Florida
CajunZydeco.com
Nďż˝ 82
November 2019
Some like it
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Issue No. 82 Cover image (and most images in this publication) by photographer David Simpson of Eunice, Louisiana.
Text type family used this issue is Abril, and contrasting sans serif is set in Basic Sans. Bold compressed headings are set in Versus and Marsden, and serif headings are set in Kristopher. This publication written, edited, designed and produced by Jim Hance, 813-465-8165, floridacajunzydeco@yahoo.com INFORMATION on Florida Cajun and zydeco dance events: www.FloridaCajunZydeco.com
November 2019
4 Nov. 10: Dance to Gumbo Limbo Cajun Band
at Thelma Bolton Center, 516 NE 2nd Ave., Gainesville, Florida 3:30 p.m. Dance lesson; 4 to 7 p.m. Open dancing to Gumbo Limbo Cajun Band. Cost: $10 / $5 for students
5 Nov. 19: Cajun Zydeco Dance in Tampa
Join us at 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Drink specials and Taco Tuesday at Skipper’s Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Rd., Tampa 33613. Free admission!
Feature Story
6 JoJo Reed Plays That Happy High-Energy Zydeco
Karen Redding interviewed JoJo and wrote this story on an artist deeply loved in the zydeco community. Come out to Skipper’s Smokehouse on Nov. 19 and dance to some JoJo tunes.
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!
Cajun Zydeco Community 27 Suncoast Jazz Friday Evening Dance Nov. 22
Jazz festival Friday Night Dance on Clearwater Beach will include Cajun artist Tom Rigney & Flambeau from San Francisco.
28 Mystery Dance Venue for October Revealed
My visit to Lafayette’s Artmosphere
33 Mystery Venue for This Month
Have you been here?
34 Festivals Acadiens 2019
A wrap-up of my experience at this year’s festival in Lafayette, Louisiana
40 Louisiana Dance Clubs
Here are the best places to catch a Cajun or zydeco band.
42 Festival-O-Rama
From the FloridaCajunZydeco.com/festivals.html page.
48 Outside Florida and Louisiana
Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Diego and elsewhere.
Download a .pdf of this publication for easy navigation!
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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com _________________________ | G A I N E S V I L L E , F L |__________________________
November 10, 2019
Gumbo Limbo Music + Dance
at the Thelma Bolton Center, 516 NE 2nd Ave., Gainesville, Florida 3:30 p.m. Dance lesson 4 to 7 p.m. Dancing to Gumbo Limbo Cajun Band Cost: $10 / $5 for students The last Gumbo Limbo dance had such a great turnout, we decided to do it again. Join us for the fun, energizing music of Gumbo Limbo. Come sit and enjoy, or get up and dance — swing, Cajun, waltz, zydeco or whatever! This dance is hosted by Connie Caldwell, Joyce Thompson and Karin Kratina, and is sponsored by the Gainesville Oldtime Dance Society. We're looking for some volunteers to help set up/clean up!
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! ______________________________ | TA M PA , F L |______________________________
Nov. 19, 2019
CAJUN ZYDECO DANCE AT SKIPPER’S SMOKEHOUSE 910 Skipper Rd., Tampa 33613
7 p.m. Cajun or zydeco dance lesson 7:20 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Open dancing to DJ Jim No cover charge to dance to great current and classic Cajun and zydeco tunes from Louisiana, Texas and elsewhere. Skippers is offering $1 margaritas, and it’s Taco Tuesday. This is the right combination for a good time.
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Some like it fast.
Original photo image by David Simpson
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!
