Cajun Spotlight

September 1998  - Volume VI, NO. 8

Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest

 

UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS

A) The Bone Tones start the month of September with a couple of festival appearances out of town. On Sunday, September 6 they will be at the Lake Superior Music Fest at the Isle Vista Casino near Bayfield, Wisconsin. The following weekend they're at the Rock Bend Folk Festival in St. Peter, Minnesota. There they perform on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. On Friday the 18th they will be in New Prague, Minnesota at the Park Ballroom. On Saturday the 19th they return to the charm of the town hall in Marine on Saint Croix and on the 26th they're back at one of their most popular venues, the Cedar Cultural Centre in Minneapolis.

B) If you're not heading out of town over Labor Day you can catch the Swamp Sextet in Minneapolis at Mayslack's on Friday the 4th or at the Viking Bar on Saturday the 5th. Later in the month (on Saturday the 26th) they journey up to Effie, Minnesota where they appear at the Neighborhood Bar.

C) Check the next page for word about ZoloGo's CD Release Party on September 12.

D) Looking ahead to the first weekend in October, the Bone Tones travel to the Big Island Rendezvous (In Albert Lea, Minnesota) on Saturday, October 3 (they play in the afternoon), while the Swamp Sextet journey up to the Isle Vista Casino near Bayfield, Wisconsin for an appearance at the Applefest Music Fest October 2 and 3.
 

UPRIVER FAIS DO DO

The Ninth Annual Upriver Fais Do Do is set for Saturday, November 7 at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina, Minnesota (just west of Minneapolis). Joining the Bone Tones this year are special guests Balfa Toujours. We'll have complete details in the next issue. Balfa Toujours will be appearing with Bois Sec Ardoin in the Chicago area the weekend after Fais Do Do. Rounder Records has just released a fine album that is a collaboration of Bois Sec Ardoin and Balfa Toujours.
 

SEPTEMBER CAJUN-POTLUCK-HOUSEWARMING

Scott Brigham has recently moved into his new home in Maplewood and will host the next Cajun Jam Potluck Picnic (and Housewarming). It will be on Sunday September 20 starting at 2:00 pm. Scott lives at 678 East County Road B. To get there take the Edgerton exit south off Highway 36 to County Road B. Go east (left) a few blocks. Soft drinks and plates and utensils will be provided; if you can bring a lawn chair or two it might prove useful. As always bring a dish to share with the group and, of course, 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. If you have questions you can call Scott at (651) 774-7203.
 

CAJUN DANCE PARTY UNDER THE STARS

On Friday, September 25 you are invited to come dance under the stars to Crawfish Hotdish at a backyard party at Stacy Nagel's home in Anoka, Minnesota. Music starts at 8 pm. There will be a bonfire, beverages, smores and other snacks. If it rains we'll move inside, roll up the rugs and keep on dancing. To get there take I-94 west to 252; go north across the 610 bridge and take Highway 10 into Anoka. Go south on 7th Avenue to Harrison Street; turn west and go two blocks. The address is 433 Harrison Street. If you can bring a lawn chair or two it would be helpful. For more information call CAJUN SPOTLIGHT at (612) 339-3615.
 

BAYOU BOOGIE AT GRAND PORTAGE CASINO

The Louisiana bands that played at the casino in Walker, Minnesota in August will be at the casino in Grand Portage, Minnesota over the Labor Day weekend. Appearing will be Zydeco Joe, the Mamou Prairie Band and the Treater Band. For more information call 1(800) T0-BAYOU.
 

