When I break out the fiddle, quaranteed someone'll shout out Devil Went Down To Georgia. When I break out the accordion, around here, most people just stare trying to figure out what it is. Although once, I strapped on the box, and someone shouted out Free Bird. Told him thanks, but in my town, I'm not allowed to keep poultry. This could be fun, what was you're weirdest request, and what did you say?

Steve

i have heard some accordion players play free bird on the accordion before.

i think travis matte recorded free bird

wle.

That would be "Tuesday's Gone". Did a great job at that one, too.

R!CK

Seriously, we were playing at a company party, playing a lot of full tilt Zydeco, and this lady asks us if we could play a Minnie Riperton song. I think we just kinda stared at her with our mouths hanging open for a few seconds, and then said, "Sorry, we don't have any of her songs in our repertoire at the moment".

She wasn't just goofing on us - she really expected us to play one. And we didn't even have any females in the group.

That was just weird.

-David

Most people here are not familiar with Cajun or Zydeco music. A very good Cajun Band from here (Cajun Company) played somewhere in Holland.
During a break, somebody came to the band and ask if they also can play dance-music.

"please go on"

Gus

During a Ray Abshire show in Denmark a couple of years ago, a biker guy walked up next to the stage and talked to Ray. All we could hear was Ray's answer: "Sorry, we don't do Dueling Banjos"

/Gunnar

Not really weird. "That's Amore"

The thing that was really weird about this was the attitude I got because I couldn't play it.

Being Texas, I seem to always get requests for The Westfalia Waltz and Waltz Across Texas. At least it's things I know. Then there is "The Eyes of Texas", done in Cajun style it's pretty good.

Reminds me of the Blues Brothers playing Rawhide and Stand by Your Man. Gotta please the bar owner and the customers.

Anybody been asked to play Dixie? That's my high school fight song.

Pleasing the bar owners and customers - it is an interesting question. Of course we want to please the audience as much as possible, but how far do we go before we draw the line?

-David

when I was in my Irish band, Rossnareen, we took that to a new level of stupid and annoying

I played piano accordion and penny whistle in that band and had to wing it every gig with about five U2 covers, three Van Morrison covers, eight Saw Doctors covers (I currently HATE the Saw Doctors), etc.

We couldn't just stick to "Whiskey in the Jar", "Wild Rover", "Greenland Whale Fisheries", "Seven Drunken Nights", etc, etc.

Thus one of the many reasons I don't play with Rossnareen anymore.

We quote a lot of popular tunes in our set. Freebird is one of them. For about 8 measures, we take the rocking part of Freebird and stick it in the middle of a zydereggaesque tune. We also tag and blend other tunes such as Hendrix's "Fire", Foghat's "Slow Ride", The Dickies' "Nobody But Me", and Led Zep's "Whole Lotta Love." There's a mess of others in the works.

In Dallas, we've quickly realized that very few audience members are either familiar with zydeco or have been to Louisiana other than a drunken weekend on Bourbon Street. Needless to say, most of the weirdest requests come from drunken potheads or people who just don't understand what kind of a band we are. We often get neo-country Nash Vegas requests as well as Jackson 5, Metallica, and Paul Simon. Needless to say, this provides us with plenty of ammo when it comes to picking covers, not to mention songwriting.

My debut CD with the Zydeco Stingrays should be in my hands in about 5 hours today. It's testimony to our mission to be a diverse band with textures employing Cajun, 80's pop, reggae, metal, alt-rock, and hip-hop -- all done with a zydeco twist.

Being in a band is a real kick -- and so is playing the Cajun accordion in an area where most folks don't know what the hell to call it -- much less the music we play.

It's all good.... R!CK

if ye ever play in Germany, Lilly Marlene works ...nout

Hey, Nout... look, here's five bucks! Do y'all know 99 Luftballons? Or how 'bout Autobahn? Can y'all play that for me? [cough cough]

R!CK

well Rick, i must confess i dunno them tunes, let alone play them .... but i do know a a Belgian composition, and the composer died recently & rich from the royalties. I think at least every body will love you for playing it, when you got the next gig in any nut house, looney pen, psychic resort or whatever one calls them places: chicken dance. I tried it, especially for you on a cajun box: it works! - also the main Laurel & Hardy theme if you wanna stay a little closer to home - nout

devil went down -=people always want this for some reason
wle.

I got asked to play 50 Cent. I'd like to see anyone pull that off on any kind of accoridon!

Didn't mean to imply if the request was a good song or a bad one, just weird given the circumstances. It's fun to throw in something from left field. - I do it all the time. But, there seems to be 'standards' that are shouted out, depending on where you live.
For a time in NJ, you could count on chants of Bruuuccce. Used to joke that I knew when I crossed into Connecticut, because Free Bird would be on the radio. But, you do get some weird requests. The winner so far, has to be asking Ray Absire for Dueling Banjos.
Kinda funny and sad at the same time dept.: With the Irish band, I was lugging in my equipment, and someone came up and asked if we were the DJ.
Arrrr


Steve

In Kansas ya get some strange ones... the most common being "do you know "Mama's got a squeezebox, Daddy never sleeps at Night?"
Then there was the time we were loading in at a rural roadhouse and the regulars at the bar asked "do ya'll play country, or Bluegrass?"
My reply, of course, "We play a mix of both".
We've also had people ask for "sea chanties" and irish tunes... I can't remember the names of the songs...
Best request from a drunk guy trying to impress some drunk woman, "Here's $20 to play her "Happy Birthday". Believe it or not, this has happened twice. Needless to say, we played it with gusto!

Not realy a request, but I was trying to form a Cajun band, a drummer said he was interested, so i explained what i had in mind, after my explanation he told me he couldn`t wait to play those Dubliners songs.

A guitarist told me he realy liked that Tex Mex I was playing...and that was after I played Bosco Stomp.

Maybe I need more practice in both, explaining and playing



Wilfred

It used to be "Play Hey Momma I'm Still your Little Boy". And we tell people we don't play anything by anyone who is still alive.

Then it was "Cornbread". Got around that one by claiming I am too white.

No one has asked for Vibrator but when they do I'll have to go back to the still alive excuse.

Or I could just tell the truth....

In Cajun Music I have found what I love and hate the most and you can hear it all side by side on the radio with no distinction between one and the other.

"In Cajun Music I have found what I love and hate the most and you can hear it all side by side on the radio with no distinction between one and the other."

Very well put, Cory!

You ever get asked to play "Knock Knock Knockin on the Bedroom Door"?

It's always a surprise to the crowd when you play a good Happy Birthday! Nathan Abshire used to do it so well, and it made people feel good.

Octa Clark did a good Happy Birthday.

I like Beau Jocque's version. It has gone over well at many, many gigs.

-David