Entertainment
Saturday, November 4:
10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Jonno Frishberg and Friends
Jonno Frishberg is currently living in Breaux Bridge, and is employed by the St. Martin Parish School Board to teach music in the Gifted and Talented Program. He is also the weekend bandleader (Bayou Deville) at Mulates Restaurant and Dancehall in New Orleans, which is run by the man who created the original Mulates in Breaux Bridge during the 80s. Jonno was a local back then, and had the pleasure of listening to, and sitting in with, the bands who played there weekly: Octa Clark and Hector Duhon, D.L. Menard, Dewey Balfa, Steve Reiley, Wayne Toups, Beausoleil, Pat Breax, Jimmy Breaux, Faren Serrete, File, and others.
Jonno was the psychedelic Cajun-rock fiddler for the short-lived, but cutting edge “Cajun Rock” band, Mamou, and recorded on their first two CDs- Jungle/MCA, and Rounder. Before this, Jonno’s first Rounder record was with Richard Thompson, Sonny Landreth, Michael Doucet, Pat and Jimmy Breaux-“Cajun Brew”. Jonno has recorded with Danny Collet (Flying Fish), Charivari (Rounder), and many others, but also has his own label: New Range Records. Bayou Deville’s frist record (See Sharp and Be Natural) is on New Range, as is Jonno- South to Louisiana, and Eva Frishberg’s first CD, Waking Up.
Jonno is not a Cajun. Jonno came to South Louisiana from Maryland in 1979, not yet twenty years old, to work offshore in the oilfield service industry. There he discovered Community Coffee, rice and gravy, and the people. He has resided in either Acadiana, New Orleans, or both, since.
Also in the mid 80’s, Jonno began teaching youths and adults in Breaux Bridge and around Lafayette to play fiddle and guitar. He played in a variety of bands, including the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra. Later, he taught himself to play the Cajun accordion, and eventually ended up as the accordion player in Charivari (also a songwriter, singer and fiddler). During his 6 years with Mitch Reed, Randy Vidrine and Bo Ledet, Jonno and the other band members were the staff band at Ashokan Fiddle and Dance, both for Southern Week, and for the New Years Camps. He has also been on staff for ten years at the Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week. Jonno has given numerous workshops, and taught numerous classes at many levels, both on fiddle and accordion, and has used guitar and triangle extensively while teaching. Jonno is also on staff at the Louisiana Folk Roots Cajun for Kids camp, along with David Greeley, Brazos Huval, Yvette Landry, Gina Forsyth, and others.
Saturday, November 4:
12:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Drew Landry and Friends
Drew Landry landed his first gig as a roadie on a Scott Biram/Hank III tour. Since Williams asked Landry to open that show he's shared the stage with Billy Joe Shaver, The Angola State Prison Band, Lazy Lester, David Allen Coe, Charlie Louvin, Dwight Yoakam, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Doug Kershaw, Johnny Winter and countless others. Landry's first album "Keep What's Left" was called "The Equivalent to Lomax's field recordings for the 21st Century". The sophomore effort, "Tailgaten Relief" was featured as Live Nation's "Ones to Watch". Bandryland or the "Drew Landry Band" is a group of over 20 South Louisiana musicians who helped Landry record this album. Sharecropper's Whine was to be the soundtrack for the unreleased documentary film "Last Man Standin". Advance copies of this album had already charted when the project's untimely delay kept Landry's music from reaching his fans. Without the resources to get his songs to a national audience, Landry walked away from music and found redemption in the swamps of his native South Louisiana by helping coastal citizens deal with the BP disaster. Finally, the cult classic hit itunes thanksgiving week 2011 with 3 bonus tracks. The album not only takes a hard look at where Landry comes from, but where the proverbial snowball headed for hell might take us all. Kris Kristofferson was quoted as saying Landry's State of the Union Address/folk song, "Last Man Standin" is the "best he's heard in 30 years". Landry's singing testimony to the Presidental Oil Spill commission would bring his music back to the limelight and lead to a deal with Warner Bros. Their Charity single "BP Blues" gave money to coastal citizens with spill related health issues. He joined forces with Dr. John and many other artists to finish the Deepwater "Memorial EP" and continues to work on the Bobby Charles inspired "Solution to Pollution" Project. Landry is working on finishing a new Album & a film about the longterm recovery of the Gulf Coast . This past summer he finished a 2 part documentary & a song about the 74' Evel Knievel Snake River Canyon Jump & the team that plans to cross the snake river by rocket in 2015. The new single about the launch, "Poison in My Veins" is available on iTunes is available in itunes.
Saturday, November 4:
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Bruce Daigrepont
Bruce was born in New Orleans on July 11, 1958. His parents were part of a post-World War II migration of Cajuns to New Orleans from the rural farming communities of Avoyelles Parish. The same, instinctive pride of culture and heritage that has guided his parents' lives, and his grandparents' lives, is now invested in Bruce's music. Bruce's recording career began in 1986 with his first Rounder Records release, "Stir Up the Roux," followed by "Coeur des Cajuns" in 1989, "Petit Cadeau" in 1994 and "Paradis" in 1999. Each of these projects has garnered critical acclaim.
Bruce keeps his music focused on the instruments that have historically defined the Cajun sound--accordion and fiddle. The only additional instrumentation on stage is an aggressive rhythm section (bass, drums and an occasional rubboard or triangle) which takes pride in "keeping it Cajun," sustaining a hard-edged attack while assiduously avoiding the homogenizing influences of rock'n'roll, Nashville, etc. Bruce has always enjoyed exploring new directions, but, while constantly testing the resilience of the Cajun tradition, he never goes "too far." He is thoroughly steeped in the music that he so lovingly upholds, and he knows instinctively what is needed to keep it alive and well. As a fellow musician observed in the liner notes to "Paradis", "Bruce's vision may just be bigger than any of us realize." Indeed, it seems that news is finally getting out: Bruce Daigrepont is making Cajun music for the ages.
Sunday, November 5:
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Has Beans
The Has Beans perform an eclectic mix of Cajun, Zydeco, Americana, Swamp Blues as well as an ever expanding repertoire of original songs. Unafraid to color outside of the lines, but always keeping that strong South Louisiana groove going. The Has Beans are a band that could only have come out of the fertile musical climate of Lafayette, Louisiana!
Musicians Danny Kimball (drums), Ward Lormand (accordion), Blake Castille (guitar), Phil Kaelin (guitar), Tommy Bodin (bass), Henry Hample (fiddle) all spent years playing, absorbing and learning from the legends of Cajun, Creole and Zydeco music. Has Beans inspiration and namesake comes from Red Beans and Rice Revue (including original "Bean" Danny Kimball), who were one of the early influences of Cajun music to the youth of South Louisiana in the mid 1970’s.
In the early 70's dancehalls like Jay’s Lounge, Bon Ton Rouler’ and Hamilton Club became the foundation for a growing appreciation of local music. This is where groups like Red Beans and Rice Revue, Zachary Richard and Michael Doucet's pre - Beausoleil group "Coteau" were setting the old dancehalls on fire. The music pouring out of the dances was exciting, very danceable and yes, rebellious; Traditional Cajun tunes and instruments blended with the melodic, improvisational lead guitar influence of the Allman Brothers and GratefulDead. The music blasting out of these old dance halls turned a whole younger generation onto the indigenous music of South Louisiana.
Sunday, November 5:
1:30 pm - end of Celebration
Fa Tras Cajun Band
The Fas Tras are a local Abbeville Cajun band that has played at every Giant Omelette Celebration during the cooking of the Omelette.
