Man..it's been a long time, IMHO, for someone, like Rick, to so eloquently put the case for Zydeco for the masses.

I , like Rick, just love my Cajun music...it's inspiring, melodic, unique and lots of other great things.. ..but above all, musical . I'm amazed and in awe of those who can play it well. And as we all know, it's also MORE than just the music.

Zydeco is a real crossover genre to my mind. It's beat and ' presence ' is infectious.

Given that, it's not that easy to reproduce....particularly for those of us who haven't grown up with it. Our band, which plays blended music Cajun/Creole/ Country/ Zydeco for specific reasons in the Aussie market, has not yet applied itself fully to genuine Zydeco..but that's gonna change...next year we'll be working up some more Zydeco..we just need to get our band members collective heads together about how to do it...the 'off the beat', the double clutchin' at times,the GROOVE, etc etc.


Zydeco is an enigma to me..it could take on a MUCH bigger presence in the world music scene....but I'm not sure , other than a few champions for the cause like Keith Frank, Geno Delafose, Chubby Carrier, etc , are , or seem willing, or know how, to take it to the next level.
It's almost like there's an unwritten confidential contract to limit it's expansion and to limit it's instructional processes...like, let's not let everyone know about it. Is that also a lack of self confidence to do so?

I was looking at a poor quality Youtube clip of Keith Frank playing in San Diego..and it summed Zydeco up for me... see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_c8GzVNALk

Just watch it all the way thru the 7 minutes or so....it's performance based music at it's best.If I'd been in that crowd I would have just loved it..and called for more.

ANYHOO....

Just my 2 cents worth..and good on ya, Rick...if you feel a little frustrated living in Texas..how d'ya think we feel over here ?

Hi Rick

there's some grapevine chatter going 'round on some Yahoo groups ... just search there disabling words as cook and cooking, maybe even dance & dancing?

fi: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/cajunzydecodance/

- Nout

I see Zydeco as a trend, whereas Cajun is an entire culture. I also notice that Zydeco bands tend to play sloppy and are more worried about image and getting the crowd in a frenzy than their music.

If there's an event where a mix of Cajun & Zydeco bands are playing live, when a Zydeco group starts playing I leave the area entirely and go find something else to do until bands like Steve Riley or Sheryl Cormier take the stage.

Right on, right one Byron! I don't listen to music that is repetitious in it's rythem and lyrics. No offense Rick but I can't stand the stuff. I went to Nicholls Swamp Stomp Saturday and Sunday where they had Cajun, zydeco, and swamp pop. You go to those dances down here and watch the white girls dry sc---- the the black guys to the same 3 chords and the same 3 words and it doesn't get more complicated than that. Rick, the difference it seems to me, is that you are an educated man participating in a pop culture that is fool of drop outs. If you will excuse the expression to me when it comes to zydeco music it is monkey see monkee do. The reason you can't get a discussion on this subject is because the people in this music scene can't put a complete sentence together. I dance to Cajun music because I like the honesty of the dance, it is just a dance, kind of like a real good hand shake, I am not trying to pick up or satisfy some sexual public desire. So, like Byron said "Cajun is an entire culture, zydeco is a trend."
Le Piquant

I didn't mean to imply that women, girls, don't do the dirty dancing with white men too, they do. I just don't want to watch it. Rick I don't know your music so I am not judging your style and love for zydeco. I don't know most of the music from that genre and so I know I am making a generalization about it. Those songs I've heard do nothing for me. And it is not just the black musicians, I wouldn't buy a Travis Mott cd and when his songs come on I turn the station, I'd rather listen to NPR then that clown.
Le Piquant

I have to say that the music that Rick creates has pretty complex rhythms, chord structure and lyrics. Rock on HipHopappotamus!!!!

That's one of my groups. It was quite active when I started it 10 years ago. The national and international community had not really communicated before that point.

There's other groups:

cajunzydecodance (moderated somewhat due to past problems)
czunmod (unmoderated except for spam)
cajun-fiddlers
cajunzydeco-lyrics
rubboard

might be one or two more.

I don't actively promote them, or urge participation.

I do urge all you folks to join, use, and contribute to cajunzydeco-lyrics though.

Lots of lyrics come through on this Bravenet list that could be saved for perpetuity on that Yahoogroups list. The lyrics could be easily found there, rather than reposting requests here for something already done in the past on this list.

I have not found the Yahoogroups to be that self-sustaining. This group tends to be, for whatever reason.

Amazing thread. Thanks Rick for stirring it up.. this one was way overdue..

All points from all sides taken well. I think we all may not have the same tastes..but what appears is that some of us would kinda agree on many of the same aspects of both genres.

Personally I think of"Zydeco Lite" as gimmicky, repetitive both in terms of lyrics and and 3 chord repetitive songs.. just plain boring and musically and lyrically inarticulate. I do however love old school Creole and Zydeco alla Clifton, Boozoo , Chubby, John D., etc.

I would find it unfair to dismiss Zydeco as being only a movement or fad in comparison with cajun culture . Their origins have more in common than many would like to admit. The recordings of Dennis M. and Amadee A. Rather than see Zydeco and Cajun compete, I'd rather see them co-exist with respective their respective fan bases.

As for a blog.. I too searched far and wide..and ever since Gary Hayman's mega Zydeco site folded ( nothing about accordions ) then Tom Q. had his bravenet for awhile.

Time for Rick to take the reins..

G.

Rick my friend, you are closer to the solution than you think, you're ripe for it and you are just the guy that can do it - click on http://pub21.bravenet.com/ start the forum that you would like to see...with a different color of course.

