I was asked how I would rate Dwayne Dopsie's band, and I've never seen them. If you've had the pleasure, do you have any comments about Dwayne and his band?

If you don't want to comment on the web, you can shoot a line to sebla*is@f*rontier*net.net, but take out the asterisks first.

Merci,
S'b'B

PS - did have the pleasure of dancing to Rockin' Dopsie's band outside the Maple Leaf in '96, and ole Rockin' could get the people moving for sure!

I have not seen them myself, but I have been told that they are very good, although some of the tempos are a tad on the fast side for the dancers.

-David

I caught Dwayne is Panama City Florida and was very impressed with his playing and stage presence. He had a young white kid playing scrub and he was one of the best showmen and player I've ever seen.

I didn't care for the wierd contacts that he wore that night. He had the devil look(ha ha) with this wierd contrasting Christian motto on his accordion. I forgot exactly what it said.

The tunes he played were somewhat comtemporary.

He played a triple with the 120 bass and kicked ass.

Kirk

Hey Kirk, Dave & Steve-
Hope y'all having a good summer.
Dwayne has tried many things in his career. First time I caught him was in Boston and he was pretty much straight-ahead zydeco. It was a little on the fast side, not very funky, but the cajun dancers dug it... and that was the best I have heard him. He is technically very adroit on the 3-row stradella.

Heard him numerous times at La Strada and later the Old Opera House in the French Quarter. In an entire evening you would be lucky to hear 1 or 2 zydecos (or even a syncopation or a "rest"). It was all head-bangin' rock and rattle, way too fast to dance, way too loud to listen, and frankly not very well attended. After every song they would pass the hat. It was a bit lame.

That carrot-top who played the rub board was Leigh Harris' (Little Queenie) son, and I have heard that he is no longer with the band, having been replaced by John John - J. Paul's former scrubboard player - on his current tour.

John John is a serious zydeco player, singer & composer, so I think we can look forward to hearing better work from Dwayne in the immediate future.

Soundhound pretty much has the best evaluaion of Dwayne Dopsie. Seems he hit the nail right on the head. Plays too fast for dancers and is very hard on his accordions which require repairs often which he does not pay for when he can get away with it. Too Bad for him!!

I caught Dwayne a couple of years ago at Skipper's Smokehouse here in Tampa. Obviously a HIGHLY talented player, BUT at that time, just a bit too hyper and frantic in his playing style for my likes. As stated by several others here, the dancers had a very difficult time keeping up with him and his band. He was wearing those eerie contacts then too....

Tanks youze guyz for the straight-ahead evaluations.

Sounds like an ace on the 3-row, but you'd want to see what he's currently up to before recommending him for a concert venue.

People like all different kinds of music, but when presenting music to the public, it's best to communicate what they're going to get as accurately as possible (but y'all know that).
S'b'B