Mardi Gras is upon us! March 8 in 2011. If you’re looking for some LIVE Cajun/zydeco/New Orleans/swamp pop music in Michigan, you’re in luck!
Maison Bleue plays for a Mardi Gras party in Dearborn at the Dearborn Hills Golf Course banquet hall at 1300 S. Telegraph Rd. The party is from 3:30 to 9:00 pm, Maison Bleue plays from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. There is also a student band playing from 3:30 to 4:45 pm. This party is a fundraiser for the Dearborn Education Foundation. Tix are $25 at the door. Info at 313-827-8790. Also included with your admission ticket is a very tasty Cajun buffet. It’s all I can do to get the band back playing instead of going back for more chow!
If you’re on the east side of Detroit (or even if you aren’t), you may want to check out Monsieur Guillaume & His Zydeco Hepcats as they play at the Cadieux Cafe at 4300 Cadieux Road in Detroit. That party starts at 8:00 pm or thereabouts. No cover charge, and no reservations needed, although the Cafe does say that if you have a party of 8 or more folks, please do call and make a reservation. Call 313-882-8560 for reservations or more info. Presumably, one could make it to both the Dearborn and Detroit Mardi Gras gigs if one were so inclined! If you do make it to the Cadieux Cafe, remind them that it’s spelled “Zydeco Hepcats” instead of “Zydaco Hepcats” as they have on their online schedule!
Also, although it’s not near Detroit but up in Elk Rapids (north of Traverse City) in Michigan’s lower peninsula, one could catch the Saucecats at a Mardi Gras party at Pearl’s New Orleans Kitchen. It’s at 617 Ames St. in Elk Rapids. No cover charge, no reservations needed. Call 231-264-0530 for more info.
Alan previously posted info about the MG party with Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas and Creolization at The B.O.B. in Grand Rapids, so scroll down for that info.
Posted by Garry
Tags: Cadieux Cafe, Cajun music, Creolization, dancing, Dearborn, Dearborn Hills Golf Course, Detroit, Elk Rapids, Grand Rapids, Maison Bleue, Mardi Gras, Monsieur Guillaume and His Zydeco Hepcats, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, Pearl's New Orleans Kitchen, Saucecats, The B.O.B., zydeco dancing
I don’t know about any of the other MG parties, but Maison Bleue passed a great time playing at the Dearborn party! I made a comment there that it seemed they had their most people ever at that party, and someone confirmed that. While they didn’t have a dance floor set up, we had a number of folks who were dancing and having a good time. As usual, it was the kids who were less inhibited to play our extra “noisemaker” instruments (tambourines, maracas, claves, frottoir, etc). And there were even a few young gals there from Dearborn High School who talked me into putting a doubloon into the MG hat representing their school. I asked them if I could put the doubloon into the hat from Fordson HS (also in Dearborn) since Fordson HS has an old Fordson tractor in its lobby (and their sports teams are nicknamed the “Tractors” http://fhs.dearbornschools.org/About/The_Tractor_Mascot) but they were good saleswomen for their school and I ended up placing the doubloon into the Dearborn HS hat.
Oh, I forgot to mention–once again the Cajun food buffet was tres magnifique! I loaded up a bowl with samplings of several different dishes. One of the things I like about the food they serve at the Dearborn MG party is the fact they don’t “dumb it down” by taking out all of the spices. It’s nicely spiced, with great flavor. I was tempted to take a food container to sneak some of that food home, but I didn’t want to be gauche, so I didn’t!