us by calling on your representative to co-sponsor the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act. It only takes a minute:

http://www.colorofchange.org/gulfcoast/?id=2447-186762

Thanks.

The Color of Change

DIRECTOR ROBERT GREENWALD, COALITION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS LAUNCH VIDEO SUPPORTING KATRINA VICTIMS

On The Eve of the Second Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Brave New Foundation Launches New Online Campaign Supporting Gulf Coast Recovery

LOS ANGELES- On the eve of the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Director Robert Greenwald and Brave New Foundation join together with a coalition of social justice groups from across the country to launch When The Saints Go Marching In. The three minute YouTube video reveals the devastating reality of hurricane survivors still struggling to rebuild their lives and the amazing hope they maintain about the future.

When The Saints Go Marching In launched today and can be seen at WhenTheSaints.org. The video is spreading rapidly across the internet with the help of partner groups like Plenty, ColorOfChange.org, and Think New Orleans. When The Saints Go Marching In includes footage of NOLA residents working to make the city home again, and ends with a call to action for viewers to urge the Senate to pass Senator Chris Dodd's (D-CT) Gulf Coast Recovery Bill (S. 1668).

Many residents have not received the support they need to rebuild their lives two years after the hurricane. "The Feds, the State, and the locals, I mean everybody has just turned their backs on us and just left us to fend for ourselves" says NOLA resident Rudy Aguilar in the video.

"Two years is far too long, the people of New Orleans deserve better" said the video’s director Robert Greenwald. "We hope this campaign will help activate people around the country to work for change."

Additional partners on When The Saints Go Marching In include the Center for Social, Inclusion, Fair Housing Action Center, Advancement Project, Kirwan Institute for Study of Race and Ethnicity, Ella Baker Center, The Methodist Federation for Social Action, Moving Forward Gulf Coast, Oxfam America, National Alliance to Restore Opportunity to the Gulf Coast, Mississippi ACLU and the Institute on Race and Poverty.

VENUE, VENUE, VENUE: A growing number of people have been searching the local area for a venue for our local and out of town bands. 

Think once-a-month dance of about 100 people. We could try a place on for size, and see what happens. There have been close to 20 venues checked out, but nothing seems to fill the bill.

This is what we need: * good dance floor * room for pot luck items * safe parking - and plenty of it * OK for beer/wine on premise * reasonable hourly rate ($30 or thereabouts) All ideas entertained.

Use the Contact link on upper right corner. Thanks!

I visited the Bay Area for the first time in over 18 months in mid-May. Also in town were some friends from Lafayette, LA. We brought our instruments to play Cajun music for family and friends and took to calling ourselves the “Will Play For….“ band… as in: will play for goat cheese (yum), lodging, wine, supper, free. It was great fun, and we all got a kick out of the reaction we got from folks who’d never heard us play music before.

It was a great week to be in town. Although rain washed out the CFLFM jam in San Jose, which I was looking forward to, after that it was smooth sailing weather-wise. I still got to visit with a lot of friends: jammed at Blair & Steve’s in Berkeley, visited Agi Ban in Oakland, had wonderful dinners with Karen Thompson & Susan Mahoney up in Novato, toured “Lucasland” (and hugged Yoda) in the Presidio (THANKS MarK!), got to both the new De Young Museum and the SFMOMA, ate a LOT of sushi and salads.

I also got to see Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie at Eagle’s Hall, who were in fine form. There was a huge crowd there that evening (no surprise), including many friends I hadn’t seen for a long time, plus folks I’d just seen in Louisiana during the annual April Balfa Camp/Festival International/Jazz Fest/ Breaux Bridge Festival marathon.

It was odd to be a tourist in the place I still think of as home. When folks visit SW Louisiana, I see them immersed in that frenzy of trying to pack in as many music and dance events as possible during their short visits. Well, the tables were turned as I traipsed up and down the Pennisula, East Bay, San Francisco and Marin trying to visit friends and see the places I’d been missing.

After about 4 years in Lafayette, I almost forgot how much of my time in the Bay Area was spent in cars and stuck in traffic. In Lafayette, most things I want to do are less than 15 minutes away. The trade-off of course are 6 months of brutal Louisiana summers [aka hurricane season]. I’d swap the 3.4 quake that occurred while I was in the Bay Area for the next Tropical Storm or Category 1 Hurricane any time you want. Still, I was happy to get back. In less than a week, I’ve been to 2 parties/jams, tonight Bonsoir Catin plays for free at Downtown Alive, followed by a benefit at the Blue Moon for the French Immersion school programs (with Bonsoir Catin, Pine Leaf Boys and Feu Follet) or Curley Taylor at 307.

Tomorrow, some of the choices include The Cajun Heartland State Fair in Lafayette (Geno & Lil Nathan, not to mention the Pig Races), the Spice & Music Festival in Opelousas (Step Rideau, Keith Frank) or the Daylily Festival in Abbeville, plus the normal events: zydeco breakfast in Breaux Bridge, Cajun jams at the Savoy Music Center AND Louisiana Heritage & Gifts, the Liberty Theater. Sunday morning the Mello Joy Boys (a spin off of the Lost Bayou Ramblers) play at (where else) the Mello Joy Cafe. Sunday afternoon if you time it right, you can catch Terry & the Bad Boys at Vermillionville and Geno at Whiskey River, and then finish up with dinner shows featuring the Basin Brothers at Mulates or Corey “Lil Pop” Ledet at Randol’s and that’s just a partial list…

Welcome to my world!