Cajun Spotlight 

Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest 
 June 2000 

NEW ADDRESS

Please note that we have a new address:
CAJUN SPOTLIGHT/NOTES AND STEPS
P. O. Box 582192 
Minneapolis, MN 55458-2192
Thanks for your continued support and kind words. See you on the dance floor...
 

METRO AREA JUNE EVENTS 

  1. The Cajun Hot Soles appear at the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association's Homegrown Kickoff Festival at Camp in the Woods Resort near Zimmerman, Minnesota on Saturday, June 3. They will do a main stage set at 4:50 pm and play for a dance at 8:00 pm. For information on the Homegrown Festival call (612) 285-9133 or 1 (800) 635-3037. The Hot Soles are also at the Half Time Rec on Sunday, June 11 and at the Rendezvous Ballroom on Saturday, June 17.
  2. The Swamp Sextet are at the Half Time Rec on Sunday, June 4. Two weeks later (June 18) the New Riverside Ramblers will be there and on Sunday, June 25 JJ's Zydeco Paydirt appear. You can also catch JJ's Zydeco Paydirt on June 4 at Grand Old Days near MJM Hair. They play at 1 pm.

LE BON TON IN WISCONSIN 

Le Bon Ton is a Cajun band that plays for appreciative crowds in and around New Orleans. Offbeat Magazine voted them the Best New Cajun Band in 1998. You can catch them in Wisconsin in early June. in addition to appearing in the Milwaukee area as part of Cajun Fest June 9-11 they will be in the Madison area for two dances:
  • June 6 - Park Ponderosa, McFarland, Wisconsin
  • June 7- Attic Ballroom, Waunekee, Wisconsin
Members of the group are Kermit Venable (accordion), Bo Ledet (bass, vocals), Mike Taylor (guitar), Matt Swiler (percussion) and Clyde Thompson(fiddle). Fiddler Clyde Thompson is a Wisconsin native and one time Wisconsin State Fiddle Champ.
 

FESTIVAL SUMMARY

  1. The Gumbo Ya Ya Festival in Rock Island, Illinois is June 9 and 10. Some bands scheduled include the Cajun Hot Soles, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas and Roddie Romero. For more information call (309) 788-6311
  2. The Fifth Annual Blues on the Range Festival is June 9-11 in Chisholm, Minnesota. Appearing will be C. J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Rose Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys and Terrence Simien. For more information call (715) 394-6831 or check out www.bayfrontblues.com.
  3. The Apple River Blues Festival is June 23-25 at River's Edge in Somerset, Wisconsin. Scheduled performers include John Mooney, Buckwheat Zydeco, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, R. L. Burnside and more. For more information call (715) 394-6831 or check out www.bayfrontblues.com.
  4. The 16th Annual Mississippi Valley Blues Festival is June 30-July 2 in Davenport, Iowa. Playing there on Sunday the 2nd will be Boozoo Chavis. Other performers include Dave Moore, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Tommy Castro, Ruth Brown and Matt "Guitar" Murphy. More information about this great event is on the Web at www.mvbs.org/fest.htm
  5. The Two Harbors Folk Festival is July 15 and 16 in Two Harbors, Minnesota. The Magnolia Sisters with Ann Savoy and Ann Vidrine will be there on Saturday, the 15th. You don't have to travel up north to hear them, though - the next night they play for a dance in Minneapolis at Tapestry Folkdance Center. We haven't found a contact number for the Two Harbors festival yet Other musicians appearing are Dave Hull & Kari Larson, Willowgreen and Claudia Schmidt.
  6. The Bayfront Blues Festival is August 11-13 in Duluth-Superior. Rosie Ledet, who appears in the Twin Cities on Sunday, August 13th, will probably be up there earlier in the weekend. For more information call (715) 394-6831 or check out www.bayfrontblues.com.

FITZGERALD'S AMERICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL

Fitzgerald's is a great club in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn. Each year around the Fourth of July they have a festival of American music both traditional and modern. This year's lineup include Joe Ely, Marcia Ball, Blue Rodeo, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, David Alvin, Alejandro Escovedo, C. J. Chenier, the Hackberry Ramblers, the Magnolia Sisters and more. The dates are June 30-July 4; for more information call Fitzgerald's at (708) 788-2118.
 

WALKER CAJUNFEST DATES

The dates of the CajunFest at Moondance Ranch near Walker, Minnesota are August 11-13. The lineup includes include Filé, Chubby Carrier, Rockin' Dopsie, the Treater Band, Curtis Coubello and T. Mamou. More information about the festival is available at www.walkercajunfest.com/
 

FROM THE MINNESOTA CAJUN AND ZYDECO MUSIC AND DANCE ASSOCIATION

The Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance Association (Krewe de Walleye) is having a CD Dance Party & Potluck on Saturday, June 10. It will be at the Oddfellows Hall at the corner of Raymond and Hampden in Saint Paul The potluck starts at 7 pm; the dancing is from 8 to 11 pm. Admission is just $5; members pay $3. For more information call (612) 729-1129.

In July the Krewe is proud to present the Magnolia Sisters: Ann Savoy, Jane Vidrine, Tina Pilione and Lisa Trahan Reed. The Magnolia Sisters have their feet firmly planted in traditional Louisiana music but are still able to reach out in innovative directions. They perform in Minneapolis on Sunday, July 16 at Tapestry Folkdance Center. Tapestry is located at 3748 Minnehaha Avenue South. The dance starts at pm.

