Cajun Spotlight

July 1998  - Volume VI, NO. 6

Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest

 

UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS

1) It’s always a delight to see Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie. They return to the Twin Cities on Thursday, July 2 in an appearance at the Taste of Minnesota in Saint Paul. Geno is scheduled to play at 8:00 pm. At 3:00 pm that same day on that stage you can catch Al Rapone with The Butanes.

2) The Zukes of Zydeco is a fun band from Colorado playing a mixture of Cajun and zydeco. They opened for the Bone Tones in Boulder a few year back. You can catch the Zukes in Minneapolis on Wednesday, July 8 at the Rockbottom Brewery at 825 Hennepin Avenue. They also appear in Milwaukee July 9 and 10 at Bastille Days and in Chicago at a dance series on July 11.

3) Some familiar faces (and a newer one) appear at Dunn Bros. Coffee at 50th and Xerxes in Minneapolis on Saturday evening, July 11. Crawfish Hotdish is Steve and Nancy Dungy (from Grande Prairie), Ross Grotbeck (formerly with that same group) and on fiddle newcomer Eric Paulson. Music starts at 7:30 pm.

4) Speaking of Grande Prairie, they will be playing the morning of July 11 at the Healthy Powderhorn Farmers Market from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The market is located in the parking lot of the Lutheran church at 31st Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis. Grande Prairie is also scheduled to play at Cellar Records in south Minneapolis on Saturday, July 25 but a change in ownership of that venue has put that appearance in doubt. Call CAJUN SPOTLIGHT in mid-July to learn the status of this gig.

5) ZoloGo will be at the Half Time Rec on two Sundays in July (the 12th and 26th) and appear at the Two Harbors Folk Festival Saturday, July 18. They also perform at Maggie’s II Café in Eagan, Minnesota on Saturday, July 25th. The café is located at 1254 Town Centre Drive.

6) The Frogtown Hotshots appear in Marquette, Michigan July 17-19 at the Hiawatha Music Festival.
 

JULY CAJUN POTLUCK PICNIC/JAM/BBQ

A Cajun Potluck Jam/Picnic will be held Sunday, July 26 at the home of Linda Reiss and Wendell Carroll in Minneapolis. Linda and Wendell live at 4134 40th Avenue South. This is about 11 blocks south of Lake Street on 40th Avenue South; it's not far from the Mississippi River. The party starts at 2:00 pm. Bring a dish to share with the group. The grill will be going so if you’d like to barbecue something bring it with. If you have an extra chair to bring with please do so. Beverages, plates and silverware will be provided. Bring your guitar, accordion, fiddle, triangle, frottoir, harmonica or...(?). Come on over and visit with friends, do a little dancing and/or play a few tunes. Please note this starts at 2:00 pm; see you there! The next Cajun Potluck Jam/Picnic will be August 16 in Northeast Minneapolis at the home of Nancy Tennessen; mark your calenders now.
 

NEWS FROM AUGUSTA HERITAGE CENTER

Augusta's Cajun/Creole Week is coming soon, July 5 to 10. Some news from Coordinators Margo Blevin and Lynne Terr:

Augusta Youth Scholarship Program: We've found two wonderful recipients for Youth Scholarships to Cajun/Creole Week. We especially wanted to encourage young fiddlers, since there are so many good young accordion players right now in Louisiana. Our Scholarship winners this year are fiddlers Chris Stafford (age 11) and Louis Dronet (age 17) from Lafayette. They both play in bands, and Chris even has his own web site with examples of his playing! We've noticed that the fiddlers don't always get the kind of adulation that the accordion players get, or that fiddlers get who play in other genres. It's been very enlightening for these youngsters to see how much people all over the country appreciate good Cajun fiddling. We're in the process of raising funds to pay the two boys' room and board and tuition. If anyone is interested in making a contribution for this, please let us know.
 