JoJo Reed Plays That Happy High-Energy Zydeco BY K A R E N R E D D I N G Prior to the 2018 Long Beach Bayou Festival, zydeco accordionist JoJo Reed and the Happy Hill Zydeco Band was Louisiana’s best kept secret. How this mountain of zydeco gold has flown under the radar is one of the mysteries of the genre. JoJo and the band has been playing some of the best zydeco dance hall music coming out of Louisiana, and the West Coast was lucky to have this gifted artist in this rare appearance. Reed, who spent some time in California in the late 1990s was charged up and ready to go. “I’m really
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Photo by David Simpson
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excited about coming back to California!� he exclaimed. While Reed hadn’t been seen in Southern California since 2014, he was a huge hit in his first appearance in 1989 when he played at Verbum Dei Catholic High School. He gradually grew his California fan base playing at dances in
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, and Alameda’s Eagles Hall, and he was sought out regularly to play Portland and Denver. Born in 1970 in the prairie town of Mamou, Louisiana, JoJo was destined to become one of the powerhouses of zydeco. In the 33 years since his first paid gig in 1985 at age
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JoJo and the band has been playing some of the best zydeco dance hall music coming out of Louisiana, and the West Coast was lucky to have this gifted artist in this rare appearance. ———— 15 playing Eunice, Louisiana’s Fourth of July celebration, Reed has racked up a massive résumé of awards and prestigious gigs. He’s completed nine CDs and is currently working on his tenth album. He has played in all but a
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Anonymous Amazon Music Review “Though Reed’s been in the game for more than 20 years and could certainly produce his own CD, Ardoin’s production efforts provided a more marketable, modern zydeco sound: sharp drums, fat bass lines and futuristic, electronic effects. Ardoin’s assistance proved invaluable, especially on the progressive “Tropical,” which has been successful in reaching the coveted younger demographic. Yet, even with Ardoin’s herculean contributions, Reed’s ideas and jovial personality still shine through. He sings about being from the country, “raised on rice and gravy,” orders his peers to step aside as he bounces back (“My Time To Shine”), and blues it up on the universally relatable “I’m a Po Po Man.” Additionally, there’s a good deal of free-style lyricism here where little was preconceived but rather improvised in the studio. And as he testifies on the rollicking “Bring ’em That HHZ” with good natured pokes at Ardoin, J. Paul and Keith Frank, he can still make a Boozoo apron look cool, too.”
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!
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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com handful of states in the United States, and nearly every city in Texas and Louisiana. In 1996, JoJo received the Certificate of Appreciation “for Devoted and Invaluable Service to Zydeco Music” at the Plaisance Zydeco Festival, and was a featured artist at the grand opening of Arlene’s Casino in Las Vegas in 1997. That same year, Reed performed at the grand opening of Los Angeles’ prestigious Getty Museum, and was awarded the Clifton Chenier Award at the Liberty Theater in 1988. He was riding high. Then life threw him a curve ball. On April 25, 1998, Reed was hit by a drunk driver in a near-fatal accident, and friends and family weren’t sure he would pull through. JoJo suffered a crushed leg and several other major injuries. His life was put on hold as he slowly recovered. A year later he was back on stage tearing it up, punching out the staccato notes and the moaning wail of his accordions, the dancers gyrating in an exuberant frenzy on the dance floor. He was back. And he was back big, playing to a sell-out crowd of 60,000 fans at Texas’ annual Fiesta San Antonio Taste of New Orleans festival.
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! Playing his hard-driving, high-energy cover of “Morning Train” at the 2010 Memorial For Roy Carrier in Lawtelle, Louisiana proved Reed was back to stay. Check it out here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s07FSumAoXw) Yes, that’s Jeffery Broussard accompanying him on guitar.
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“If everyone’s out on the floor dancing, it energizes me. I get excited and play my best.” ———— In 2016, Reed received the Boozoo Chavis Award at the Fifth Annual Zydeco Music and Creole Heritage Festival, and he is still going strong. When asked about the importance of the dancers, Reed says, “They’re very important ’cause they motivate me. If I’m playing a place and it’s packed and no one is dancing, it effects how I’m feeling. I think I must be doing something
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Photo by David Simpson
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After three decades in the business and ten albums, JoJo knows zydeco.
wrong. If everyone’s out on the floor dancing, it energizes me. I get excited and play my best.” Because of this, Reed has developed a sixth-sense about the crowd. “I look out at
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! the crowd and I can tell what they’re going to respond to and I play what’s gonna make ’em jump.” A prolific songwriter, Reed has written countless tunes and his original song, inspired by real-life events, “Not Your Baby’s Daddy,” became a huge hit on Louisiana’s radio stations.
