Feb 21 - Party Gras

Saturday - crack of dawn (OK 7:30, but that's way early for me) and I'm standing in line at Cafe des Amis, and I'm not alone!!

While we shiver and breathe on our hands, Corey Ledet (Le-day) and company arrive with their amps and instrument cases. Shortly thereafter, $4 cover clutched in my hand, I enter Saturday morning heaven. Where else can you dance (zydeco, of course) and eat breakfast?? We are escorted to the last available table in the place, wedged into a tiny space between the wine rack wall and a long table that seats about 20 (OK, maybe 10). But we are happy to be in the first seating. The people RIGHT behind us were seated while we paid our check!!!!

There's some dancing and some eating and some chatting -- but today is the big pre-Mardi Gras party at Gerry's and I'm gonna be helping with set-up, so by 10am I am winding my way back through the zydeco crowd that is 4 deep at the bar.

One minute it's a garage (at Gerry's) and the next minute it's a dance floor with raised stage at one end. Two trucks & a trailer bring Geno Delafose, equipment and musicians to the party. While I cut King Cake (5 of 'em) the band starts crankin' and the dancers start slow, quick, quickin' and neither stop until the party is over at 4pm. Probably 400 people show, watch from lawn chairs, crowd the dance floor or chow down on the delicious meat pies, boudin, salads and, of course, "my" King Cake!!

Cute picture --- porta potties outside for the men, but inside the ladies are "line dancing" while they wait.

Feb. 20, 2009 - Company's Coming

Life in Louisiana is not all dancing, of course. I am house-sitting, so have fallen into a daily routine of walking the dogs after breakfast (Meche donuts, anyone?) and straightening the house. Unfortunately, this includes washing dishes - no dishwasher :( - but if you eat out enough it becomes a twice a week job, instead of daily. Plus, there's KBON on the radio, so I can listen to the sweet sounds of Cajun or Zydeco music while I do my chores.

Several spectacular weather days allowed for some yard work, trimming rose bushes and raking leaves. I haven't picked any oranges from the tree yet - I'm looking forward to some fresh-squeezed, liquid sunshine.

This week, friends have started to arrive in anticipation of Mardi Gras. Wednesday it's dinner at the Blue Dog Cafe, yummy - but no dancing. We linger too long over dessert and the band at Randol's is over before we get to the check. But, it's Louisiana --- there will be dancing another day!!

And here it is - Friday!! I tried to catch Lee Benoit at Mulate's on Thursday evening and got there for the last half of the last song :( Business is slow, so Mulate's has cut back on their live band schedule. Lee only plays until 9pm - I'll remember that next week!! "Friday night and the moon is out, gonna head on over to the Twist and Shout" --- Maegan is singing, very nice voice and tons of smiles tonight. Drummers don't get enough credit for the band-sound, but without that steady beat, us dancers would be lost.

They play all their (our) favorites with an encore of "Dance, Dance, Dance" in honor of ... dancers!! Friends from Birmingham, AL, brush up on their 2-step and waltz and there's even some time for Pralines (prah - leens) & Ice Cream - yum! The more I hear, the closer I listen and, after waltzing to a particularly lovely tune (Cidalise) I ask the band if it is an original. It is, written by Lee in honor of his mother, Cidalise, and the 8th track on the Ma Petite Femme CD that stays in my car always!!

Feb. 14, 2009 - Dance and Play

It's been cloudy and rainy today. Certainly good weather to curl up in front of the fire with a good book --- or go dancing. Hey, I'm in Louisiana, where dancing is the surest cure for the blues.

With Blueberry Crumble warming my belly, it's off to Mulate's again. This is pretty rare, hitting the same spot two nights in a row, but 1) it's close, 2) it's not bumper dancing and 3) Paul Daigle is playing.

This evening provides a special treat. Since I am just there to dance (not eat) I get to share the dancer's table with Mr. Antoine Melancon (an-twan' mel-ahn'-sohn).  He is an elderly gentleman who shows up at ALL the zydeco events. With his cowboy hat, his mischievous grin and his "ca va, ce soir" he is a cultural landmark in, and of, himself!! We always share some fractured French and a dance or two.

On the musician's stage is Paul Daigle, his son - who looks like Paul's twin brother - a fiddler & a drummer (sorry, I did not get the names). But attracting the cutest kind of attention was a 'tite fille with a tee fer. That would be a little girl (Pe-tite fille) with a very small triangle (petit fer). She is the drummer's granddaughter and has plainly been soaking up the rhythm and music for all of her grand 8 or 9 years. 

