GRAMMY SEND OFFS
It's that time again. Dudes and chicks getting Grammys and bouncing round in ruffled tuxedos and diamonds and crap. Patting each other on the back. High fives. It's the smell of victory and the agony of being defeated by some choice schlock. But hey, that's how the game rolls. You knew the rules when you stepped on stage, nerdboy! Now go make me a sandwich! At least Louisiana has the Cajun/Zydeco Grammy.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Written by Dege Legg
GRAMMY SEND OFFS
It's that time again. Dudes and chicks getting Grammys and bouncing round in ruffled tuxedos and diamonds and crap. Patting each other on the back. High fives. It's the smell of victory and the agony of being defeated by some choice schlock. But hey, that's how the game rolls. You knew the rules when you stepped on stage, nerdboy! Now go make me a sandwich! At least Louisiana has the Cajun/Zydeco Grammy. Blue Moon hosts two Grammy send-off shows this weekend for 2011 nominees Cedric Watson, Feufollet and the great DL Menard. Watson was nominated for Creole Moon: Live At The Blue Moon Saloon; DL Menard for his album Happy Go Lucky; and Feufollet for En Couleurs. Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole kick it off on Feb. 4. Feufollet with DL Menard do it up the following night, Feb. 5.
BACK TO THE 80S
I'm not a big fan of cover bands, but a lot of people like them. To each his own. I guess it's the live jukebox effect you already know the words to the songs and you don't have to acclimate yourself to some new stuff. You can just turn off your mind and let your soul waft into a gentle mist of wispy vapors. The Molly Ringwalds aka "the worlds' greatest 80s cover band" will be unveiling their debut CD Experience the 80s at Nitetown on Feb. 4. Each CD comes with a bonus DVD featuring videos of the band, plus bloopers and interviews. Now send me off to the Land of Zod.
BARNEY LIVE
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say something I've never said before: Barney is coming to town and he's playing the Cajundome on Feb. 8. I just might go to this show. It might be more entertaining than standing around watching a bunch of miserable turds hack through a set of derivative metal that sounded fresh in 98. Now go fix me turkey potpie!
ACCORDION WAR III!
Oh, S! It's Accordian World War III. Take three of Acadiana's best Cajun accordionists and mix them up on one stage and this is what you get: Wayne Toups, Steve Riley and Wilson Savoy. And it's free - 7-9 p.m at Café des Amis in Beaux Bridge on Feb. 2.
TIM
You got to respect your elders. The elders must respect the young bloods. In the best of all possible worlds, Lafayette old school musician Tim Campbell would be an internationally acclaimed indie singer, songwriter and guitarist praised for his work with bands like October Groundfly, Arbor Vitae and his own solo work. Unfortunately, the world we live in has a bad habit of leaving wayward geniuses out to pasture in the land of oblivion. Not sure whether it's the historical neglect the Deep South seems to get from the outside media or what, but it's a freaking shame, because within a 500 square mile radius, with New Orleans as the epic center, you have the birth of rock 'n' roll, jazz, rockabilly, Delta blues, Cajun, zydeco, sludge, screw, crunk and bunch of other stuff. Regardless, Campbell is like some kind of ghostly saint of the Lafayette underground music scene. He's extremely talented, inspired, sometimes semi-troubled, but always resurfacing at some point to play live and assure everyone that he is indeed still doing it. Anybody who clocks in nearly two decades playing music in the small confines of the Lafayette music scene deserves some mighty respect. From the weathered beauty of his singing voice to his lilting melodic sense, make no mistake, Tim Campbell is a class act. He's lived it real. Do yourself a favor and catch him playing a rare solo set at Artmosphere on Feb. 2 and get schooled in true soul sans hype, hyperbole, a record deal or a bunch of crying and screaming.
MALO
The Acadiana Center for the Arts brings crooner Raul Malo to the stage for his Sinners & Saints tour at the James Devin Moncus Theatre. Featuring tunes from his chart-topping album, Malo does a one-night-only show on Feb. 4 on his way from Texas to the East Coast and Europe.
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE
Steven Cooper is a busy dude. His latest production in conjunction with the Lafayette Parish Talented Theatre Program is "All the World's a Stage." Inspired by William Shakespeare's famous words, the Talented Theatre students and staff will present five different shows that include the history of theater, folktales and two-minute, life-inspired original plays. In addition, there will be a quirky collage of Shakespeare works dedicated to the grand bard himself. There will be five shows in total from Feb. 3 5 at Cité Des Arts. This project is supported with funds provided by the Lafayette Parish School Board through the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Call 291-1122 for times.