Hi Tim, If you are at the festival on Sunday, come up and say HI.

I never thought of GBTB as being mostly blues. They certainly have some, and that's always been the case, hasn't it? Same with most other CZ festivals. The blues stuff is there for cross over appeal and variety, but it does not seem to be the primary emphasis. Plus, the blues bands they have often have tie ins with Zydeco. For instance, they have had Elvin Bishop, who collaborated with Clifton Chenier on an album or two back in the day.

I think it is pretty safe to say that GBTB is a festival that is created by and caters to the hardcore Zydeco dancers. I am well acquainted with the organizers, and I know that Zydeco dancing is their big thing and they are creating a festival for Zydeco dancers from all over the country. I think you could truly say that it is one of the best festivals anywhere that is by and for the true believer Zydeco fans.

It is true that there isn't much in the way of Cajun there, but that's nothing new either.

You mentioned a couple of the Cajun bands, but don't forget about my buddy Joe Fontenot! He will be there on Saturday.

First, sorry for misspelling your name.
Yes, the Bon Temps are good people. I've gone to several of their gigs around San Diego. They are Zydeco people no doubt, though there are Cajun fans among them as well. I've lately started warming to Zydeco because of those dances.
Having said that, If you look at the band line up for Gator, you'll see it's mostly blues, which represents a move in that direction from the Gator theme, but, hey, you gotta get people through the gate. If the people don't come throught the gate, the vendors don't make money. And you gotta have vendors to pay for flying the Cajun/Zydeco bands into San Diego. Blues bands are a dime a dozen, with plenty of locals.

It's just me, but I'd like to see a push towards more Cajun and Zydeco.
I'd like to see more Louisiana food and culture. In effect, I want to feel like I'm going to Southwest Louisiana for the weekend. Certainly, Fontenot is a good Cajun music family. Canray?
I love the idea that Mark Shensa will be playing his real Cajun accordion at the gate. This will give people a chance to see and hear this music up close, instead of at a distance from the stage. I brought one of my accordions to a Bon Temps dance and people actually took interest in squeezing on it. They'd never held one before!
I'm gonna have to start my own Cajun dance hall-cafe in San Diego, huh?
$12 cover charge includes dancing, a beer, and 2 links of real boudin! I'll bet there are hundreds of real Cajuns serving in the military around San Diego....

No worries about the name spelling. The two spellings are actually interchangeable. My Grandfather spelled it Sousa, but his brother spelled it Souza.

There's a whole lot of Fontenot's out there. I am sure that Joe is at least coozan to many of them. I think he told me he was originally from the Lake Charles area. I'll ask him next time I see him. I like his playing style - simple, Old School, cajun/creole.

I don't know Mark Shensa. Is he only playing on Saturday? I will only be there on Sunday. I would like to meet him.

I used to play more Cajun than I do now, but I am always thinking I should get back to it again...

Great idea on the Cafe.

I dig the old school stuff too! It's ok that Marc Savoy can play 1/64th notes, but.....
Had Mark Shensa over to the house once. He showed me some stuff I couldn't get elsewhere. One on one is great! He'll be playing at the Gator gate both days at 1:00pm according to the schedule.

OK! Racing scheduling conflict is resolved. I'll be there both days! Look forward to meeting you on Sunday Mr. Sousa. I'll be the fool walking around in the crowd with an accordion and wearing a bright yellow MULATE's T-shirt from Pont Breaux (Breaux Bridge).
13 days to go.