GUMBO JAM

One of the best non-Louisiana festivals featuring plenty of Cajun and zydeco performers is coming up July 17-19 at the Anne Arundel Fairgrounds in Annapolis, Maryland. Gumbo Jam includes Cajun, zydeco, blues and bluegrass music ana well as dancing, workshops, authentic Louisiana cuisine, craft vendors and activities for kids. Artists scheduled include Beausoleil, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, Filé, Buckwheat Zydeco, Tony Delafose Zydeco Band, Zydeco Crayz, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Squeeze Bayou, Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie. Marcia Ball, Lil’ Malcolm & the Houserockers, The Sam Bush Band and Chesapeake. Advance tickets are $20 a day or $50 for the weekend. CAJUN SPOTLIGHT has flyers available for this event, so call us and we’ll get one to you. Gumbo Jam is on the Internet at www.gumbojam.com.
 

SIOUX RIVER FOLK FESTIVAL

The 19 Annual Sioux River Folk Festival is July 31-August 1 at Newton Hills State Park near Canton, South Dakota. Performers slated to appear include Balfa Toujours, Chris Thile & Nickel Creek, Fine Pine w/ Gordy Pratt, Shawn Cravner & Sweet Briar and Barb Eytchison. For more information call (605) 987-2582.
 

Le CAJUN AWARD NOMINEES

The Cajun French Music Association has announced the nominees for this year’s Le Cajun awards. The winners will be announced and awards presented at the 10th Annual Le Cajun Festival and Music Award show in Lafayette, Louisiana the weekend of August 14-16.
FIDDLER OF THE YEAR
David Greeley, Travis Matte, Benny Mueller
ACCORDIONIST OF THE YEAR
Jackie Caillier, Jesse Lege, Steve Riley
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Ivy Dugas, Jesse Lege, Steve Riley
BEST FIRST RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Jimmy Aguillard, Soit t'arrives pas ou tu depasses!
Mack Manuel/Jesse Lege & The Lake Charles Ramblers, Memoires du passe
Rodney Thibodeaux & Tout Les Soir, First Night Out
BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Ivy Dugas w/Jackie Caillier & The Cajun Cousins, Blacktop the Gravel Road
Mack Manuel/Jesse Lege & The Lake Charles Ramblers, Memoires du passe
Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, Friday at Last
SONG OF THE YEAR
"Cher 'Tits Yeux Bleus"-Jimmy Aguillard vocal & songwriter
"Little Short Pants"-Ivy Dugas vocal, Vin Bruce and Lee Lavergne, songwriters
"J'ennuie de Toi"-Jesse Lege, vocal and songwriter
BAND OF THE YEAR
Ivy Dugas w/Jackie Caillier & The Cajun Cousins
Mack Manuel/Jesse Lege & The Lake Charles Ramblers
Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys
 

TWO HARBORS FOLK FESTIVAL

The Ninth Annual Two Harbors Folk Festival will be held July 17-19 along the waterfront of that North Shore town. Scheduled performers include ZoloGo, John Gorka, Leo & Kathy Lara, Dakota Dave Hull & Kari Larson, The Rosewood String Band, Willowgreen, the Reedy Buzzards and John Ward & Lori Hatten. A big tent will cover the main stage and the concert seating area so inclement weather will not be as much of a problem as it has in years past. Camping is available at several nearby facilities. For more information call 1 (800) 777-7384. We have a few flyers available at CAJUN SPOTLIGHT; let us know if you need one.
 

CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS

 

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

OOH!! AAHHH!!!

This month in the music quiz [BANG!!!] we tie our songs into the great American tradition of [BOOMMM!!!] Fourth of July fireworks. Each song title in the quiz this month contains [POW!!..powpowpowpow...BOOM!!!] part of the word ‘firework’. Can you match the performer with the song? Answers are available from notessteps@aol.com

 
 
01) PLAY WITH FIRE  a) Bob Seger
02) WORK WITH ME ANNIE  b) Herb Alpert
03) LIGHT MY FIRE  c) Lee Dorsey
04) WE CAN WORK IT OUT  d) The Rolling Stones
05) FIRE LAKE  e) Hank Ballard
06) WORK SONG  f) The Beatles
07) FIRE AND RAIN  g) Loverboy
08) WORKIN’ FOR THE WEEKEND  h) James Taylor
09) FIRE  i) The Doors
10) WORKING IN THE COAL MINE  j) The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
 

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