Cajun Spotlight 


Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest 
 October 2002

SCREENING OF CAJUN DOCUMENTARY

A Work-In-Progress screening of a documentary by St. Paul resident John Whitehead on The Hackberry Ramblers is scheduled for 5:30 pm on Saturday, November 2 at the the Oak Street Cinema in Minneapolis. The Hackberry Ramblers formed in 1933; two of the founders, Luderin Darbonne and Edwin Duhon, still lead the band today. Make ‘Em Dance: The Hackberry Ramblers Story gives the history of the band and follows them to a crawfish boil, MTV and their first appearance on the Grand ‘Ole Opry (just two years ago).  Also in the film are Marcia Ball, Michael Doucet and Richard Thompson. John Whitehead is an award-winning film maker whose works have appeared on PBS, The Learning Channel and The Discovery Channel. His documentary Death of the Dream: Farmhouses in the Heartland was a widely-praised look at changes to agricultural America. The Oak Street Cinema is located near the U of M at 309 Oak Street SE.
 

TOWN HALL DANCE IN DALBO

The next Dalbo Town Hall Dance will be Saturday, October 5 from 7  to 11 pm.  Music will be by Skandilous and The Cajun Hot Soles. Skandilous will play old time dance music of Norway, Sweden, and Finland on traditional instruments like the  Hardanger fiddle, the nyckelharpa, and the  harmonium.  The Cajun Hot Soles will play Cajun and Creole two steps and waltzes.  There will be a short dance lesson at the beginning of their set. All dance styles are welcomed!  Admission is $7 for adults and children are free.  Mom's Food Co-op of Cambridge will be selling delicious refreshments. Dalbo is located about an hour north of the Twin Cities between Cambridge and Princeton.  Directions to the town hall from Dalbo: from Dalbo take Highway 47 north about 3.3 miles to County 16.  Go west (left) 1.8 miles to Jaspar St.  Go left .2 mile to 399th Ave.  Go right .2 mile to Nacre St.  Go left to Town Hall. For more information you can email Amy at asabrina@ecenet.com or call 763-444-8390. 
 

NAMELESS NO MORE!

Name This Band has selected a name! They are now the Faux Playboys. You can catch them on October 20 at the Half Time Rec in Saint Paul. 
 

THE KREWE PRESENTS...

The Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance Association continues to offer a free dance lesson by Maurine McCort before each of the regular Sunday night dances at the Half Time Rec in Saint Paul. Maurine will teach either Cajun or zydeco depending on what the band plays. The lesson will be from 7 to 7:45 pm. Bands will start playing at 8:00 pm. The Half Time Rec is located at 1013 Front Avenue. The Krewe is also planning a pre-Thanksgiving dance the evening before Turkey Day (that would be Wednesday, November 27. The band is the Faux Playboys (formerly Name This Band). The location is the Polish American club.  For information on membership in the Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance Association (The Krewe de Walleye) check out their great web site at www.krewedewalleye.com.
 

DANCE LESSONS

Maurine McCort will be starting her zydeco lessons in November this fall. To get an email notification of her upcoming lessons contact her at maurine@spacestar.com and she will let you know the class schedule as soon as it's ready. Don't forget that there are Cajun/zydeco mini-classes before the Sunday dances at the Half Time Rec. Details are in the above story about the Krewe de Walleye.
 

ACCORDION FOR SALE

A reader has an accordion for sale and asked if we would pass the word  along. It's a Hohner one-row in the key of C. It has buttons on the left for  C, F, and G. It has no adjustable stops. It is well-suited for Scandinavian tunes; would also be a good second, campfire instrument for traditional Cajun music. It's in excellent condition; price is $200, firm. For more information call Kip at 651-492-4492.
 

    UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS

  • October 01 - The Midway Ramblers: HOUSE OF BLUES, CHICAGO, IL (9:30 PM)
  • October 02 - Bayou Hazard: THE VIKING BAR, MINNEAPOLIS
  • October 04 - Midway Ramblers: IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER, CHICAGO
  • October 05 -The Cajun Hot Soles, Skandilous: TOWN HALL, DALBO, MN
  • October 05 - The Midway Ramblers: MAPLE TREE INN, RIB/CRAB FEST, BLUE ISLAND, IL (7-11 PM)
  • October 06 - The Midway Ramblers: MAPLE TREE INN, RIB/CRAB FEST, BLUE ISLAND, IL (4-8  PM)
  • October 06 - The Cajun Hot: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL 
  • October 09 - Cajun Jam: HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD (7-9 PM)
  • October 12 - The Buffalo Gals: SOGN VALLEY CRAFT FAIR, WELCH, MN (NOON)
  • October 13 - Bayou Hazard: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL 
  • October 19 - The Cajun Hot Soles: LAKE HARRIET CHURCH, MINNEAPOLIS
  • October 19 - The Chicago Cajun Aces: FOLKLORE VILLAGE, DODGEVILLE, WI 
  • October 20 - Faux Playboys: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL 
  • October 26 - JJ'S Zydeco Paydirt: FLOYD'S BAR, VICTORIA, MN
  • October 27 - New Riverside Ramblers: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL 
  • November 01 - Midway Ramblers: IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER, CHICAGO
  • November 02 - Film: Make ‘Em Dance: The Hackberry Ramblers Story: OAK STREET CINEMA, 5:30 PM
  • November 03 - The Cajun Hot Soles: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL 
  • November 10 - Faux Playboys: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL 
  • November 13 - Cajun Jam: HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD (7-9 PM)
  • November 15 - New Riverside Ramblers: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS
  • November 17 - JJ's Zydeco Paydirt: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
  • November 24 - New Riverside Ramblers: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
  • November 27 - Faux Playboys: POLISH AMERICAN CLUB, ST. PAUL
  • December 06 - Midway Ramblers: IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER, CHICAGO
  • December 28 - New Riverside Ramblers, JJ's Zydeco Paydirt: POLISH AMERICAN CLUB
  • January 11 - New Riverside Ramblers: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS
  • January 18 - Tofu Gumbo (new band): DALBO TOWN HALL, DALBO, MN
  • January 19 - New Riverside Ramblers: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL 
NOTE: Please call to confirm events more than six weeks from first item on calendar. 
 

STONE CIRCLES

Recently one of our staff became interested in the many stone circles and standing stones throughout Europe, of which Stonehenge is the most famous. There are actually dozens of these ancient structures (in varying states of disrepair) scattered from Scandinavia to Italy. Their original purpose is still being debated, but it is widely assumed that they had some religious purpose and may have been built with certain astronomical alignments. We don't have all the answers, but we recognize a theme for the music quiz when we see one. Can you match the performer with the song?
 
01) AND IT STONED ME a) Hank Williams
02) HEART OF STONE b) John Prines
03) COVER OF THE ROLLING STONE  c)  Van Morrison
04) SAM STONE d) Rolling Stones
05) STONED SOLE PICNIC e) Jimi Hendrix
06) TOMBSTONE BLUES  f) Ray Charles
07) COLD GRAY TOMB OF STONE g) Muddy Waters
08) STONE FREE  h) Robert Johnson
09) ROLLIN' STONE i)  Laura Nyro
10) LET'S GO GET STONED  j) Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
11) STONES IN MY PASSWAY k) Ray Charles
*12) STICKS AND STONES l) Bob Dylan
* 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. E-mail: Notessteps@aol.com or NOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT, John Tallaksen, P. O. Box 582192, Minneapolis, MN 55458-2192