Issue Articles
No Borders: Curley Taylor has stopped getting dirty
CURLEY TAYLOR & ZYDECO TROUBLE: SUNDAY, APRIL 24—FAIS DO-DO STAGE, 11:15 A.M. It’s only early March and already zydeco accordionist Curley Taylor has braved the cold and elements to […]
Clifton Chenier, Clifton Chenier’s Rockin’ Accordion (Jasmine)
Instead of featuring selected tracks spanning an entire recording career, Clifton Chenier’s Rockin’ Accordion focuses on his first six years recording for a variety of labels from 1955 to 1960. […]
Ernest James Zydeco, Automatic Harvester (Jam Rat Records)
On the chaotic opening seconds of “Automatic”—Automatic Harvester’s standout leadoff track—it sounds as if Ernest James Zydeco (EJZ) is trying to summon up the ghost of Clifton Chenier. But when […]
Travis Matte and the Kingpins, Highly Influenced (Mhat Productions)
A few months ago, Travis Matte’s single “He Don’t Know You Like I Do” was burning up the KBON airwaves, sometimes being spun twice in a four-hour period. The slow, […]
There’s Nothing Like Chubby: Grammy Winner Chubby Carrier Isn’t Afraid to Take Chances
“Isn’t that crazy, man?” Chubby Carrier says about being in his 27th year as a zydeco accordionist, songwriter and performing front man. But since winning the Grammy in 2011 for […]
Five Questions with Festival International de Louisiane’s Volunteer Emeritus Jimmie Duhon
How did you get involved with Festival International originally? I was a member of Les Amis des Artistes, which is Friends of the Artists. And the group that was assigned […]
Tortue, Play It Loud (Latanier Music)
Who says old dudes can’t rock? As evidenced by its nine-track debut, Tortue certainly still can. The Lafayette roots rockers do so with a two-pronged attack, most saliently with the […]
Mid-City Aces, Mid-City Aces (Mid-City Aces Records)
Thanks to Dewey Balfa’s profound analogy, Cajun music is often viewed as roots and branches, where a branch later becomes a root of a future branch. The Mid-City Aces, a […]
Chris Ardoin & Nustep Zydeko, Zydeko Fever (Maison de Soul Records)
Since making his debut at Carnegie Hall at age four, Chris Ardoin has accomplished a lot. As a teenager in the ’90s, he was one of the leading lights of […]
REWIND: Buckwheat Zydeco, On a Night Like This (Island Records)
Buckwheat Zydeco’s longtime manager and producer Ted Fox reflects on launching zydeco’s first major label release. “I was a senior editor [at Audio magazine] and I started getting into […]
