Issue Articles
Soundcheck: Five Questions with Sean Ardoin
A fourth-generation musician, Sean Ardoin traces his lineage to Amédé Ardoin, an accordion genius and ’20s and ’30s recording artist who many believe laid the foundation for zydeco and Cajun music. […]
Music Is Freedom: Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys celebrate 30 years
There was barely room to breathe November 3 at Fred’s Lounge in Mamou, a hole-in-the-wall world-famous for beer drinking and Cajun dancing at 8 a.m. (yes, 8 a.m.), Saturdays. A […]
Hitting His Prime: Meet the crawfish-catching opera star André Courville
André Courville lives two minutes from the Atchafalaya Basin, America’s largest river swamp. At nearly one million acres, the Basin is a wildlife wonderland, home to 65 species of reptiles […]
SOUNDCHECK: Five Questions with Corey Ledet
Corey Ledet grew up in his native Houston, listening to Clifton Chenier, John Delafose and other zydeco heroes. But Ledet was also watching Bruce Lee and Kung Fu movies in […]
In Memoriam: G.G. Shinn (1939-2018)
Gregg Martinez, the soul-singing bus driver from Opelousas, Louisiana, has rubbed shoulders with the late Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes fame, Ivanka Trump and other celebrities. But Martinez says those […]
Roddie Romero and Eric Adcock Keep the Home Fires Burning
Roddie Romero spent the month of August far away from his Louisiana home. He sailed the Caribbean as a featured entertainer on Norwegian’s Cruise Line’s Grammy Experience. Romero’s festive performances […]
Philadelphia Gets a Dose of Zydeco Through the “Zydeco Crossroads” Program
Philadelphia, a city known for ’70s soul and other classic sounds, is now welcoming a groove from where crawfish got soul—zydeco. In June, Philadelphia public-radio station WXPN announced “Zydeco Crossroads”—a […]
Back Talk: Sean Ardoin on Why Zydeco Makes Him “Happy”
Will the real Sean Ardoin please stand up? Ardoin carries the most historic name in zydeco, yet he’s a chameleon of relentless reinvention that’s starting to bear big fruit. Sean […]
Soulful Collaborations: South Louisiana Musicians Team Up for Success
Put south Louisiana musicians together in impromptu jams and the Grammy Awards may break out. Such was the case two years ago, when Wilson Savoy of the Pine Leaf Boys […]
Creole United, Non Jamais Fait (Independent)
Who says rural Creole accordion music, the sound that gave birth to zydeco, has to be French songs from the early 20th century? Not Creole United, a collection of three […]