DANCE VORTEX III

A great dance weekend is planned for the first weekend of October in Alabama. Dance Vortex is October 2-4 at Camp Riverview (formerly Saddlerock) near Mentone, Alabama. Mentone is a two hour drive from Atlanta or Birmingham and a little longer drive from Nashville. Instruction in Cajun, zydeco and swing dance will be offered by Eddie Bourque & Joan Toder (Cajun), Tom & Rebecca Zurn (Zydeco) and Bartman (Swing and Blues Ooooh's). Musicians on hand include the Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, Willis Prudhomme & Zydeco Express, Dan Electro & the Silvertones and the Nelson Ferry Waltz Band. Housing at the camp is in cabins with showers and indoor plumbing; space for tents is also available. Meals are provided for Saturday and early Sunday. Jams with the band are scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Cost of this great weekend is only $89. For more information check the Web at http://members.aol.com/dancvortex or call CAJUN SPOTLIGHT and we'll send you a flyer. Enrollment is limited so act now.
 

ZOLOGO CD RELEASE PARTY

ZoloGo, the Twin Cities' hot rockin' zydeco band, is proud to celebrate the release of their first CD, ZoloGo Live!, at the Cedar Cultural Centre on Saturday, September 12. Founding members Mike Bruns (guitar), John Curtiss (drums/vocals), Mark Johnson (rubboard /vocals) and Gabriela Sweet (slide guitar /vocals), are joined by ZoloGo's two newest members: Josephine Griffith and Dick Danaher. The party kicks off at 8:00 PM with a zydeco dance lesson from Maurine McCort and will feature guest appearances from former ZoloGovians Joel Johnson and Jim Seaberg, a potluck extravaganza, and other surprises until midnight. The twelve-track CD ZoloGo Live!, recorded live at the Cedar Cultural Centre, the Medina Ballroom, and the Half Time Rec in St. Paul, will be available for purchase at the show.
 

MUSIC FESTIVALS IN BAYFIELD AREA

Isle Vista Casino in Red Cliff, Wisconsin (three miles north of Bayfield) has two music festivals planned. Over Labor Day weekend the 3rd Annual Lake Superior Music Fest includes music by Art Stevenson & Highwater, Bob Bovee & Gail Heil, Midnight Flight, White Water, The Bone Tones (on Sunday only) and the Nighthawks. October 2 and 3 the Apple Jam, which coincides with the Applefest in nearby Bayfield, will feature Ipso Facto, The Tailfins, Jay Stulo & the Mighty Aces and The Swamp Sextet. For more information call (715) 682-0246.
 

AT FOLKLORE VILLAGE FARM

On Saturday, September 12 there will be a potluck and Cajun dance with music by the Midway Ramblers (from the Chicago area) at Folklore Village Farm near Dodgeville, Wisconsin. The dinner is 7:00 pm and dance instruction begins at 8:15 pm. Other events planned at Folklore Village include the Autumn Equinox Squirrel Moon Weekend from September 18-20. Musicians on hand include Becky Hill, Last Gasp and more to be announced. Workshops, dances and potlucks are scheduled. October 23-25 a weekend of Swedish music and dance is planned, with guests including Edwin's Spelmen and Roo Lester. For information on these and other events at Folklore Village call (608) 924-4000.
 

BIG ISLAND RENDEZVOUS

The Big Island Rendezvous in Albert Lea, Minnesota is October 3 and 4. Performers lined up this year include Outskirts, Dick Kimmel & Co, Adam Granger, Fox Hollow, Greenwood Tree and, on Saturday afternoon, the Bone Tones. For more information call 1 (800) 658-2526.
 

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

Cajun/zydeco dancer extraordinaire Stuart Klipper, whose articles have appeared here from time to time, is having an exhibition of his photographs at the University of Iowa Museum of Art starting in September. The museum is located in Iowa City. The show is called Cardinal Points: Stuart Klipper Photographs and features color photographs from Antarctica, the rain forests of Costa Rica, Greenland, the Sinai Desert and the American Midwest. The exhibition starts September 5 and runs through October 25. An Opening Reception will held Sunday, September 13 from 12 to 5 pm, with a gallery tour at 1 pm. For more information call the museum at (319) 335-1727.
 

UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS

* September 04 - Wayne Toups & Zydecajun : BLUES FESTIVAL, PEORIA, IL
* September 04 - The Swamp Sextet : MAYSLACK'S, MINNEAPOLIS
* September 05 - The Swamp Sextet : VIKING BAR, MINNEAPOLIS
* September 05 - Grand Chien Cajun Band : BLUEJAZZ BARBEQUE FESTIVAL, MILWAUKEE (12:30 PM)
* September 06 - The Bone Tones : MUSIC FESTIVAL, ISLE VISTA CASINO, RED CLIFF, WI
* September 06 - Chicago Cajun Aces : FOX VALLEY FOLK FESTIVAL, GENEVA, IL
* September 09 - Cajun Jam : HOMESTEAD PICKIN PARLOR, RICHFIELD MN (7-9 PM)
* September 11-13 - Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys : WHEATLAND FESTIVAL, REMUS, MI
* September 12 - Potluck/Cajun Dance w/ Midway Ramblers : FOLKLORE VILLAGE, DODGEVILLE, WI
* September 12,13 - The Bone Tones : ROCK BEND FOLK FESTIVAL, ST. PETER, MN
* September 12 - ZoloGo CD Release Party : CEDAR CULTURAL CENTRE, MINNEAPOLIS
* September 18 - The Bone Tones : PARK BALLROOM, NEW PRAGUE, MN (9:00 PM)
* 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
* September 20 - The Buffalo Gals : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
* September 25 - Queen Ida : FITZGERALD'S, BERWYN, IL
* September 26 - The Swamp Sextet : NEIGHBORHOOD BAR, EFFIE, MN
* September 26 - The Bone Tones : CEDAR CULTURAL CENTRE, MINNEAPOLIS
* September 26 - Queen Ida : ELGIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, ELGIN, IL
* September 27 - New Riverside Ramblers : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
* September 30 - Midway Ramblers : FITZGERALD'S, BERWYN, IL
* October 02,03 - The Swamp Sextet : APPLEFEST MUSIC FESTIVAL, ISLE VISTA CASINO, RED CLIFF, WI
* October 03 - The Bone Tones : BIG ISLAND RENDEZVOUS, ALBERT LEA, MN (AFTERNOON)
* October 14 - Cajun Jam : HOMESTEAD PICKIN PARLOR, RICHFIELD MN (7-9 PM)
* November 07 - Upriver Fais Do Do w/ Balfa Toujours, Bone Tones : MEDINA BALLROOM, MEDINA, MN
* November 13 - Bois Sec Ardoin w/ Balfa Toujours : ELMHURST COLLEGE, ELMHURST, IL
* November 14 - Bois Sec Ardoin w/ Balfa Toujours : OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC, CHICAGO, IL
* November 28 - The Bone Tones : CEDAR CULTURAL CENTRE, MINNEAPOLIS
 

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

ARCHIMEDES

Archimedes (287 - 212 B.C.) was the ancient Greek credited with shouting "Eureka!", meaning "I have found it!" Another of his statements is often quoted in beginning physics classes: "Give me a firm spot on which to stand, and I will move the earth." He is discussing here the lever, and basic principles of mechanics show that a heavy object can be moved with a small force by proper positoning of the fulcrum. Lots of folks have been moving in recents months and others are getting ready to do so. We know of no cases where the use of a lever on the Archimeden scale was necessary. This month's quiz features songs with "move" and variations thereof in the title. Can you match the performer with the song? Answers are from notessteps@aol.com
 
 
01) SHE'S ABOUT A MOVER a) Charley Patton
02) I'M MOVING ON b) Olivia Newton-John
03) MOVE IT ON OVER c) Sir Douglas Quintet
04) MAKE A MOVE ON ME d) Wilson Pickett
05) SHE MOVES ME e) Hank Williams
06) GONE TO MOVE TO ALABAMA f) Bob Seger
07) MOVE TWO MOUNTAINS g) Hank Snow
08) MOVIN' ON UP h) Muddy Waters
09) I'M A MIDNIGHT MOVER i) Keith Frank
10) NIGHT MOVES j) Marv Johnson
 
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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.