Again, the restaurant is full with lots of dancers on the floor. The band is traditional, but full of spirit, alternating fast two-steps with slow waltzes. Every now and then, the rhythm begs for a little swing dancing and, sometimes a Mamou waltz feels right (1, 2, 3, tap, step, tap). Tonight, a group of Texas teenagers take to the floor with high spirits (youth-induced, not alcohol). OK, it's not great dancing, someone needs to clue them into the laws of physics - two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time, i.e. step between your partner's feet, not on them!! But they are having a great time, and working hard to travel in the line of dance WITH their partner!!

Feb. 14, 2009 - Zydeco Breakfast #2

I don't believe it!! I am really here for a while. I have never been to two zydeco breakfasts in a row!!! Ahhhh, life IS good.

Friends from New Orleans beat me there - they must have gotten on the road at 6am - but the crowd is light (for Cafe des Amis) and we get right in, sharing a table with a couple from New Zealand. See, at Cafe, the tables are so tightly packed, and in such high demand, that a table for 4 can't seat 2 for long. Sharing is just one more facet of the Breaux Bridge friendliness - and it makes good business sense.

Jo, who found a bed and a cup of coffee for me when I visited NOLA in December, brought her friend Phil, who is from Boston. He has been coming to NOLA yearly since Katrina to help with the rebuilding efforts. He works with a volunteer organization called Common Ground that is rebuilding in the Lower Ninth Ward.

What happens during zydeco breakfast? See last week's blog - dance while waiting, eat yummies, dance when done. This week we have Little Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers and they know how to wind up a crowd. I can't get close enough to see, but I think there is a littler Nathan on rubboard!!

Hey, what's with the iMAC on the dance floor? And the lights? Again? More filming? What? Is this some famous dance event? Guess so - everyday Life in Louisiana!!

Feb. 13, 2009 - Visitors from Gainesville

It had to happen --- run away to a far-off land and find your neighbors in your backyard :)

Actually, when you are in love with Cajun/Zydeco music and dance and you migrate to the center of that universe, it is not surprising that others (many of whom you already know) tend to gravitate to the same spot. So Friday night finds me at dinner with Mike and Susan, Mike of Gumbo Limbo fame, from Gainesville. It is Mulate's again, because I just can't resist the mellow tones of Lee Benoit on accordion, with his wife, Valerie on guitar, daughter, Maegan on drums and Mark Hebert, on violin. With a special song dedication, we "Dance, Dance, Dance" 'til the music Stops, Stops, Stops.

Since Mulate's will be reappearing frequently in my ramblin's, you gotta know how happy I am that they have reopened. After losing their roof to Hurricane Gustav in Sept, 2008, the restaurant struggled through re-construction and opened without fanfare the day before Christmas. With recession and economic woes peeking out from every corner, it was great to see their parking lot full again, with several tour busses lined up by the street. Mulate's, the original Cajun Restaurant (the one in New Orleans is a "copy") is a must-see for the Cajun Country tourist and some of them try a little two-step or waltz, just to say they did!!!

Feb. 11, 2009 - Pre-Mardi Gras at Randol's

After all the excitement of moving into my house-sitting job & house, I am ready for a night of dancing. But, am I ready for the Mardi Gras revelry?

Here in Louisiana, Mardi Gras is not just the day before Lent. The first festivities begin sometime in January and continue on with formal balls, parades and casual dances. Tonight is the Krewe de Canaille T-Mamou King Cake party at Randol's and Lafayette Rhythm Devils are playing. When we arrive the costumes (see a sample at right) are overwhelming!! The couples are dressed "alike" with wire mesh masks covering their faces and fake vegetables sprouting from their heads. They have rubber chickens and festooned hobby horses.

I'm a bit taken aback when a costumed gentleman says, "Joyce!!" Turns out, it's Ted from Alexandria, LA, whom I see every time I visit. Who knew that grown-ups were allowed to have such fun?

The band was cranking and their new fiddle player was jammin' with the other fiddle player & the guitar player. They created a sound that I can only call "Chaos violin." I knew the tune was in there, they weren't hitting wrong notes, but there was a spooky, discordant sound that fit right in with the night's magic.

Feb. 7, 2009 - Day Two - Mulate's

Too many choices for a Saturday night --- There's Liberty Theater in Eunice, LA, where RENDEZVOUS DES CAJUNS, a live radio show is broadcast each week. Tonight is the Huval and Berard Family Bands, definitely good music. I heard them at Tipitina's in New Orleans during the December Cajun Fest. Or, take a quick drive to Baton Rouge to hear Hadley Castille (legendary Cajun fiddle player) at Boutin's - that's a restaurant, boudin is the sausage!

But nearby fits the bill, so off to Mulate's to dance to Kira Virator and Louisiana Red (her band). What a great way to digest your evening meal!! The dancers on the floor are a mixture of homegrown & tourists, but everyone is happy - smiling and laughing - and polite for the most part. No "bumper dancing" tonight. And might as well dance 'til the band goes home when you only live 3 minutes away --- now THAT's Life in Louisiana.

