I'm certain that Darryl from Australia can give the last name.

Zydeco Joe the Dancer has to be THE BEST Zydeco dancer I have ever seen!

Yeah..he's a guy calling himself Dancin' Zydeco Joe....he's a real character and as Joanie says...the BEST Zydeco dancer you'll ever see.

DZJ..or Joe Citizen..is a good friend....and we communicate with each other quite a bit. He plays Rubboard with great Creole Accordion player Mr. Goldman Thibodeaux and The Lawtell Playboys, but he also freelances with almost every other Louisiana Zydeco, Creole and Cajun band that's worth mentioning.....Pine Leaf Boys, Joe Hall, Jeffrey Broussard, and so on.

Joe is a LEGEND in the area bounded by Opelousas, Lafayette, Eunice and more.
He also assistson air on a radio show with John Broussard on KRVS out of Lafayette ( LSU )..show is called Zydeco Sont Pas Sale...can be heard on line....

A gentle, warm human being with a GREAT sense of rhythm...and when it comes to Zydeco dancing he's able to put it ALL together in a space about 3 feet square..it's just SO good to watch and his lady partners better be good ..and they almost always are.
A great lesson in Zydeco dancin' where economy of motion is the thing....you don't have to flail your arms about or jump about..just coooool !

Darryl, Australia.

The best rubboard player I ever witnessed was "Zydeco Mike" Mike Chiasson from Chubby Carrier's Zydeco Swamp Band -- I met him back in the mid 90's and he showed me some basic rhythms that got me started playing the board. Louisiana has some amazingly gifted musicians at every turn; taking their talents for something like just another natural everyday occurrence. Big up, LA.

R!CK

Yeah Rick..if it's the same guy you're talking about...we saw him at a gig in Ft Lauderdale with Chubby and the band..Joanie was there too.

..he also has a party trick...during the gig he comes to stage front while Chubby gets him to down a full bottle of Tabasco sauce..like slammin' down a beer....hoooey!...the man can play rubboard and the Tabasco didn't slow him down, that's for sure!!...must have a throat and stomach made of cast iron!

BTW..I've NEVER seen a bigger impact band than Chubby and The Bayou Boogie Band..hooey..seemed like they had about 1000 in the huge tent and twice as many outside trying to get in.....LOUD...ear plugs...all that...but it was fantastic...and can Chubby play that 3 row or what?..a real throaty growl to it.
Pity his records are unable to reproduce that LIVE magic!

D.

Right on Darryl! Well you ARE in luck -- if you like Chubby Carrier's live show, he just released a live CD -- "Live at Knucklehead's" in Kansas City. Chubby sent me a copy earlier this month and it clearly captures that element which you speak of. It's a total party disc and every tune on it pops like a can of Foster's. Without a doubt, when it comes to zydeco, there is no tighter band on the planet than Chubby's... and Chubby's prowess on the 3-row is unmatched. The CD is available at Louisiana Music Factory and Amazon.

R!CK

Andrew Cormier talked about Zydeco Joe this last Sunday when we were visiting. Must be Dancin' Joe, cause Andre' said he played rub-board. Andre' is from Eunice originally.

Gene,
Thank for sharing that. I'm glad I had a chance to see it. Whether or not I agree with it is a different matter. You can't please everybody on this board. If somebody wants to get offended because you disagree with them, that's their problem, and not your fault. I don't think you need to apologize.
Warm regards,
Claude

LOL...frankly, I don't give a 'rats' about the lyrics or the event..

BUT......just get a load of that GREAT music and that GROOOOVE....man, I'm just gonna go get my accordion and work on it...make a gittar and drum beat backing track on the mini disc player, play it back thru my amp, then play with myself !!!!

Great Youtube post Gene!!

Darryl., Australia.

Ah ok I see what you're getting at. Yeah Dirk can't speak on behalf of the French population because for one, isn't he from Virginia, or West Virginia, Kentucky, somewhere in that area? For two, the Balfas are from the praries around Eunice and Mamou, and that's only a portion of the French speaking people. So yeah I understand what you're saying.

I for one didn't see anything that said they were speaking for all the Cajun people. I did see a room full of Americans expressing their views, which is their right. I appreciate LePiquant's frustration after Viet nam but to take away American rights because they are not Cajun seems wrong to me. The name calling is something that also shows frustration, especially when behind, and I think is precisely what is wrong with McCain's campaign. It is not what goes into a mouth that defiles one but what comes out of it.
Unfortunately this is why politics probably don't belong on a music forum. The times of polite political discourse are, unfortunately, a thing of the past.

Try being a Democrat in the South for a few years, then you can talk about what it's like to have other people speaking on your behalf.

One of the things you learn from that experience is that you have to live next to and work with people who hold different political beliefs from yours.

