Roddie Romero and the Hub City All Stars, Lafayette, Louisiana. September 2017.
September 2017
A suburban lawn concert fronted by Roddie Romero and the Hub City All Stars opened the door into my September 2017 South Louisiana visit.
Roddie Romero and the Hub City All Stars, Lafayette, Louisiana. September 2017.
A high-energy, skilled band. Roddie's band played the classics and some contemporary pieces. Below is the traditional Joe Pitre a Deux Femmes (Joe Pitre Has Two Wives). The older couple, with the woman wearing the red blouse, is always a pleasure to watch; I've seen the two dance at other venues.
Sadly, I didn't dance.
Roddie Romero and the Hub City All Stars, Lafayette, Louisiana. September 2017.
This last in a summertime concert series took place at the new development called Couret Farms. A pretty enough suburban neighborhood, but the glorification of a plantation nostalgia in the developers' ad copy does not sit well with me. I wouldn't attend another event here unless the advertising approach changed.
Roddie Romero and the Hub City All Stars, Lafayette, Louisiana. September 2017.
One of the reasons I chose Opelousas as my new South Louisiana base is because of its history, especially of the Creole culture and music. Lawtell, just outside of Opelousas, is (arguably) the home of Zydeco.
Blues a Bebe, below performed by Beausoleil. Immerse yourself:
"Bebe Carriere" referred to in the song is Joseph "Bebe" Carriere, a Lawtell Creole musician who popularized this song back in his own day in the 40s and 50s.
Blue Runner, also popularized by Bebe Carriere, performed below by D'Jalma Garnier:
In the documentary, you can watch John Delafose perform the song at Slim's Y-Ki-Ki in Opelousas. Speaking of John Delafose, he's interviewed in this movie and also in another, just-as-delightful film, The Kingdom of Zydeco. Mr. Delafose comes across as an unflappable guy who doesn't give a flip for what other folks might be doing; he's good with what he's doing. He says about his music: "I think about making everybody happy" when performing.
In both films, you see Mr. Delafose's son, Geno, as an adolescent. In Zydeco, you see Geno Delafose's famous smile, and you also see where he got it - from his mama, Jo-Ann Delafose.
Prominent names from the movie include:
Joseph "Bebe" Carriere and his brother Eraste Carriere
In the musical context, the filmmakers focus on what they're calling the Cajun-Creole cultural renaissance, which took place mid-century-ish.
The documentary also delves into the Creole cultural of Opelousas, Lawtell, and some points a little west of here. It addresses some of the layers of exclusiveness/inclusiveness based on how light or dark one's complexion was. Viewers also learn about the Inseparable Friends Benevolent Society (IFBS), still active today. My understanding is that this organization was largely for Creole men (i.e. Afro-French) who were practicing Catholics.
Here's a 1966 audio-video recording of Canray Fontenot and Bois Sec Ardoin performing the Eunice Two Step and then Bonsoir Moreau. Aiee, they can make you cry listening. If you go to youtube to watch it, read the comments, as well. Some family reunionizing going on in addition to what I see as a long-time cultural-identification-tension between Cajun-Creole and also the tension that exists in defining what it means to be Creole.
Look at Mr. Ardoin's foot go! Reminds me of another favorite foot-stomper, Wilson Savoy.
What comes shining through this documentary is the strong sense of family, community belonging, hard work, and that ol' joie de vivre that are intrinsic to the South Louisiana culture.
Not the usual mural in Acadiana. Elton, Louisiana, showing its Indian heritage. The hills must be an example of artistic license. June 2015.
A cultural informant told me about Elton.
A jailhouse, a train, a white picket fence, and a red something that holds something. Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.
Elton is a village on 190 between Eunice and Kinder. Which may not help most people much in visualizing its location. So let's say it's about two hours west of Baton Rouge. And it's east of ........well, hell, you'd have to go a really long way west to make it east of something most of us would recognize. So let's come at it from another direction - it's about an hour northwest of Lafayette.
Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.
Population about 1200.
Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.
My cultural informant told me that, at one time, Elton was a tiny confluence of Indian, Creole, and Cajun tribes. Even today, he said, you might find it difficult to completely follow a conversation amongst old-timey locals because of the rich, intermingled dialects.
Elton, Louisiana. June 2015.
So when I decided to go to the Coushatta Powwow, it was a happy surprise to see that Elton was on my way there. I'd already stopped to visit the Savoy Music Jam and gawk at roseate spoonbills. The wet drizzle kept me in my car, but I saw enough to make me want to go back for a drier look-see in the future.
A train blew through while I pondered the meaning of the jailhouse and the red storage structure in the city park. Surrounded by a white picket fence.