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“I’m just the same old me. I love fast cars and pretty women. Nothing has changed,” he says with a chuckle. ———— “I write about what I live,” he states. “Still The Same Old Me” was when I returned after traveling all over the United States. People thought I’d made it big. I went to California and Maine and back home. They thought that I thought I was better than them, but I told them, “I’m just the same old me. I love fast cars and pretty women. Nothing has changed,” he says with a chuckle.
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JoJo’s Time To Shine He muses, “Back on the Scene is about when I got back after the accident. Keith Frank produced that one.” My Time To Shine includes autobiographical “Betty Lou” and “Oh Yeah,” as well as “I’m a Po Po Man,” all upbeat dance tunes with a high-energy, reliable beat that dancers love. Growing up in Eunice, Louisiana surrounded by the rich matrix of the uniquely American French Cajun and Creole cultures of southwest Louisiana, JoJo didn’t come from a musical family. Naturally gifted, he started playing harmonica when he was six years old. In high school he entered and won many local talent contests, flawlessly imitating Michael Jackson’s dance moves while the other kids were doing rap and hip hop. Even though he grew up in town he lived a rural life. “I was into riding horses. I had chickens, ducks, turkeys,” he reminisces. “I didn’t start playing (accordion) until I was a teenager.” On the way to high school one day, he heard Rockin’
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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!
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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Sidney’s new tune “Don’t Mess With My Toot Toot” on the car radio. “I listened to it every morning,” he says. “I bought the 45 rpm, learned the words, and made an “accordion” out of a laundry soap box. It looked just like the real thing. I dressed up in cowboy boots and took first prize lip
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“I bought the 45 rpm, learned the words, and made an ‘accordion’ out of a laundry soap box. It looked just like the real thing. I dressed up in cowboy boots and took first prize lip synching that song [“My Toot Toot”] at the local ‘Puttin’ On The Hits’ talent show.” ————
synching that song at the local ‘Puttin’ On The Hits’ talent show.” Laughing, he says, “I was the only country boy. Everyone else was doing Run DMC and rap. I got the name:
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! JoJo Reed, Zydeco Kid.” Two years later he got his first real accordion — a Hohner single row. He locked himself in his bedroom and practiced day and night. A couple of months later, he could play. “I started going to small political functions and playing. I did a lot of stuff free for fundraisers. The more I played, the more recognition I got. Then I put a band together and people started calling me for trail rides, and I was getting paid to play professionally.” The fast tempo of zydeco attracted him. “Back then, the tempo was faster,” he says. “I just liked that fast, jumpy music. That’s what took off.” His friends, Keith Frank and Leroy Thomas, were playing in their daddys’ bands, and JoJo was invited to get up and play with them. “Once I learned it, they would let me come on stage and play with their band.”
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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Of his unique style, Reed says, “It’s high energy! I don’t like the slow stuff. I like dance music. Boozoo used to say, ‘Zydeco is dance music! Ya gotta play it fast!’ Clifton Chenier used to say, ‘It’s snappy! It’s got a snap to it and that’s how you dance.’”
