For a listing of Mardi Gras Parties in the Detroit Metro Area starting tonight, Saturday, March 5th, through Fat Tuesday, March 8th, take a look at this website:
http://www.after5detroit.com/a5/features/mardi-gras-party-guide-3.html
Posted by Alan.
The B.O.B. (Big Old Building) is hosting its annual Mardi Gras party on Fat Tuesday, March 8th, with music, contests, dancing, and food & drink specials.
The party begins at 3:30 in the afternoon, and runs on ’till closing time. Admission is free.
The B.O.B.
20 Monroe Ave N W
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Free admission; Event begins at 3:30PM; Info: (616) 356-2000
Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas @ 6pm (LA Zydeco)
Creolization @4pm (MI Zydeco)
Posted by Alan.
Mardi Gras is Tuesday, March 8, this year, but you can get a head start on Mardi Gras this weekend. Friday, March 4, sees Creole du Nord take to the stage at the Dream Nite Club in Ann Arbor for an MG party. $10 admission (ladies $5 until 10:00 pm), live music by CdN begins at 10:00 pm. The Dream Nite Club is at 314 S. Fourth Ave. in downtown Ann Arbor, MI. Call 734-222-4522 for more info.
Then on Saturday, March 5, Monsieur Guillaume & His Zydeco Hepcats play a Mardi Gras party at the Bayou Grill in Belleville, MI. Party time is 8:00 pm. You want to attend this event with an empty stomach so you can fill up on some Cajun food there! The Bayou Grill is at 404 E. Main St. in downtown Belleville. More info at 734-697-2300. For a landmark, look for the huge alligator on the roof of the Bayou Grill.
And if that’s not enough CZ music for you in one weekend, you can catch Creole du Nord again on Sunday, March 6, as they play their regular 6-8 pm Sunday gig at the Passport Restaurant & Lounge at 3776 S. State St. in Ann Arbor. Info: 734-222-1111.
C.J. Chenier played the Dream Nite Club in Ann Arbor, MI, on Saturday, February 26, and sadly there wasn’t much of a crowd there to enjoy his music. I was honored that my band, Maison Bleue, got to play a 30-minute opening set before C.J. went on stage with his band, and it was nice to hear that C.J.’s rubboard player, Clifford Alexander, really liked our set!
5/6 of the Red Hot Louisiana Band at the Dream Nite Club: Mike Morris, Tim Betts, C.J. Chenier, Clifford Alexander, Glen Griffin (photo by Jeff Boerger)
The Dream Nite Club is set up nicely for dancing–it just needed some more zydeco dancers to crowd the floor! At least everyone who was there looked like they were passing a good time.
C.J. Chenier & Clifford Alexander at the Dream Nite Club (photo by Jeff Boerger)
C.J. Chenier at the Dream Nite Club (photo by Jeff Boerger)
Anyway, the Dream Nite Club is hosting a Mardi Gras party on Friday, March 4, with local band Creole du Nord. Y’all should go and check that out.
Update: Maison Bleue’s frottoirist, Mary, got to play a couple of tunes with the Red Hot Louisiana Band. Thanks to MB’s guitarist Kip Godwin for the cellphone picture of Mary on stage with CJ.
Maison Bleue's frottoirist Mary rubs along with the Red Hot Louisiana Band (photo by Kip Godwin)
Tonnerre mes chiens! It’s zydeco and Cajun music feast time in southeastern Michigan the weekend of February 25/27.
Friday, February 25 gives dancers (or just listeners) a choice. If you’re near Ann Arbor (or maybe not so near) go and check out local band Creole du Nord as they play at The Ark. It’s a benefit for BreakFast 2011, for the St. Andrews Church breakfast program. The Ark is at 316 S. Main St. in downtown Ann Arbor. Tix are $30, doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7:00 pm. There are other (non-CZ) acts appearing, too. Info: 734-761-1800 (days), 734-761-1818 (evenings).
Or, maybe you’re closer to Hamtramck on the 25th. If so, head on over to Kelly’s Bar & Grille at 2403 Holbrook St for a Mardi Gras party with Monsieur Guillaume & His Zydeco Hepcats. Showtime is 9:30 pm, and there’s no cover charge. Traditional New Orleans style food is on the menu for his party, not to mention party favors and dancing! Info: 313-872-0387.
Then on Saturday, February 26, it’s time to head on over to Ann Arbor for sure as C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band rocks zydecos (or would it be zydecoes?) the Dream Nite Club at 314 S. Fourth Ave. in downtown Ann Arbor. Tix are $25 at the door (rumor is they may only be $20, the advance ticket price, at the door), and doors open at 8:30 pm. Local band Maison Bleue (humorously renamed Maison Bleue–the Ice Cold Michigan Band just for this gig due to the recent cold & snowy weather in southeast Michigan) open with a 30-minute set at 9:30 pm. Large dance floor. Info: 734-222-4522.
Frottoirists Mary (Maison Bleue) & Clifford Alexander (Red Hot Louisiana Band)
Finally, on Sunday, February 27 you can go and catch Creole du Nord at the Passport Restaurant & Lounge at 3776 S. State St. in Ann Arbor. CdN plays from 6 to 8 pm, a great time to do some dancing along with eating dinner. They’re also playing at the Passport on March 6, 13, 20, & 27, and on April 17. The Passport seems to be trying to promote lots of different kinds of dancing, so keep encouraging them in that direction!
Answer to previous trivia question: Both Buckwheat Zydeco (aka Stanley Dural, Jr.) and C.J. Chenier played in Clifton Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band, although at different times. Kip provided a few more details with his comment to that particular post in which that trivia question was posed.
