Music
Ghalia & Mama’s Boys, “Let the Demons Out” (Ruf Records)
Like so many aspiring European roots musicians, Ghalia Vauthier got hooked on American blues and rock ’n’ roll as a teenager, in her native Belgium. Since many a song referenced […]
Balfa Week: A guaranteed cultural immersion
Hey, you aspiring Cajun fiddlers and budding zydeco accordionists, don’t count on this year’s Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week mirroring what it looked like last year. Under the […]
Creole United, “Tu Kekchause A’ Korrek: Volume II” (Zydekool Music)
As Sean Ardoin will proudly attest, Creole United is not a band but a movement to unite Creole artists, create new material merging the old and new and incorporate the […]
The Malvinas, “God Bless the Grass” (Soona Songs)
It’s not easy being a folk trio when your furthest members, Breaux Bridge resident Gina Forsyth and Canadian Beth Cahill, live 1,650 miles apart (in between is Texas refugee Lisa […]
Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble, “Rise Up” (Louisiana Soul Records)
If some of these tunes sound vaguely familiar, there’s good reason. Only five tracks on Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble’s fifth CD are new; the rest (“Country Boy,” “Zydeco Cutie,” […]
Joel Savoy, Kelli Jones, Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, “Farewell, Alligator Man” (Valcour Records)
Grand Ole Opry star and Mamou native Jimmy C. Newman (1927–2014) enjoyed a fruitful, eight-decade country music career that incorporated his Cajun identity into his music. This heartfelt tribute is […]
J.J. Caillier, “Bad as I Wanna Be” (Caillier Records)
Ever since Boozoo Chavis and Beau Jocque staged their faux zydeco battle in 1994, over-the-top self-promotion hype has become the norm, which adds to the spirit of zydeco. J.J. Caillier’s […]
Harry Trahan, “Coeur et Âme” (Independent)
79-year-old Harry Trahan was once a workhouse accordionist in his younger days, playing four-hour gigs several nights a week for years before semi-retiring to play informal family parties. More than […]
Cat Head Biscuit Boys, “Cat Head Biscuit Boys” (Valcour Records)
Though the Cat Head Biscuit Boys’ eponymously titled debut is a mere four-song EP, it’s nonetheless an intriguing cross-section of the band’s eclecticism and versatility. As evidenced by “Diamond Joe,” […]
Terry and the Zydeco Bad Boys, “Allons Zydeco” (Lockdowne Records)
Allons Zydeco, the fourth album from Terry and the Zydeco Bad Boys, expands upon the groundwork laid on 2014’s Back on Track. And once again, the interlocking rhythm section of […]