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“Boozoo used to say, ‘Zydeco is dance music! Ya gotta play it fast!’” ———— JoJo then picked up the triple row as well, and people started to notice. “I played differently than everyone else,” he replies. When asked what he was doing differently, he says, “When I play the triple-row, most guys play one row at a time. I was crossing back and forth, playing two rows at a time. People were asking me how I could do that and keep it in the same key. Once I really started playing, Willis (Prudhomme) was asking me to show him how I was doing the things I was doing,” JoJo laughs again. “I’d just do stuff
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! and it would happen. I don’t know how I learned it. I didn’t have a book that taught me to play. I was practicing so much, it just came naturally.” In addition to Rockin’ Sidney and Clifton Chenier, Reed’s zydeco influences include Beau Jocque, Willis Prudhomme, John Delafose, Boozoo Chavis, and his good friends Geno Delafose, Keith Frank, and Chris Ardoin. He mentions a subtle distinction between the music around Eunice and that of the Lafayette area and names Corey Ledet, Joe Hall, Nathan Williams and Zydeco Joe. “They play a different style than I do. It’s more Cajun-ish,” he states. “The music around Mamou is more high-energy, more influenced by blues and rock-and-roll. Beau Jocques is more my style and is the style I’m playing today.” Regarding other musical influences, this warm, jovial musician enthusiastically adds, “I listen to everything. I listen to BB King because I play guitar and I play the blues. I listen to John Mayer. He has that soul and he’s a great guitarist too. He plays my type of music. I just like John
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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Mayer. He talks about the things I think about.” Speaking of the blues, having played harmonica since he was six years old, Reed can really wail on the blues harp and has an entirely separate base of enthusiastic blues fans. He plays regularly in Alexandria and Shreveport as well
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“The music around Mamou is more high-energy, more influenced by blues and rock-and-roll. Beau Jocques is more my style and is the style I’m playing today.” ———— as at festivals and clubs all over the country. Being a mean bass guitar player with a little lead guitar thrown in has given him the versatility to play many genres. “I do Elvis, Rick James, Conway Twitty, George Strait. I do songs I can sing that people can relate to.”
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! There’s a lot more to this mountain of a musician than an inexhaustible flow of talent. Reed is known for his kindness, respect and generosity. Reed mentors many boys who need a Father figure, even making sure they get to and from school. After playing Verbum Dei at age 18, he started working with kids. “I still do stuff for kids today. I try to put them on the right track and get them involved in the music so they will keep the culture going,” he says. “I work with them privately. Parents bring their kids to my house. I have a miniature studio. I sometimes go to their houses. I invite them to come hear me if I’m playing locally.” Ask him the secret of learning to play accordion and his answer is, “Practice, practice, practice!” Herman Fuselier, Louisiana’s iconic radio show host and entertainment and cultural writer for The Daily Advertiser, has this to say: “He’s very humble. He’s done more benefit fundraisers for other musicians than he can remember. After his accident, many were pulling and praying for him.”
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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! When he’s not onstage, JoJo can be found working with his dad in their flooring business, doing janitorial work, building hot rods, bringing up his 17 year old daughter, Jillian. “My Dad was my greatest influence. He always talked to me as if I were another adult. He taught me that respect comes first. If you want respect, you have to earn it. He also taught me to help. If someone needs help, I just go do it. Always help first. Money isn’t a part of it.” When asked about his dream gig, Reed thinks a moment and says, “I’ve always wanted to play at a music awards show. BET or the Country Music Awards, that kind of thing.” Remembering the stadium with 60,000 fans he adds, “I kinda miss the big stage. If you haven’t lived it, you don’t know. It’s totally different.” His biggest dream? “I’ve always wanted to become an actor. You know, like Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. I want to see my name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I haven’t given up yet.”
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Contributed
Asked to sum up his life, JoJo pauses, “I’ve never been sad. I’ve always been who I am. That’s why I did the song, “The Same Old Me,” because I’ve always been me. I’m happy to be who I am. I love helping people. Kids, elders, it’s just who I am.” Karen Redding is a Los Angeles-based Cajun and zydeco dancer, dance instructor and hard-core Louisiana music enthusiast. She has taught zydeco dancing for the Los Angeles Music Theater, the Ford Amphitheater, The Irvine Barclay Theater, and at all the southern California Cajun and zydeco festivals, and she hosted weekly weekly zydeco dances for four years in the Los Angeles area . She wrote a weekly newsletter on Cajun and zydeco events for 15 years, and she occasionally books Louisiana musicians at greater Los Angeles area venues. Contact Karen Redding at karinovations@verizon.net
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!
tomrigney.com
Suncoast Jazz Fest Friday Night Dance November 22
Tom Rigney & Flambeau will be featured again at Suncoast Jazz Friday Night Swing Dance at Sheraton Sand Key Resort. Tickets at suncoastjazzfestival.com
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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com _______________________ | MYSTERY DANCE VENUE | ________________________
The rustic wood interior behind the stage that was designed and installed by Wilson Savoy, band leader of Pine Leaf Boys.