Aiyeeee!!! The Wheatland Music Organization has their annual Mardi Gras party on Saturday, February 19, with local Cajun music band Back Bayou providing the tunes. Yes, we know Mardi Gras is really on March 8 in 2011, but since folks can celebrate other holidays more than once (witness “Christmas in July”) they can also celebrate Mardi Gras more than once a year. Any excuse to party is a good excuse, especially if it’s to good Cajun or zydeco music, n’est-pas?
Anyway, the dance party is in the Gladys Wernette building on the grounds of the WMO, located at 7251 50th Avenue, Remus, Michigan. It’s about 20 miles west of Mt. Pleasant. There’s a potluck dinner at 6:00 pm, followed by the dance at 7:30. Don’t forget to wear your Mardi Gras costume! Info: 989-967-8879.
Heeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy, Baby! The next week or so is a good time to listen to zydeco music in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area, as Buckwheat Zydeco and C.J. Chenier (more about C.J. in just a bit) both visit tree-town.
Buckwheat Zydeco - Lay Your Burden Down - Grammy winner!
Stanley “Buckwheat Zydeco” Dural, Jr., plays The Ark in A2 (that’s slang for Ann Arbor, for those who may not know) on Wednesday, February 16. Doors open at 7:30, showtime is 8:00 pm. Tickets are $20. As far as I can recall, this is the first time The Ark has hosted a zydeco act, although they have had Cajun music acts previously. BTW, The Ark is at 316 S. Main St. in A2. Info: 734-761-1800/734-761-1451.
Mr. Dural has been playing zydeco music for a long time. I have several of his zydeco LPs (i.e., old-fashioned vinyl records) from the late 1970s/early 1980s. He recently won a Grammy in the “Best Cajun/Zydeco Music Album” category for his latest recording, “Lay Your Burden Down.”
On February 26, C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band come to Ann Arbor to play at the Dream Nite Club, 314 S. Fourth Ave.
C.J. Chenier at Dream Nite Club
Doors open at the Dream Nite Club at 8:30 pm on February 26, show starts at 9:30 pm with local band Maison Bleue playing a 30-minute set, followed by C.J. Chenier. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Info: 734-222-4522.
Creole du Nord also plays The Ark on February 25, but that’s for another post.
Trivia question: Besides both playing piano-key zydeco accordion, both Buckwheat Zydeco and C.J. Chenier have something in common. They both played in the same zydeco band with a famous zydeco headliner, although in different years. Whose band was that? (Answer later.)
Aiyeeee!!!! If you don’t get enough zydeco dancing to C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band at CMU’s “A Night of Louisiana” on Saturday night, head on over to Auburn Hills, MI, on Sunday, January 30 when C.J. plays at Callahan’s Music Hall. Callahan’s is at 2105 South Boulevard, and their phone is 248-858-9508. Callahan’s is billing this as a “Mardi Gras Tune Up Party.”
Doors open at 6:30 pm, tix are $13 to $15 (not sure of what the difference is), and show time is 8:00 pm.
As a special bonus, the local Detroit-area band Monsieur Guillaume & His Zydeco Hepcats open for monsieur Chenier. The Hepcats take the stage at 8 pm, so don’t be late!
Hé toi! This Saturday, January 29 marks the 20th Anniversary of Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, MI’s “A Night of Louisiana.” CMU always has a Cajun and a zydeco band to celebrate the “night.” This year they’ve got C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band (zydeco) and the Lost Bayou Ramblers (Cajun) to play for your dancing pleasure.
It’s $20 admission, doors open at 6 pm, show starts at 7 pm, and tickets are available at the door. You can pre-order a Cajun dinner for $9.95. The event is in Finch Fieldhouse on the CMU campus. BTW, there is a large dance floor! (Obviously, it’s in the fieldhouse!)
In case you don’t know, C.J. Chenier (extra points for anyone who knows what the “C.J.” stands for without having to look it up) is one of the top zydeco performers of the modern time. He’s following in the footsteps of his father, Clifton, who was known as the “King of Zydeco.” C.J. started playing saxophone in his father’s band in the early 1980s, then took over on the accordion when Clifton’s health started to fail.
The Lost Bayou Ramblers are a bunch of young guys from Louisiana who sound like an old-timey Cajun band from 50 or more years ago. They play straight, traditional Cajun music.
The bottom line is, if you can’t dance to either of these bands, you’re either really, really drunk, or really, really dead!
I just received an email from Mark Palms of Creole du Nord. His band (Creole du Nord) is playing at the Passport Restaurant and Lounge at 3776 S. State St. in Arbor, MI, on Sunday, January 23. Go and check it out! This is what the email said:
COME DANCE TO THE HAPPIEST MUSIC ON EARTH with “Mark Palms & Creole du Nord”! CAJUN, ZYDECO, SWING, LINE DANCE w/instruction. SUNDAY, JANUARY 23 (6-8pm) at the Passport Restaurant & Lounge, 3776 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48108.
Fun! Fun! Fun! Great exercise! Make new friends! Singles welcome! All ages welcome! “I’ve never danced before” welcome!
I must confess to never having been to the Passport Restaurant, but from their web page it looks like they specialize in international cuisine. It also appears they’re trying to have some regular dance events. So go and check it out and send me a report on the event! (I’m still under the weather and so won’t be able to attend.)
Also, just to mark your calendars, Creole du Nord is playing at The Ark in Ann Arbor on Friday, February 25.