Finds

Finds 01.19.11

MASTER FULL
Creole music wünderkind Cedric Watson's excellent, Grammy-nominated live record, Creole Moon: Live from the Blue Moon Saloon, finally arrived at The Ind office. It was worth the wait. Watson and company - "Zydeco Mike" Chiasson on percussion, Chris Stafford on guitar, Blake Miller on bass and drummer Jermaine Prejean - lay down wall-to-wall grooves in traditional and contemporary Creole and Cajun music, drawing from and revamping compositions from masters like Dennis McGee, John Delafose, Canray, Clifton and Boozoo.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

MASTER FULL
Creole music wünderkind Cedric Watson's excellent, Grammy-nominated live record, Creole Moon: Live from the Blue Moon Saloon, finally arrived at The Ind office. It was worth the wait. Watson and company - "Zydeco Mike" Chiasson on percussion, Chris Stafford on guitar, Blake Miller on bass and drummer Jermaine Prejean - lay down wall-to-wall grooves in traditional and contemporary Creole and Cajun music, drawing from and revamping compositions from masters like Dennis McGee, John Delafose, Canray, Clifton and Boozoo. The record was recorded during last year's Festival International de Louisiana, and Watson takes advantage: Two tracks feature a guest turn by Senegalese kora master Morikeba Kouyate. The kora is a 21-string bridge-harp that - I'm no ethno-musicologist here - must be an ancestor of the banjo, a simpler instrument invented by colonial American slaves from West Africa. Kouyate's contribution to the songs is pitch-perfect. Need proof that Cedric Watson et Bejou Créole are Grammy worthy? Buy this record. It's available for $15 through Valcour Records (ValcourRecords.com), at most locations where local music is sold and at iTunes. - Walter Pierce

ZOMBIE MISTRESS
"I like to do things that make people laugh," says artist and model Katie Kight Lasseigne, or Cootie Von Ghoul as she's come to be known. Her latest work, "Shocker," is currently on display with many of her other pieces of artwork at the Greenroom in downtown Lafayette. Lasseigne describes her art style as "pop art with horror and pin-up influences" and has been featured in Rat Rods and Rust Queen magazines, which is also how she came to sell one of her pieces titled "Rat King" to musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie. Born and raised in south Louisiana, Lasseigne has been painting for seven years and lives in Lafayette with her husband and young son. "Shocker" (20"x40" canvas print) sells for $350 and will be displayed at the Greenroom until her appearance at this year's NOLA Comic Con in New Orleans Jan. 29-30. All of the Cootie Von Ghoul art can be seen either on her Facebook page or at http://CootieVonGhoul.wordpress.com. - Wynce Nolley

TEXAS WALKERS
7 Walkers may be a Texas-based posse, but with songs like "Cane River Waltz," "Sue from Bogalusa," "Louisiana Rain" and "New Orleans Crawl" it's clear where the band's collective heart and inspiration lie. Guitarist Papa Mali, formerly of the Austin reggae band Killer Bees, is originally from north Louisiana, and his new band would sound right at home on a Saturday night on Frenchman Street. For 7 Walkers, Mail has teamed with Grateful Dead veteran drummer Bill Kreutzmann, who has family ties to New Orleans (Robert Hunter lent a hand with writing  lyrics for the album) and multi-instrumentalist Matt Hubbard. As if that wasn't enough Louisiana cred, legendary Meters bassist George Porter Jr. also sits in on a track. 7 Walkers self-titled debut album can be ordered online through the band's web site, 7walkers.com, or downloaded through iTunes. - Nathan Stubbs