Cajun Spotlight
August 1998 - Volume VI, NO. 7
Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest
NOTES FROM THE EDITOR
This has been one of the busiest summers since we started this newsletter
five years(!) ago, The number of festivals scheduled in the upper Midwest
seems to have greatly increased; the number of concerts and dances has
not grown quite as much, but they always seem to occur on the same day
and require some tough choices. The Two Harbors Folk Festival was a good
one, with great sets by John Gorka and Dave Hull & Kari Larson
as well as a rousing Saturday night finale by ZoloGo that really
got the crowd jumping. Meanwhile our staffers over in Finland for the Kaustinen
festival are due back soon and we hope to have their report next issue.
Thanks for your continued support; see you on the dance floor...
CAJUN FEST AT NORTHERN LIGHTS CASINO
The annual Cajun Fest at Northern Lights Casino is August 20-23. Coming
up from Louisiana to perform will be the Mamou Prairie Band, Zydeco
Joe and the Bayou Barn Boogie. Also appearing will be the Twin
Cities-based Bone Tones. Northern Lights Casino is just outside
of Walker, Minnesota by Leech Lake. For more information call 1 (800) 242-PLAY.
The bands coming up from Louisiana will be appearing at the casino in Grand
Portage, Minnesota two weeks after the Walker festival.
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.
UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS
1) The Bone Tones yearly stop at Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park will
be Thursday, August 6. They begin at 7:30 pm. The following night they
play at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Minneapolis. For the first time in several
years they will not be at the Minnesota State Fair. Café Accordion
Orchestra will be there from August 31 to September 3 at the stage
in the bazaar. Check newspaper for show times.
2) Not many details on this one: a festival (Riverfest? Riverfeast?)
on the Wabasha Street Bridge August 14-16 will feature the Fabulous
Thunderbirds, Bo Diddley and Wayne Toups & Zydecajun (on
the 16th). For details call (651) 228-0018.
3) At the Half Time Rec in August: The Buffalo Gals on Sunday
the 9th and ZoloGo on Sunday the 23rd.
AUGUST CAJUN JAM AND POTLUCK PICNIC
The next Cajun Jam and Potluck Picnic will be Sunday, August 16. It takes
place in the backyard of Nancy Tennessen's home in northeast Minneapolis.
Nancy lives at 626 4th Street NE. This is one block east of University
Avenue; turn at Emily's Lebanese Deli on University at 7th Avenue NE. It's
just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis. The party starts at 2:00
pm. Bring a dish to share with the group. Plates and silverware (and ice
cream!) will be provided. Bring your guitar, accordion, fiddle, triangle,
harmonica, frottoir or...(?). Come on over and visit with friends, do a
little dancing and/or play a few tunes.
A NOTE FROM KARL
[In a previous newsletter we mentioned the Cajun Bayou CD and cassette
recorded by members of the Swamp Sextet and the Bone Tones
and available as part of the Lifescapes series at Target stores. Here's
a letter from Karl Smelker of the Sextet concerning that release]
Date: Sunday, June 28, 1998 1:57:22 AM
From: Ksmelker@wmitchell.edu
Subj: Hello
To: notessteps@aol.com
Hi John,
I was going to say that while people have been asking for a Sextet CD
we have been too busy with kids, jobs, houses, and life in general to take
the time to make one. However there may be a possible substitute until
we get one out. As you mentioned in an earlier newsletter we play on a
Target Lifescapes CD called Cajun Bayou. Playing on the CD are all four
of the Sextet (... that's an interesting concept) plus Bone Tone fiddler
Eric Mohring, and Dick and Jane Big Brass Band member Dick Danaher
playing rubboard, saxophone and some piano. We went in and did the recording
in a day and then Dan Newton and Joel Sayles, the producer, did the mix.
The recording was done at Brewhouse Studios in Mpls with Rob Genadek engineering.
When Dan Newton brought the project to us, it sounded kind of
weird. His description made it sound like we would be recording a Cajun
Muzak disk. We were given the option of using false names or not being
listed at all. But when we got around to recording we found Target just
wanted good, solid, in tune, music in a variety of Louisiana styles. As
you noted the tunes are listed in the wrong order on the CD and the folks
writing the liner notes weren't very picky about their definitions of "Cajun"
and "Zydeco". Still, I think most of us are pleased with the way it turned
out musically.
The CD started showing up in stores around February. We were totally
shocked when, at the beginning of June, Target told us they had sold 48,000
copies so far! It is one of the fastest selling CD's in the Lifescapes
series and they expect to sell 120,000 by the end of the year. (No sales
data on how they're selling in Louisiana....)
Anyway, the thing is doing so well they have asked us to make another
one. This time it's a Louisiana Christmas CD. We're going into the studio
to record the first few days of July; not easy getting in that Christmas
spirit with the weather we're having. We've worked up some fun arrangements
and a few very odd arrangements. Dan is also having the entire Dick and
Jane Brass Band play two second-line style tunes. I'll let you know how
it turns out.