Feb. 7, 2009 - Day Two - Zydeco Breakfast

So, after dancing until the wee hours Friday night, what else would I do but arise at the crack of dawn (OK, it was really 8:30) on Saturday and meander over to Cafe des Amis for breakfast, and zydeco dancing.

Cafe des Amis 

Leroy Thomas is tearing 'em up. His rubboard player (who later takes a turn at drums & accordion) is from Houston. If you saw Geno on New Year's Eve at Vermilionville, you saw him guest at rubboard - great talent. Gerard Delafose (Geno's nephew and one of Hogtown Zydeco's guest bands from 2006) is on drums and takes a turn at accordion before the morning is out. Actually, Leroy took a loooonnnggg break and several other musicians stepped in on accordion, drums or rubboard, including a lady visiting from England, a famous (in zydeco circles) elderly accordion player from Mexico and another musician kinda advertising his evening gig.

I danced while waiting for a table - not too long a wait, there was no line - and danced while waiting for the waitress and danced while waiting for food and danced when breakfast was over --- then danced right over to Coffee Break.

Coffee Break
Right on Main St. in Breaux Bridge, the Coffee Break hosts a Saturday morning jam for ANYONE - literally - bring your favorite instrument, sit in one of the folding chairs in the main room and play along with the other jammers. I usually adjourn to one of the back rooms to stay out of the way and read while listening to the music. It's always crowded, so not much room for dancing, but occasionally someone's two feet can't resist a two-step and off we go.

Feb. 6, 2009 - Day One - The Dance

So many choices - it's Geno's birthday (Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie, my favorite zydeco band) and he is playing at Grant St. You'll have to google all these references yourself!!

But, my choice is Blue Moon Saloon where Lost Bayou Ramblers, my all time favorite band, will be cuttin' loose. Plus, free rice & gumbo --- off I go.

The first act is Zydepunks (http://www.zydepunks.com/ --- OK, I'll give you that one!). The website description doesn't do them justice. What an amazing group of talents. The lead was a young man with many tatoos wearing a newsboy cap playing accordion & some fiddle. He sang in at least 3 languages that I could recognize - French, Spanish and Israeli - but there may have been German, Russian, Romanian, definitely gypsy sounding, with a bit of the ol' Irish in the stew! The guitar player was a tall, bearded, barefoot man wearing a swing hat. The fiddle player was an extraordinarily talented young woman and the drummer had huge earlobe piercings. That's just so you'll recognize them if you ever get a chance to see them. The bad news is - despite their talent - the songs began sounding the same after about the third one :(

Lost Bayou Ramblin'
But I gotta stick it out, because Louis is here, and Chris, and Andre and Cavin Carruth and Alan, the fabulous bass player - he didn't stand on the bass & play while I was there :( - and wherever my boyz, there be me!!

And the film crew --- what's that all about?? Surprise (this is what will be the most fun about my adventures)!! Special guests tonight only - Joe from Hawaii playing lap steel and Matthew Doucet, son of Michael Doucet of Beausoleil.

LBR was HOT --- which was good, because the evening got a little chilly. The floor was packed with young people, and me. The photographer was everywhere, so when I find out what was being filmed, I'll let you know if I'm famous!! Downside was the "bumper dancing." Couldn't move without being knocked around by other dancers who didn't have a clue about dance space. I kept my elbows out & made the best of it until midnight. And it's a good thing I did - since they played a Beausoleil song about 11:30. If you have the Cajunization Blues CD, it's the third track - Happy One Step - I would have been happy to take half a step :):)

Feb. 6, 2009 - Day One - The Drive

I left Gainesville, FL at 7:40am today. I would have left earlier, but I had to scrape the ice off the windshield!!! Windshield ice? In Florida? Believe it. We had just wintered the coldest night in north central Florida --- time to head south? How about west?

My destination is Breaux Bridge, Louisiana - just two hours west of New Orleans and 15 minutes east of Lafayette, LA - the heart of Cajun Country, where the weekend starts on Wednesday and the most difficult part of living here is, "Which dance/music event should I attend?'

The weather was sunny and proceeded to warm as I drove west and entered the afternoon hours. Crossing the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, LA opens the door - and the radio airwaves - to Cajun, zydeco, French music. With a slow, quick, quick driver's seat dance, I crossed the Basin Bridge over the Henderson Lake shimmering in the evening sun and surrounded by the Atchafalaya Basin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchafalaya_Basin).

One more turn and I am crossing my last bridge - Pont Breaux - named for the man who built the bridge over Bayou Teche in 1799. After his death, his wife, Scholastique Breaux laid out the town that would become Breaux Bridge (Pont Breaux).

Here, Cajun French is the first language of many residents, with street signs and town markers proudly proclaiming this heritage. But, the town has become a favorite of artists and musicians, bringing huge talent and creativity to this formerly sleepy village.