Dowell

Exactly! I had the same idea. Start your own forum.
I hope those zydeco musicians are not too busy crossing over or evolving or whatever. Maybe that's why we don't see them much on this board.

Nothing wrong with zydeco music BTW. Don't know much about it, but I have some music of Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis and Queen Ida... enjoyable stuff.

Dad gave the obvious answer, now what the hell is soca, konpa, and zouk?

Rick,

This is the million dollar question, really.

I think Zydeco is more accessible due to its rhythm & blues influence. I also think white people are hard-wired to love all things blues-related. For instance, I can't count the number of times I've witnessed a suburban lady yelling "wooooo-hooo!" during a boring blues guitar solo. But this is really my own hangup; I digress.

Cajun -- even "modern" Cajun music -- looks backward more than anything else, much like the Acadians themselves. This inevitably slows down any evolution of the music. Zydeco, for better of for worse, is changing much more quickly. Sometimes Cajun music is the grumpy uncle at the family reunion with his arms folded, complaining that the kids with long hair “look like girls.”

In my view, traditional Cajun, older Zydeco, and Creole are the "hard stuff"; the straight whisky. A lot of newer Zydeco (and some of the more recent goofy/tongue-in-cheek Cajun) strikes me as the Brandy Alexander of the genre; the girl drink. It's watered down with a jarring array of modern influences (hip-hop, donkeys, grunting, novelty songs, crawfish foam hats, etc.). But, hell, sometimes you want something a little less heavy. Nothing wrong with that.

You're right -- the music needs to evolve, and we can't simply write off all the new stuff as "junk". Nothing is more annoying than folk nerds who obsess over tradition and authenticity. Paradoxically, most people who do so are the furthest thing from Cajun., which boggles the mind.

I came to Cajun & Zydeco due to my French roots. There is a “straight-to-business” aspect to North American French that lends itself beautifully to drunken two-steps and sad waltzes. I personally tend to lose interest if the language isn’t there. I assume you came from a differ route, falling in love with the groove. If that's the case, Zydeco is hard to beat.

And, sad to say it, but English is the future for Louisiana music. Those who do otherwise (like myself) are romantics standing athwart history yelling “stop”.

I think you’re right to explore the Texan angle, which after all is what flavors your music. And I agree that Texas lingo and great lyrics go hand in hand. Maybe you’re beginning to reevaluate the kind of music you want to learn, write, and play. I think these are great instincts to follow.

Enjoy the ride,

Nick B.

Music or whiskey - it's still a matter of "taste."

I find I really dig (and also simply do not like) certain styles, both Cajun and Zydeco. I like a whole bunch of Swamp Pop, too. Up north here we get away with playing a bit of all three cause we're making our own gumbo anyway.

Like this site, a Zydeco-only version of this board would be a must visit for me.

Nick B very well put. The music just never has appealed to me, nor has Jimmy Hendrix and Janis Joplin. It is like Wilson Savoy said Cajun music can be blues, waltz, ballards, two step and on and on. I always wondered why when you hear zydeco playing 90% of the lyrics is the word zydeco. It's like saying we are going to a fais do do over and over again. It bores me. Now, as far as the music that is played in that genre I can sometimes hear some **** good stuff. But I don't have the interest in it enough to research it. As I said I don't know Ricks stuff but I would bet it is some real good stuff. But I have my hands full working on Cajun music to give it a chance to be critiqued.
Le Piquant

Love the analogies, advice, criticisms, underscores, and well-put opinions, and it was all done without a flame war!

I really do appreciate the Braves here that take the time to dig deep and help me look at things from all angles. I think I do get a bit landlocked here in Dallas, where there is little to no support for Louisiana music. It's tough to get gigs and I've spent nearly half of my life sharing the joy of my musical discovery with a curious public, most of them rather unappreciative. The upside to that is a handful (about a dozen) of people I have met through music have become inseparable friends and downright family.

But Dallas is a tricky market for anything outside of blues or country, and these days, cover/tribute bands. The irony is; 4 hours to the south is Houston where zydeco thrives in it's most innovative form and it's a rarity to find a zydeco or Cajun band on tour to make a stop in Dallas. Thanks Nick for giving Big D a shot!

Nick really hit the nail on the head, and even the other responses were great. Piquant, we may not always love all the same stuff at the same time, but I admire you for seeing the world through your own eyes and believing in yourself.

I may not find a lot of answers on this peachy board, but I do value the folks willing to help me figure out what questions I'm suppose to ask. Thanks again to y'all for gettin' all deep and philosophical wid' me! 'Preciate'chee~!

~R!CK

Well, heck, Nick, that bout sums it up pretty poignantly.

Mais dats right on da point or the .com.
Le Piquant

There should be a Zydeco centered forum. However, this one has sorta covered that over the years. Maybe not so much now, but it has. The question is... who is gonna put their Zydeco self out? There are more myspace and facebook sites dedicated to Zydeco bands, than there are Cajun. Way more. You'd think someone would show the initiative to make a forum dedicated to our relative music.

And how about a Creole forum??? That's a dying breed of tunes that needs to shine, too. Interweb style.

Well Got a Big Question to put on a Zydeco Forum, for a Zydeholistic expert: Where, how and with what do you wash this shirt, since i was kicked out of the laundrette when i tried to put it in a machine there ........



PS Mine is so doggone soaked with greese, beer spills and vomit from last night's Genuine Zydeco gig, that even a soup-spoon wont scrape it clean. - N