October Mystery Dance Venue:
Artmosphere in Lafayette
Artsy and informal is the decor of Lafayette’s live entertainment venue, Artmosphere, and the patrons on the particular evening I was there were mostly local music fans with a few dancers from the Festivals Acadiens that weekend. Informal may be an understatement. The place installed
Photos by Jim Hance
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! enclosed toilet stalls between the bar and the bandstand, and to wash your hands you round the corner to a wall facing the bandstand where a wash basin and mirror are located, fully exposed to all the patrons near the stage. The fare is mostly burgers and beer, but they have some odd items on the menu such as late night waffles. The
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Artmosphere is a small club that will accommodate about three dozen dancers in front of the bandstand. Just so you know, the bands didn’t start on this Sunday evening until 9 p.m. I got there a bit early.
artwork on the walls by local artists depict musicians who have played at the venue. On my visit, I invited some folks to join me at my table facing the bandstand. I got to know Andy, a semi-local who resides on the East Coast part of the year who was pursuing some real estate near the university. And Tom and Paula,
Photo by Jim Hance
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!
An inpromptu jam band, Couillon Connection, played the evening I was at Artmosphere. The band featured fiddlers Courtney Granger (Pine Leaf Boys) and Kevin Wimmer (Mamou Playboys).
attendees at Festivals Acadiens from northern California. After I said I am originally from San Diego, Paula shared that her grandfather was the founder of the San Diego Zoo. I spent a lot of time at the San Diego Zoo over the years. The dance floor accommodates about three dozen dancers, but people mill outside as well. Among the dancers on the floor that evening were Jesse Lege and Wayne Toups, both of
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Wayne Toups stepped to the microphone to sing a soulful tune with Couillon Connection.
whom joined the band in front of the microphone. Sabra and The Get Rights was the late evening performer. Sabra is more of a country artist playing original compositions with a 40s or 50s sound. Other folks in the audience that evening included Kelli Jones and Joel Savoy. Artmosphere books mostly Cajun and folk bands, but hosts a few zydeco bands as well. It is located around the block from Rock’n Bowl de Lafayette, and across Johnston Street from the Blue Moon Saloon, two venues that book our kind of music. Park your vehicle and check out all three on your next visit to Lafayette.
Photo by Jim Hance
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! _______________________ | MYSTERY DANCE VENUE | ________________________
November Mystery Venue
Some of our readers will be familiar with this place. It is a swing-era dance ballroom built in 1942, and I was struck by how lovingly it has been restored and maintained. The ante room and restrooms might be mistaken for a thoughtfully appointed bed and breakfast. Today its name commemorates a community theater leader who was also a founder of the Florida Folk Festival. Think you know where this is? The answer will be published in the next issue.
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Festivals Acadiens 2019 A WRAP-UP
Who doesn’t love covers? When a dance band plays covers of old pop songs, it triggers emotional memories in the audience from the past. Playing covers offers the band entré to connections with its audience that playing original tunes doesn't often do. One of my favorite tunes Feed n’ Seed on Thursday Night from the past was recorded featured Dexter Ardoin and Terry in the 60s by Joe Simon and and the Zydeco Bad Boys. covered soon after by Waylon Jennings. “The Chokin’ Kind” was re-invented as a gritty blues tune, to my knowledge, by John Delafose, and has been performed by Geno Delafose and a host of other artists. About 20 years ago Keith Frank recorded a faster-tempo zydeco tune based in part on “Chokin’ Kind” that he called “The Mill.”
Photo by Jim Hance
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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!
Gerard Delafose kept the dance floor crowded at the Zydeco Breakfast at Buck and Johnny’s in Breaux Bridge on Saturday morning.
Lots of covers including “The Chokin’ Kind” / “The Mill” were played on Thursday night at Seed n’ Feed in Lafayette by two awesome bands, Dexter Ardoin (backed up on guitar by Keith Frank), and Terry and the Zydeco Bad Boys. Terry’s
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Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas set up in dance tent for their Sunday set. A few minutes later the dance floor was packed.