Very nice.
Here is a bit of history on the Coushatta Tribe, which has a base on the edge of Elton. There are a couple of stories at this website, but for me, anyway, the recordings were too choppy to listen to. Don't know if the issue is on my end or the server end. There is more historical information about the Coushattas at KnowLA (Encyclopedia of Louisiana).
Cajun jam and Savoy Music Center, Eunice, Louisiana.
I like how it's in a prosaic space, surrounded by inventory on shelves, in boxes, kind of dusty, like places with lots of shelves and boxes often are. On the sales counter, visitors place boxes of donuts, cracklins, etc. to share. There's a pot of coffee with the usual cups and fixin's, and a donation jar for said goods.
The morning I went, there were locals plus two women from Paris and a
family from Atlanta, Georgia. I'm sure there were folks of other
provenence as well.
Below is one of the videos I took. The man seated on my left, in the audience, played the triangle. The woman in blue in the jam circle is from Atlanta.
I like the respect shown both Cajun and Creole music here, as evidenced by t-shirts and CDs for sale.
There's a sign on a wall that says, basically, "Hey! Let the elders get the performance time first and then you yowwens can have a turn."
Cajun jam and Savoy Music Center, Eunice, Louisiana.
Vehicles park alongside the busy 190 and walk into the Music Center driveway to enter the building.
Many songs are in French; the triangle-playing man next to me chatted in French with the Parisians.
Holy moly, this is an entertaining documentary about zydeco! Let's call it a snapshot of where zydeco was in 1993-1994 - or it might be better said, a slice of zydeco at that time. The music is grand.
The main protagonists are Boozoo Chavis and Beau Jocque, each with his own style, I'd say Mr. Chavis is most notable for his now-legendary songs and Mr. Espre ("Beau Jocque") for his sexy, growly voice and big ol' bear presence. Both men are dead; Beau Jocque died early of an apparent heart attack.
I loved seeing references to places I need to go check out, like Sid's One Stop and El Sido's Nightclub, and House Rocker Records, all in Lafayette. And Richard's in Lawtell (now defunct).
So this movie was made in the 1990s and there is an interview with a Mr. Paul Scott, who I saw at the recent Creole Day in Vermilionville. Twenty years later, I swear to God, he looks the same age. Mr. Scott was presented with the Richard J. Catalon Sr. Creole Heritage Award at Vermilionville.
It was also fun to listen to musician John Delafose (father of the famed Geno Delafose) perform and also give his thoughts about the so-called King of Zydeco business.
One of my goals for Louisiana was to go on (the term "go on" being open to interpretation) a trail ride. Not just any trail ride. A zydeco trail ride. A Creole trail ride.
I had my chance with the Step-n-Strut Trail Ride in Plaisance.
Cajun filmmaker Connie Castille created a lush documentary about the Cajun and Creole history with horses in her two-hour movie, T-Galop. You can watch the documentary in its entirety on Louisiana Public Television here.
I took several videos. I really like this one because it has everything in a short piece - pretty horses, cantering horses, dancing, good music, a trailer with not only a port-a-potty but a full-size grill and a big sound system.
Here is a 13+ minute video of the trail ride rolling out. It has drama and flair and flash. It shows the various ways one can participate on the ride. There's even a bit of an altercation.
Here is a short-short with a lot of drama. Some poor dude is missing his jeans. One can only wonder at the story there.
Rolling out #3 is pretty jumpy, but it's short and it gives a good idea at the huge number of horses and riders participating on the ride.
I listened to Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys play. Watched the dancers. Tapped my toes. Slapped my hand on my thigh.
But then all of a sudden I heard the transcendent quality of the fiddle playing. Magnificent.
Here's a 2006 video of Kevin Wimmer (the fiddler in my video above) playing Fiddlesticks with another musician at a Roots festival in Tennesee:
And here he is with his other band, Red Stick Ramblers, in a 2008 performance in Connecticut:
Speaking of Connecticut, I met an accordionist at the festival, Bill, who lives in Connecticut - who loves Cajun and Zydeco music, and who has been coming to the festival for eight years. He comes on the train.
Men of Vision, 2014 Holy Ghost Catholic Church Creole Festival, Opelousas, Louisiana
So. Halloween. Not being a trick-or-treater or wear-a-costume sort of gal, my annual strategy is to get out of the house on Halloween and hide out til the littles have completed their rounds.
In Lafayette, it being a party kind of place and Halloween being on a Friday this year, you would surmise correctly if you thought that most getaways included dressing up.
But then I saw the perfect place to go - the 22nd Annual Holy Ghost Catholic Church Creole Festival. The festival is the first weekend in November, beginning on Friday. Gospel music on Friday night.