You either decide to deal with it or you take your ball and go home.

But if you go home, it's a sure bet that you won't be missed.

I, for one, don't care what anyone on this board does. Boycott Balfa Camp if you want. Heck, boycott all Louisiana Folk Roots events, too. And if you don't like the name change, boycott Festivals Acadiens et Creoles while you're at it.

Don't buy any of the albums from any of the people in that video. But while you're at it, don't buy any of Michael Doucet's albums either. And you'd better boycott the Pine Leaf Boys too, since Wilson Savoy admits to being a Democrat on his Facebook page. And you'd better check on his daddy's political beliefs before you attend another jam at the Savoy Music Center--for all you know, he might be voting for Obama, too.

When you're sitting at home playing with yourself, that'll really show 'em!

Wilson has a facebook? Gonna have to find him

I think, with all the flack going on, my ole pal Peer & my poorself will have to hire body guards and wear sunglasses & bulletproof vests as defense against what might be coming out of the Bush unexpectedly; with the Crooks we got a Demonocratic Party gig at 5 AM on the 5th of November in The Hague; guess they're gonna have some party-ing there to do then. - But maybe we shouldn't play no Cajun & stick to Country Blues, Ragtime and Jazzy stuff in hopes not to offend anyone ..... - Nout

Boy it'll be nice when the election is over and we're all just regular folk again huh?

Hey here is the original message Dirk sent.
Andrea -

Wanted to spread the word about the pro-Obama music video we will be
shooting at the Whirlybird tomorrow afternoon and evening. The song, "Oui,
On Peut," which translates as "Yes We Can," was written by myself and
Christine. The band will feature top local Creole and Cajun musicians. The
idea is to get the video up on youtube and other outlets to show how deeply
Obama's message of unity resonates with the French speaking areas of
Louisiana and to offer our support in the way we know best -- through music
and dance.

We're going to try to film at around 6 p.m. Friday Oct 17.

Thanks,
Dirk

I have plenty of experience and I have worked for some of the people that moved here from out of state and I have enjoyed their company and hope to be able to continue to enjoy their company. I have listened to Rush and Hannity as I worked on their homes and we never once had an issue of it. I have no interest in knowing what their political views are but I know what some of their beliefs are and I therefore am able to guess with a certain high percent of certainty what their political views are. I still like almost all the people I have met in the last few years in the Lafayette area and look forward to listening and playing music with them. Have your beliefs and vote for whom ever but, don't tell me your going to show everyone that you want to show "how deeply Obama's message resonates with the french speaking community in Louisiana". Well it didn't resonate with me and didn't resonate with a lot of other people. I don't care that the Pine Leaf Boys or Marc Savoy or Steve Riley wants to celebrate the song and political message. They didn't send out the e-mail and they have a right to their views I have no issue with that. Finally I won't be home playing by myself because I am not the only one that took issue with this issue.

Le Piquant

I will listen to Rush, I will listen to Hannity, then turn on NPR or Stern or Jim Hightower, etc. I listen to them all. Closing my mind to ANY opinion is not my style. I like to get all the information I can from every viewpoint, then I will make up my mind. Sure, I tend to fall on the "liberal" side, but that is my family culture. My Gr-grandmother was a sufferagette, my gr-grandfather worked in the executive branch under Roosevelt. My Dad was a career Air Force and I know well the despicable treatment many of out uniformed forces received in the 70's. I have friends both conservative and liberal and we get along fine (most of the time). You gotta choose your battles. I don't think this little video is a battle worth fighting over. So Chill out.

After more correspondence I have ended my boycott of Balfa Camp. And to put this issue to rest it was never about the song. It was about the promotion of it.

Le Piquant

WHEW! Good news indeed. Time for a beer or two. Jerry's buying of course.

Kirk Menier

Le piquand or whom ever you are.

Question: Would you have posted your original

message, had you use your real name?, honestly .

I doubt it.

Stir a little polemic hiding behind a pseudonym ,not

nice!


Claude.

OOPS, sorry Gerry, I got confused, actually I was ansering to another forum, Duh!. Sorry. Claude.

I like the song. But, I don't like the lyrics. And I am not for any Party. No side taking for me. Why doesn't everyone just chill and believe in the "Party with a keg of beer".

Hey hey,
awesome video...thanks Gene!
Man, what a sweet mix of musicians. Jeffery is smoking on the accordion. Lord Allmighty.
I thought it was very positive and can't find a thing to complain about. Keeping it positive.
These musicians have every right to speak out about something they feel strongly about.
Even if you are of a different political thinking, the video was chock full of our favorite musicians that represent the genre and was presented with a positive vibe.
Who's playing fiddle?
Kirk

Linzay Young from the Red Stick Ramblers.

He's the singer in this song here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLZIbBrV-vs