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! set included a bunch of covers from the likes of John Fogerty and Bob Dylan, and every one spot-on zydeco, sometimes slowed down to let it “breathe.” Thursday night, for me, was a big highlight for the entire weekend. Rumor has it that Terry and the Zydeco Bad Boys will be playing at Gator by the Bay in May. A lot of business gets done during the week of Festivals Acadiens et Créoles. Also playing his own version of “The Chokin’ Kind” was Gerard Delafose at the Saturday morning Zydeco Breakfast at Buck and Johnny’s in Breaux Bridge. It was a packed house with a great mix of tempos. I couldn’t ask for more…other than a little more room on the dance floor. Playing a lot of his old tunes to a packed crowd at the Rockin’ Bowl Lafayette on Saturday night including “Rockin’ Robin” was Chubby Carrier. Chubby is the consummate showman, and before the evening was over called up Peter Oliver to play rubboard with him, and a couple of other artists took the stage while Chubby took over on the drums. Another great evening, as you would expect. For something different, I went to Artmosphere in Lafayette on Sunday night for Couillon Connection with Chas Justus, followed by Sabra for some Cajun and country jamming.
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Photo by Jim Hance
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Leroy Thomas rocks the crowd at the Scene Mon Heritage stage.
Couillon Connection included fiddlers Courtney Granger (Pine Leaf Boys) and Kevin Wimmer (Mamou Playboys), and Sabra included David Greeley (founding member of Mamou Playboys) on fiddle and Chris Stafford on steel lap guitar backing up country singer Sabra. On the dance floor were Jesse Legé and Wayne Toups, each called to the stage to sing a tune, and in the crowd were Kelli Jones and Joel Savoy and others. It was wild mix of new and familiar faces and voices on the band stand. Neither band played “Chokin’ Kind.” Oh, and the Festivals Acadiens et Créoles was good too! I
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! missed a special presentation on women in Cajun and Creole music on Friday. Bonsoir, Catin and Jeffery Broussard opened the festival that evening. With so many stages and so many after parties in the clubs, one can only get a sampling of the festival weekend. There was a diverse lineup of bands under the dance tent, and the band that really packed the floor was Nathan the Zydeco Cha Chas playing some of their oldies including “Let’s Go!” Feufollet is celebrating 20 years as a band, has a commemorative recording in the works that will release soon. Feufollet was introduced to the stage at the festival by Steve Riley, who said he produced their first three albums, and Chris Stafford of Feufollet returned the favor by coproducing the Voyageur album for the Mamou Playboys. Feufollet featured guest appearances by some of their old band members. I passed Wilson Savoy of the Pine Leaf Boys a half dozen times walking the opposite direction at the festival. Some day I may introduce myself. I caught his band at La Poussiere in Breaux Bridge on Friday. The weather was cool but mostly sunny for the weekend, and the rain waited until after the festival to come pouring down on my return drive home. How considerate of Mother Nature.
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Louisiana Dance Clubs
Lafayette Area
Artmosphere 902 Johnston St., Lafayette, LA 70501. Ph: 337-233-3331. Web: artmosphere.vpweb.com Bayou Teche Brewery 1094 Bushville Hwy., Arnaudville, LA 70512. Ph: 337-754-5122. Blue Moon Saloon 215 E. Convent St., Lafayette, LA 70501. Ph: 877-766-2583. Web: bluemoonpresents.com Buck and Johnny’s 100 Berard St., Breaux Bridge, LA 70517. Ph: 337-442-6630. Web: buckandjohnnys.com Cajun Country Bar 9708 Church Point Hwy., Church Point, LA 70525. Ph: 337-684-9101. Cowboy’s 207 N. Ambassador Caffery Pkwy., Scott, Louisiana 70583. Ph: 337-232-3232. Web: cowboyslafayettela.com Dat Dog 201 Jefferson St., Lafayette, LA 70501. Ph: 337-366-6794. Web: datdog.com
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! El Sid O’s Zydeco & Blues Club 1523 N. Saint Antoine St., Lafayette, Louisiana 70501. Ph: 337-237-1959. Feed & Seed 106 N. Grant St., Lafayette, LA 70501. Ph: 337-330-4860. Web: feednseedlafayette.com Fred’s Lounge 420 6th St., Mamou, Louisiana 70554. Ph: 337-468-5411. Web: facebook.com/Freds-Lounge-111528505553446/ Holiday Lounge 1212 Brud Ln., Mamou, LA 70554. Ph: 337-468-7177. Web: facebook.com/pages/ Holiday-Lounge/1679752672260354 La Poussiere 1301 Grand Point Ave., Breaux Bridge, LA 70517. Ph: 337-332-1721. Web: lapoussiere.com Liberty Theatre — Rendez-Vous Des Cajuns 200 W. Park Ave., Eunice, LA 70535. Ph: 337-457-7389; Web: eunice-la.com/liberty-theater My Place Bar & Grill 811 Foreman Dr., Lafayette, LA 70506. Ph: 337-484-1182. O’Darby’s 827 Hector Connoly Rd., Carencro, LA 70520. Ph: 337-896-0166.
