I just found out that Creole du Nord is playing at Thumbfest in Lexington, MI, on Saturday, August 31. They are playing from 12:15 to 1:00 pm on the Virginia McNabb Realtor stage (outside the Lion’s Hall at Huron & Washington), From 3:00 to 3:45 pm at the Marty & Ruth Habalewsky Workshop area (on the north side of Huron between Washington and Dallas), and from 5:45 to 6:30pm on the Lexington DDA Harbor Stage (George Stewart Stage at the Harbor in Tierney Park). Go and check it out!
–Bayou Joe
Aiyeeee!!! You can actually get to dance to Cajun/zydeco music in the southeast Michigan area twice this Labor Day 2013 weekend. On Saturday, August 31, Monsieur Guillaume & His Zydeco Hepcats play at 11:15am (until around 12:30pm) on the FirstMerit Bank International Stage at the Arts Beats & Eats festival in Royal Oak, Michigan. There is a $3 fee to enter the festival before 3pm, plus you most likely will have to pay to park. Do NOT park where you’re not supposed to, or else expect a $50 ticket! You also can not bring in chairs or your own food or beverages. (What!? Dancers can’t bring their own water bottles?) It’s also sort of amusing that the festival puts a zydeco band on the “international” stage. Um, haven’t the Arts Beats & Eats folks heard that zydeco music is from Louisiana, and Louisiana is a part of the United States? Although, if you’ve ever visited southern Louisiana, it can almost seem sometimes like it is a different country.
Then on Sunday, September 1, head over to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for their annual Dancing in the Streets. The city of Ann Arbor shuts down S. Main St. around Washington and Liberty Streets between 2pm and 7pm, and there are several areas where you can try out different kinds of dancing. There’ll be swing, contra, folk, waltz, English Country dancing (no, it’s nothing like “American” country dancing), even some Polynesian dancing and a Charleston workshop. And for folks like me, there is the pièce de résistance with Creole du Nord playing Cajun and zydeco music on Main St. between 5:30 and 6:30pm. Susan Filipiak will be giving some Cajun dancing lessons, also. Dancing in the Streets is free, parking in downtown Ann Arbor is free on Sundays, and you can bring your own chairs and water, although you probably won’t need the chair because you’ll be dancing, right? Check out the DITS schedule at http://aactmad.org/dits/.
Bayou Joe
OK, so I haven’t posted anything here since October 2011. Well, it’s like this… In October of 2011, I had a knee replaced due to its deterioration from past athletic injuries. Then, after the surgery, I had about 7 months of heavy-duty physical therapy in order to get the new knee joint to bend again. It took 14 months to wean myself off narcotic pain-killers. I had to slowly reduce the dosage to avoid some unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. While I was on the narcotics, I found it impossible to learn to play any new tunes for most of that time, whether on accordion or piano. It was also difficult to play tunes I already knew. I also took three months off work, and during that time I was either using a walker or crutches, so I didn’t feel like picking up any accordions. When I did try to play piano, I had to sit sideways, like Jerry Lee Lewis, because of the difficulty I had bending my knee.
About six months after the surgery, I began to tentatively dance a little. Irish Ceili dancing was too hard, as I couldn’t move my replaced knee fast enough, and that leg had trouble going behind the other leg to dance Irish “sevens.” I could do some contra dancing, though, and that helped my mind a lot. But for some reason I just couldn’t bring myself to write in this blog. Maybe it was a sort of “sour grapes” feeling I had, where if I couldn’t really participate in playing music or dancing then I didn’t want to write about it.
Well, anyway, I’m back now. So is my Cajun/zydeco band, Maison Bleue. We have a gig playing at Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Top of the Park on Wednesday, June 26. We play from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. We also hope to have Cyndy and Gail teaching some Cajun dance lessons starting around 6:30 pm. The Top of the Park stage is on E. Washington St., between Thayer and Fletcher Streets. There is a parking deck on Fletcher right at the end of E. Washington St. There is a fee to park, but the music and dancing is free! You can dance in the street, so wear some good shoes. There are also some food booths from local restaurants, plus there is a special seating area where you can purchase adult beverages if you are of a certain age.
The Local Pub & Brewery (local to Jackson, Michigan, that is) is having an Oktoberfest party on October 7 to 9. And since an Oktoberfest party is a lot like a Cajun Fais Do Do, they’ve got Creole du Nord to play on Friday and Saturday. Friday has Creole du Nord play from 7-10 pm, Saturday it’s “La Petite” Creole du Nord from 3-5:30 pm. All of the music and dancing takes place outside under a tent, and good (warm) weather is forecast for this weekend, so head on out and check it out! While you’re at the pub, you can also fill up on food and beverages. The Local Pub & Brewery is at 6020 Ann Arbor Road, in Jackson, MI. Make sure you go to Ann Arbor Road in Jackson and not in Ann Arbor nor Plymouth nor even in Jackson, Mississippi!
Creole du Nord is also celebrating a CD release party. Although I haven’t heard their CD, if it is as good as their live music, you’ll want to buy one of those CDs! The CD is entitled “Snow Swamp,” and they’re $10 each.
If the weather holds out, and if you don’t mind a lot of driving, you can dance to two different CZ bands on Sunday, September 4!
