Cajun Spotlight

May 1998  - Volume VI, NO. 4

Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest

 

UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS

ZoloGo will do an opening set for Malagasy accordion player Regis Gizavo at the Cedar Cultural Centre on Friday, May 1. The following night they will be there by themselves for a whole night of zydeco. They appear at the Half Time Rec in Saint Paul on Sunday, May 10. On May 16 they play for a dance at the Saint Paul Curling Club. Located at 470 Selby, this venue has a great dance floor and food and drink will be available. ZoloGo will also be at the Two Harbors Folk Festival in July.

WHEATLAND TRADITIONAL ARTS WEEKEND

The Wheatland Traditional Arts Weekend in Remus, Michigan is May 22-24. This festival of music, dance and crafts will have a decidedly Minnesota flavor this year: on the staff for dances and workshops are the Bone Tones, Maurine McCort, the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, the Uncommon Loons String Band and Rhythm & Swing. All these folks are based in the Twin Cities. Other folks at the festival include Ron Buchanan, Susan Filipiak and Jive at Five. In addition to workshops in all manner of dance and music, craft classes in topics from puppetry to stone wall construction are offered. Space at this festival is limited. For more information call the Wheatland Music Organization at (517) 967-8879 or write them at Box 22, Remus, MI 49340.
 

GENO DELAFOSE ON TELEVISION

Geno Delafose is scheduled to be featured on the CBS Saturday Morning show on Saturday, May 2. They were filming him at his ranch near Eunice in mid-April and were planning to get some footage of him performing at the Festival International in Lafayette also. Steve Riley may sit in on fiddle.
 

GUMBO YA YA FESTIVAL

The annual Gumbo Ya Ya Festival in Rock Island, Illinois is June 5 and 6. Among the performers scheduled this year are Doug Kershaw and Lil' Brian & the Zydeco Travelers.
 

LOCAL ARTISTS FEATURED ON LIFESCAPES

The Lifescapes Collection is a series of tapes and compact disks featuring instrumental music in a variety of styles and moods (Celtic, romantic, etc). One of the newer releases in the series is called Cajun Bayou and features members of The Swamp Sextet, The Bone Tones and Dick & Jane's Big Brass band on some Cajun and zydeco classics. The collection is produced in Minneapolis by Compass Productions. Executive producer of the Cajun Bayou release is Joel Sayles; Dan Newton is the producer. Musicians on the album include Dan Newton, Karl Smelker, Lee Tedrow. Ted Klotz (Hi Ted!), Dick Danaher and Eric Mohring.

The series is available locally at Target in a big display located by the greeting card section. This particular disk seems to be sold out frequently so checking at several stores might be necessary to get one. There is a Compass Productions website at www.compassprod.com or call 1 (800) 236-0289.
 

BREAUX BRIDGE CRAWFISH FESTIVAL

The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival is May 1-3 in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana (just east of Lafayette). A tentative schedule for the event follows.

UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS

 NOTE: Please call to confirm events more than six weeks from first item on calendar.
 
SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
An old joke or riddle asks the question, "Which would you rather have: a ham sandwich or complete happiness in life?" The correct answer, of course, is a ham sandwich because nothing is better than complete happiness in life, and a ham sandwich is better than nothing. This came to mind after a recent meeting of the Music Research Staff at which one person worried that before too long there would be nothing left to use as a theme for the quiz. Rather than wait for this calamitous day to arrive we decided to use Nothing as a theme this month. Can you match the performer with the song? The answers are available from notessteps@aol.com.
 
01) NOTHING IN RAMBLING a) Poison
02) NOTHING FROM NOTHING b) Milli Vanilli
03) (WE AIN'T GOT) NOTHING YET c) The Flirtations
04) AIN'T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING d) Art Mooney & His Orchestra
05) I (WHO HAVE NOTHING) e) The Byrds
06) ALL OR NOTHING f) Memphis Minnie
07) NOTHING WAS DELIVERED g) Blue Magoos
08) NUTTIN' FOR CHRISTMAS h) Ben E. King
09) NOTHING BUT A HEARTACHE i) Billy Preston
10) NOTHIN' BUT A GOOD TIME j) Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
 
 
 
Back to Cajun Spotlight Page
Back to Newsletter Page
Back to Main Page

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 $8.00. Email Notessteps@aol.com or NOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT, John Tallaksen, 2425 East Franklin, #211 Minneapolis, MN 55406.