Here's a video from St. Landry's Parish, focusing on Holy Ghost women making potato pies for the 2011 festival:
I got to hear different styles of gospel music at the church:
Rap
Jazz
Blues
and I guess what I'd call the traditional gospel style
Here's a gospel rap song called "Having a Holy Ghost Party," performed at the concert Friday night:
And one of the songs from the Mount Olive Baptist Church Men's Chorus:
And from three women whose group name I forget:
There was even a performance of liturgical dance by the youth, and at
first, I thought, aha, this is a new idea for me, but wait ....
liturgical dance is just a fancy way of talking about sacred dance,
which has been practiced in many cultures for eons.
2014 Holy Ghost Catholic Church Creole Festival, Opelousas, Louisiana
Chubby Carrier, jam on the porch, Vermilionville, Lafayette, Louisiana
One of the things I love about South Louisiana is the symbiotic relationship between local musicians and the communities within Cajun/Creole Land. The communities hire and showcase the local musicians and the local musicians donate their artistry at times. When I say communities, I mean both the organizations and the individuals within.
Video of Chubby Carrier and Zydeco Joe playing - dancers on the porch toward the end.
Now, I'm sure there are complexities to the relationships, as there are with all relationships, but to this long-term visitor, they look solid.
Chubby Carrier and Zydeco Joe, jam on the porch, Vermilionville, Lafayette, Louisiana
Chubby Carrier and Zydeco Joe, jam on the porch, Vermilionville, Lafayette, Louisiana
In the photo above, note the inter-generational aspect. Folks here are very aware of the need to bring up the young'ns' in the Cajun/Creole and Zydeco music. I wish girls were more involved, but I suspect their participation is growing.
You don't see him here, but the man wearing a rastacap has a little boy, maybe six years old, and he already plays onstage with a rubboard. (And that little boy has a big stage presence.)
Before I tell you what a "Yankee chank" is, I have to tell you what chank is, or more specifically, "chanky chank."
Chanky chank
Back in the day, chanky chank was a derogatory term used to describe Cajun/Creole (and early zydeco) music. Go here for a thorough explanation in an article, From Chanky-Chank to Yankee Chanks: The Cajun Accordion as Identity Symbol, by Louisiana music ethnomusicologist, Dr. Mark DeWitt. The article is from the book, The Accordion in the Americas: Klezmer, Polka, Tango, Zydeco, and More! edited by Helena Simonette.
In 1964 [Dewey] Balfa and his band were asked to perform as last-minute
replacements at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, a premier
event in the world of folk music and a top outdoor venue. Friends in
Louisiana knew that he would be playing the old-fashioned Cajun music
they called "chanky-chank," and suggested that the group would be
laughed off the stage. Instead, Balfa received a standing ovation.
I'd never heard of chanky chank until I attended the last in a series of discussions about how documentaries have portrayed Cajuns, beginning with The Louisiana Story. Dr. Barry Ancelet, a folklorist, facilitated the series. Don't remember how we got on the subject, but we talked about how sometimes transplants to Acadiana are stern arbiters of the right way to dance Cajun or zydeco. (These are referred to generally as dance nazis, who are by no means exclusive to the Cajun and zydeco genres.)
Dr. Ancelet immediately said, "Yankee chanks."
I love this.
Yankee chank refers to people from outside southern Louisiana who play the Cajun and zydeco music, especially accordions. Meant somewhat derisively at first, perhaps, it looks like at least some of the targets of this label have now embraced it with pride. Also, I should note that at the Saturday Cajun jam at Vermilionville, the emcee always introduces and expresses appreciation for visiting musicians from outside Louisiana.
You know how in a movie there's usually a soundtrack, right?
And you can love the soundtrack and even buy the soundtrack, but you know, of course, that soundtracks don't exist in real life. Because that's only in the movies.
Except in and around Lafayette. Here, there really is a soundtrack
The soundtrack envelops me whenever I get into the car and comes by way of a local station such as KRVS - Radio Acadie. (An in-house KRVS concert video above, featuring one of my favorite zydeco musicians, Corey Ledet, on the accordion.)
Cajun and creole, la la, zydeco, swamp pop.
Picture it. Driving down a shaded street over which live oak limbs stretch, and in the spring, as it is now, azalea bushes at their peak of splashy color.
Passing shops with delectables by Poupart Bakery, T-Coon's, Chris' Po-boy, Jolie's Bistro
... and on the radio you hear English and French, and songs old and new that have you tapping the steering wheel to the beat of a waltz, a two-step, a jig, or the zydeco eight-count.