First, Monsieur Guillaume & His Zydeco Hepcats play on the International Stage at Arts, Beats & Eats in Royal Oak, MI, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. That stage is near W. 6th & S. Lafayette streets in Royal Oak. There’s a $3 admission fee to get into the festival, plus you’ll most likely have to pay to park. There are also lots of food vendors there (that’s the “Eats” part of the festival title)–maybe Howe’s Bayou or Fishbones will have a food booth there?
Monsieur Guillaume & His Zydeco Hepcats at the Marine City Festival 2011 (photo shamelessly borrowed from the Hepcats website)
Next, you can hurry out to downtown Ann Arbor, MI, for their annual Dancing in the Streets where Creole du Nord plays from 5:15-6:30 pm on S. Main St between Huron and Washington Sts. The overall event runs from 2:00-6:30 pm, and there are several stages with different kinds of music for dancing. In particular, you can do a lot of contra and swing dancing. This event is free, and parking is free in downtown Ann Arbor on Sundays.
Creole du Nord at Dancing in the Streets 2010
We’ve really been having a feast of live Cajun/zydeco music in the southeastern Michigan area lately. And this weekend it continues! Michigan based Cracklin plays on Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12.
Friday is at Goodnight Gracie in Ann Arbor, at 301 W. Huron St (SW corner of First St.), from 7:30 to 10:00 pm. $5 cover. Cajun food available. Not sure if this is a 21 and over event or not (but probably). More info: 734-623-1443. Also don’t think there is a dance floor.
On Saturday, Cracklin appears at the (NOT “teh”!) Black Sheep Tavern in Manchester (Michigan), 115 E. Main St., for two different seatings, 6-8pm and 8-10pm. This is due to the fact that the last time Cracklin played there diners didn’t want to leave and so others folks couldn’t get in to hear Cracklin! There of course will be a Louisiana inspired menu as well as the regular menu. More info: 734-428-8972.
And, of course, not to be outdone, another local band, Creole du Nord, plays their regular gig at the Passport Restaurant & Lounge, 3776 S. State St. in Ann Arbor, on Sunday, March 13 (yikes! Friday the 13th done come on a Sunday this month!), from 6 to 8 pm. Go get some dinner and even do a little (or a lot of) dancing. Info: 734-222-1111.
(The Passport/Creole du Nord poster above doesn’t mention March 13, but CdN are indeed playing at the Passport on the 13th.)
Posted by Garry.
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
Well, some of us passed a good time at Dancing in Streets on Sunday. (Note: Down in Louisiana people would say they “passed a good time” instead of “had a good time” as folks would say up here in the north.) Creole du Nord played for an hour and 15 minutes, and a fair number of folks did some dancing in the streets.
Dancers dancing in the street
Dancing in the streets is of course a tad more difficult than dancing in a proper dance hall since most streets have a crown (high spot down the middle, sloping down towards the curbs) for drainage, not to mention there are cracks and patches and other obstacles in the road. Yes, even the painted lines down the middle are slippery compared to the friction of asphalt. But it’s still fun to dance out in the open air to good music.
The Creole du Nord band
I have to confess this was first time I had actually heard Creole du Nord play for a dance, although I have jammed with them in the past, and they were excellent. Good, solid Cajun two-step beats, plus steady syncopated zydeco dance rhythms. Mark Palms was really getting into some zydeco accordion licks, too. I had thought that Creole du Nord mostly stuck to Cajun music, but it was a pleasant surprise to hear them play a number of zydeco tunes to mix it up.
Susan Filipiak provided some dance instruction for the Cajun and zydeco dancing, and it was doled out in small portions. She taught a basic two-step, then the band played a few tunes, then Susan taught a bit more about the dancing, then the band played, and so on. I thought that was good as sometimes when we try to teach new folks to dance we throw too much at them at once!
There was, of course, much more at Dancing in the Streets. The ballroom/swing dance area with the II-V-I Orchestra seemed particularly well attended, plus there were some folks at the contra dance area, and the Middle Eastern dance area drew a fair number of onlookers to a dance demo. I did get to see some old friends from my contra-dancing days, and who knows, I may try to do some contra-dancing again soon, although I’m sure my cranky knees would complain!
Every Labor Day weekend, the city of Ann Arbor closes the streets in downtown Ann Arbor for Dancing in the Streets, an event sponsored by AACTMAD (the Ann Arbor Council for Traditional Music and Dance). There are multiple stages with multiple bands playing various types of music for dancing, including ballroom, swing, English, contra dance, Scottish, Polynesian, Middle Eastern, and of course Cajun. The 2010 DitS is on Sunday, September 5.
This year’s Cajun music at DitS is provided courtesy of Creole du Nord, a band of Mark Palms who hails from the Manchester, MI, area. He is a fine local musician who also plays in a band with his wife Carol, the Raisin Pickers. The Palms also promote the Riverfolk Festival in Manchester each year. Anyway, Creole du Nord is playing from 5:15 to 6:30 pm this year, so grab your dancing shoes and get there! Don’t forget you’ll be dancing outdoors in the streets (which is why they call it “Dancing in the Streets”)!
Here’s the full 2010 DitS schedule. Oh, by the way, DitS is absolutely free!