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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant 1008 Henderson Levee Rd., Henderson, LA 70517. Ph: 337-228-7512. Web: patsfishermanswharf.com Pont Breaux Cajun Restaurant 325 W. Mills Ave., Breaux Bridge, LA 70517. Ph: 337-332-4648. Poppa Joe’s Hole in the Wall 503-L Provost Rd., Scott, LA 70583. Ph: 337-408-8040. Randol’s 2320 Kaliste Saloom Rd., Lafayette, LA 70508. Ph: 337-981-7080 Web: randols.com Rock’n Bowl de Lafayette 905 Jefferson St., Lafayette, LA 70501. Ph: 337-534-8880. Web: rocknbowl.com Route 92 2600 E. Milton, Youngsville, LA 70592. Ph: 337-857-5025. Web: route92livemusic.com Smiley’s Bayou Club 2206 Veterans Memorial Dr., Erath, LA 70533. Ph: 337-937-4591. Web: facebook.com/Smileys-Bayou-Club-882989335049200/ Tante Marie’s (formerly Joie de Vivre) 107 N. Main St., Breaux Bridge, LA 70517. Ph: 337-442-6354. Web: jamsandbiscuits.com
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! Toby’s Lounge 132 Tobys Ln., Opelousas, Louisiana 70570. Ph: 337-948-3800. Vermilionville 300 Fisher Rd., Lafayette, Louisiana 70508. Ph: 337-233-4077. Web: vermilionville.org
Need a place to stay in the Lafayette area?
Former Floridia dancer Trish Gowl provides modestly priced “AirBnB” accommodations for visitors to Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole communities. She can advise you on who is playing where. You can view her accommodations at https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21433064, or shoot her an email at pgowl92@gmail.com.
New Orleans Area Maple Leaf Bar 8316 Oak St., New Orleans, LA 70118. Ph: 504-866-9359 Mulate’s 201 Julia St., New Orleans LA 70130. Ph: 504-522-1492. Website: mulates.com Rock’n Bowl 3016 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118. Ph: 504-861-1700. Website: rocknbowl.com Tipitina’s 501 Napoleon Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115. Ph: 504-895-8477. Website: tipitinas.com
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FES TIVAL-O-RAMA November 2019 Nov. 7-10, 2019 — Riverhawk Music Festival (Brooksville)
Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band will be a headliner at Riverhawk this year. Riverhawk is a four-day music festival featuring national and regional acts on 3 stages. An eclectic array of music featuring Americana, Bluegrass, Jamgrass, Celtic, Newgrass, Cajun and more keep your ears busy! The full program for kids includes jugglers, face painters, balloon artists and their own performers along with old fashioned hayrides, piĂąatas and a ping pong ball race in the meandering stream that runs through the camp. Allowing them to understand and touch various acoustic instruments lights a spark that may change their future! Come camp with the whole family in a beautiful setting. Enjoy the music, the arts and crafts vendors and the fine friendly folks! This listing will be updated with dates and bands as they are announced. Website: http://www.riverhawkmusic.com/
tomrigney.com
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!