So, no Sextet CD yet but by Christmas there will be two reasonable substitutes.
Who knows, maybe we'll actually get one of our own done by Mardi Gras.
(Notice I didn't say which year's Mardi Gras.)
I've also moved the Upriver site to:
http://www.blubird.com/upriver
The new server will let me do a lot more things including RealAudio
and some interactive stuff so watch for some changes in the next couple
months.
Thanks for your interest,
Karl
Karl Smelker ksmelker@wmitchell.edu
Upriver Webmaster - webmaster@wmitchell.edu
Cajun & Zydeco Resources in the Upper Midwest at
http://www.blubird.com/upriver/
Bassist for the Swamp Sextet
http://www.blubird.com/upriver/band/sextet.html
"Boozoo, that's who!"
UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS
· July 31 - Balfa Toujours : REARDON PLAZA, SIOUX FALLS, SD (NOON)
· July 31 - Balfa Toujours : FOLK FESTIVAL, CANTON, SD
· July 31 - Beausoleil : BIG TOP CHAUTAUQUA, BAYFIELD, WI
· August 01 - Grande Prairie : MBOTMA FESTIVAL, ZIMMERMAN, MN
· August 02 - Beausoleil : DECATUR CELEBRATION, DECATUR, IL
· August 06 - The Bone Tones : COON RAPIDS DAM PARK, COON RAPIDS,
MN (7:30 PM)
· August 06 - Midway Ramblers : BEDFORD PARK GAZEBO, BEDFORD
PARK, IL (7:00 PM)
· August 07 - The Bone Tones : RENDEZVOUS BALLROOM, MINNEAPOLIS
· August 07-09 - Midway Ramblers : BROOKFIELD ZOO, BROOKFIELD,
IL (12-4 PM)
· August 07 - Midway Ramblers : BORDERS BOOKS, OAK BROOK, IL
(8:00 PM)
· August 09 - Buffalo Gals : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
· August 12 - Midway Ramblers : BERKELEY PARK, BERKELEY, IL
(6:30 PM)
· August 12 - Cajun Jam : HOMESTEAD PICKIN PARLOR, RICHFIELD,
MN (7-9 PM)
· August 14 - Midway Ramblers : CONCERT ON THE LAGOON, BELOIT,
WI (7:00 PM)
· August 16 - Wayne Toups & Zydecajun : RIVERFEST, ST. PAUL,
MN
· August 19 - The Bone Tones : CITY PARK, LINDSTROM, MN
· August 20-23 - The Bone Tones, others : CAJUN FEST, NORTHERN
LIGHTS CASINO, WALKER
· August 21-23 - Midway Ramblers : BROOKFIELD ZOO, BROOKFIELD,
IL (12-4 PM)
· August 22 - The Swamp Sextet : NEW YORK MILLS FESTIVAL, NEW
YORK MILLS, MN
· August 23 - ZoloGo : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
· August 23 - Beausoleil : DOOR COMMUNITY AUDITORIUM, FISH CREEK,
WI
· September 06 - The Bone Tones : MUSIC FESTIVAL, ISLE VISTA
CASINO, RED CLIFF, WI
· September 19 - The Bone Tones : TOWN HALL, MARINE ON SAINT
CROIX, MN
· September 20 - C. J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band:
RIVERSIDE PARK, OSHKOSH, WI
· October 03 - The Bone Tones : BIG ISLAND RENDEZVOUS, ALBERT
LEA, MN
NOTE: Please call to confirm events more than six weeks from first item
on calendar.
SUMMER RULES!
Actually what we meant was summer rulers. The Western calendar was originally
only 10 months long and ended with December. The Romans decided to add
two months and stuck them in the middle. In naming them they honored two
of their rulers: Julius Ceasar and Ceasar Augustus. Thus
we have July and August. Ceasar of course was their title, and survived
in a slightly altered form in Europe as kaiser and czar. In recognition
of these two summer months, the quiz this month lists songs with "king"
in the title. We could only find one song with kaiser in the title, and
none at all with ceasar (although we have a record in our collection by
Little Ceasar & the Romans!) Can you match the performer with
the song? Answers are available from notessteps@aol.com
| 01) KING OF THE ROAD |
a) Slim Harpo |
| 02) I WAS KAISER BILL'S BATMAN |
b) Ned Miller |
| 03) KING TUT |
c) Roger Miller |
| 04) BOB WILLS IS STILL THE KING |
d) The Police |
| 05) I'M A KING BEE |
e) Whistling Jack Smith |
| 06) KING HARVEST (HAS SURELY COME) |
f) Steve Martin |
| 07) KING OF PAIN |
g) Sonny Boy Williamson |
| 08) FROM A JACK TO A KING |
h) Elvis Presley |
| 09) KING CREOLE |
i) Waylon Jennings |
| 10) KING BISCUIT STOMP |
j) The Band |
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.