EGAN RETURNS
It’s been five years since his solo debut Twenty Years of Trouble, but You Don’t Know Your Mind, the new CD from Lafayette piano man and blues and soul singer/songwriter extraordinaire David Egan is worth the wait. Sure, there are ace contributions from longtime Egan collaborator Buddy Flett and blues guitar master Lil’ Buck Sinegal, but it’s Egan’s alternately wry and touching lyrics and deep, rich vocal phrasing that leads the proceedings. In a CD filled with highlights, a touching tribute to his son — “Small Fry ” — and the laments “Love Honor and Obey” and “Best of Love Turned Blue” are standouts. And like the work of Louisiana songwriting legend Bobby Charles, Egan’s new version of “Sing It” — his hit for Marcia Ball, Tracy Nelson and Irma Thomas — shows that some songs shine brightest when they’re delivered by their creators. Egan plays a CD-release party for You Don’t Know Your Mind on Friday, April 25 at Artmosphere. For more info, visit www.davidegan.net. — Scott Jordan
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FRAMED**
There’s more than one way to show your support for Festival International, Lafayette’s fabulous free musical party. Besides purchasing the official festival pin and/or poster, this year brings a rustic cypress picture frame by Cypress Creations owner Miles Peterson. Peterson has been recycling old cypress barns and buildings into furniture and picture frames for more than a decade and has designed a small picture frame to hold a 4-by-6 inch work of art. It’s a perfect fit for the festival postcard, a reproduction of the festival poster by Paul Schexnayder. Contributors to the festival at the “magnifique” level of $500 receive a free frame. For those who want to make a smaller contribution, the frames sell for $25, with 30 percent of the proceeds going to the festival. Available at the Festival Merchandise Boutiques downtown throughout the weekend. — Mary Tutwiler
A MEMORABLE MUG
In addition to Peterson’s frames, local potter Luann Duhon is throwing in with Festival International to help defray costs for the free festival. Her supersize festival mugs inscribed with the swirling festival symbol will be on sale this weekend. These are not factory made — every one of the deep blue-glazed mugs has been hand thrown; then Duhon incises the whirlwind logo on the mug’s belly. With a graceful handle you can grasp with all five fingers, this mug is a way to keep Festival International hot all year long. Donate at the “tres bon ami” level of $250 to receive your mug for free. The mugs go for $15 at the Festival Merchandise Boutiques on the festival grounds. — MT