Tom Rigney & Flambeau is featured at Suncoast Jazz Festival.
November 22-24, 2019 — Suncoast Jazz Festival (Clearwater Beach, FL) Swing Dance will be Friday, Nov. 22. In the past, the cost for attending the Swing Dance was $25. Tickets may become available at the Gulfport Casino Wednesday night swing dances. Bands announced for 2019 include Cajun band Tom Rigney and Flambeau, dance bands Adrian Cunningham and His Old School, Dave Bennett Quartet, and Cornet Chop Suey, and other jazz bands Queen City Jazz Band with Wende Harston, Jason Marsalis and His 21st Century Trad Jazz Band, Wycliffe Gordon, Harry Allen, Ehud Asherie, Molly Ryan, Matt Home, The Sierra Seven, Bakey and Betty, Tom Hook and the Terrier Brothers, Wally's Warehouse Waifs, La Lucha,, and guest musicians Nate Najar, Tommy Cedil, James Suggs, John Lamb, Heather Thorn, Bob Price, Dan Howard, Herb Roselle, Betty Comora, Mike Evans and Pepper. Website: http://www.suncoastjazzfestival.com/
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bradentonbluesfestival.org
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Kenny Neal is headlining the Bradenton Blues Festival.
Dec. 6-8, 2019 — Bradenton Blues Festival Bands include Kenny Neal (really good at Tampa Bay Blues Fest!), The Duke Robillard Band, Biscuit Miller and The Mix, Toronzo Cannon, Annika Chambers, John Primer. Website: www.bradentonbluesfestival.org/
sandiego.gov
Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!
December 6-7, 2019 — Balboa Park December Nights (San Diego) Balboa Park December Nights, the nation’s premier holiday festival, will take place for the 39th consecutive year on Friday, December 6 from 3-11 p.m. and Saturday, December, 7 from noon to 11 p.m. Friends, families and the community are invited to come together for festive fun, food and attractions throughout the park, including complimentary admission to Balboa Park museums from 5-9pm. The largest free community festival in San Diego, December Nights is expected to attract more than 350,000 visitors to the park over two days to revel and enjoy the season. Each year Bon Temps Social Club and Gator By The Bay host bands at the BTSC dance stage featuring danceable music by Cajun, zydeco, blues, and country bands. A different band takes the stage every hour, and free dance lessons are taught at the band breaks. https://www.sandiego.gov/december-nights; or the BTSC website at http://www.icajunzydeco.com/event/december-nights-2/
Yes! You want to plan your trips to out-of-state festivals farther in advance. 2020 festival listings will be posted shortly. Look to FloridaCajunZydeco.com/festivals.html for festival info.
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Atlanta Cajun Zydeco Association Dances Fri., Nov. 22 — Chubby Carrier & Bayou Swamp Band 8 – 10 p.m., Vista Room, 2836 La Vista Rd., Atlanta, GA
Sun., Dec. 8 — Holiday Dance Party with The Revelers 4 – 5 p.m., dance lesson 5 – 7 p.m., dance to The Revelers
Dorothy Benson Center, 6500 Vernon Woods Drive in Sandy Springs $20 / $5 Students / $14 ACZA members & active duty military NOTE: ACZA uses for than one venue for their dances. Confirm location and time. https://aczadance.org/
Philadelphia Cajun Zydeco Dances Fri., Nov. 8 — Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble Fri., Nov. 22 — Dennis Stroughmatt and Creole Stomp Sat., Dec. 14 — Andre Thierry Sat., Jan. 11 — Nathan and The Zydeco Cha Chas Sat., Feb. 29 — Chubby Carrier & Bayou Swamp Band Sat., Mar. 28 — Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krewe
$20 admission, $10 for students. Website for additional information: allonsdanser.org
San Diego Cajun Zydeco Dances Sat., Nov. 9 — Billy Lee and the Swamp Critters Sat., Dec. 14 — Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble
These dance events are held at Balboa Park War Memorial Building. Website: icajunzydeco.com