In August the Krewe presents the first Twin Cities appearance by Rosie Ledet, "The Zydeco Sweetheart". More about this in the next issue of CAJUN SPOTLIGHT.
 

UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS

  • June 02 - The Midway Ramblers : TWIN LAKES MARDI GRAS IN JUNE, PALATINE. IL (7:30 PM)
  • June 02 - Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas : FITZGERALD'S, BERWYN, IL
  • June 03 - The Cajun Hot Soles : MBOTMA HOMEGROWN FESTIVAL, ZIMMERMAN, MN (4:30 PM, 8 PM)
  • June 04 - JJ's Zydeco Paydirt : MJM HAIR, GRAND OLD DAYS, ST. PAUL (1-4 PM)
  • June 04 - The Swamp Sextet : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
  • June 06 - Le Bon Ton : PARK PONDEROSA, MCFARLAND, WI (NEAR MADISON)
  • June 06 - The Midway Ramblers : CONCERT IN THE PARK, DOWNERS GROVE, IL (7:00 PM)
  • June 07 - Le Bon Ton : ATTIC BALLROOM, WAUNAKEE, WI
  • June 08 - C. J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band w/ the Vibrochamps : FIRST AVENUE, MPLS
  • June 09 - C. J. Chenier : BLUES ON THE RANGE, CHISHOLM, MN
  • June 09,10 - Gumbo Ya Ya Festival w/ Cajun Hot Soles, Nathan Williams, others : ROCK ISLAND, IL
  • June 10 - Krewe de Walleye Cajun/Zydeco CD Dance Party/Potluck : ODDFELLOWS HALL, ST. PAUL
  • June 10 - Rosie Ledet, Le Bon Ton : CAJUN FEST 2000, WEST ALLIS, WI
  • June 11 - Rosie Ledet, Terrance Simien : BLUES ON THE RANGE, CHISHOLM, MN
  • June 11 - The Cajun Hot Soles : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
  • June 14 - Cajun Jam : HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD, MN (7-9 PM)
  • June 17 - The Cajun Hot Soles : RENDEZVOUS BALLROOM, MINNEAPOLIS
  • June 18 - New Riverside Ramblers : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
  • June 23 - The Chicago Cajun Aces, Big Nick & the Cydecos : DOWNTOWN FESTIVAL, AURORA, IL
  • June 23-25 - The Midway Ramblers : BROOKFIELD ZOO, BROOKFIELD, IL (NOON-4 PM EACH DAY)
  • June 24 - The Midway Ramblers : MARTIN PLAZA, WHEATON, IL (6:30 PM)
  • June 25 - JJ's Zydeco Paydirt: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
  • June 28 - The Midway Ramblers : VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK, WESTMONT, IL (7:30 PM)
  • June 30 - July 2 - The Midway Ramblers : BROOKFIELD ZOO, BROOKFIELD, IL (NOON-4 PM EACH DAY)
  • June 30 - July 4 - C, J. Chenier, Magnolia Sisters, Hackberry Ramblers : FITZGERALD'S, BERWYN, IL
  • July 01,02 - New Riverside Ramblers, Swamp Sextet: SAWDUST DAYS, OSHKOSH, WI
  • July 02 - Boozoo Chavis : MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BLUES FESTIVAL, DAVENPORT, IA
  • July 06 - Cajun Hot Soles : ST. PAUL SAINTS PREGAME SHOW, ST. PAUL (5:30 PM)
  • July 14 - The Magnolia Sisters : NORTH SHORE MUSIC ASSOCIATION, GRAND MARAIS, MN
  • July 15 - The Magnolia Sisters : TWO HARBORS FOLK FESTIVAL, TWO HARBORS, MN
  • July 16 - The Magnolia Sisters : TAPESTRY FOLKDANCE CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS
  • July 22,23 - The Buffalo Gals : HIAWATHA FOLK FESTIVAL, MARQUETTE, MI
  • July 23 - Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys : SHEFFIELD GARDEN WALK, CHICAGO, IL
  • July 29 - The Cajun Hot Soles : RENDEZVOUS BALLROOM, MINNEAPOLIS
  • August 13 - Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys : TAPESTRY FOLKDANCE CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS


NOTE: Please call to confirm events more than six weeks from first item on calendar. 
 

MOVING ON

As I write this the office is full of packed boxes. Our headquaters are relocating in mid-June and we will have plenty of room for all our staff (but maybe not all our stuff). The theme in the quiz this month is 'house'; can you match the performer with the song?
 
01) HUNGRY HASH HOUSE a) Rosemary Clooney
02) HAUNTED HOUSE b) John Cougar Mellencamp
03) THIS OLD HOUSE c) Jimi Hendrix
04) HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT d) Gene Simmons
05) THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN e) Elvis Presley
06) RED HOUSE  f) Zydeco Force
07) BABY, LET'S PLAY HOUSE g) Aretha Franklin
08) PINK HOUSES h) The Animals
09) LITTLE HOUSES i) Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
10) OUR HOUSE j) Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers
11) PAUL'S PLAYHOUSE* k) Malvina Reynolds

*Special Internet Version Bonus Question

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NOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT is an independent newsletter about Cajun, zydeco and other traditional music & dance events and news in the upper Midwest and beyond. A one year subscription is $10.00. Email Notessteps@aol.com or NOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT, John Tallaksen, 
P. O. Box 582192, Minneapolis, MN 55458-2192