**= musicians from Louisiana
Hope to see bunches of happy dancers for Red Stick Ramblers at S.P.A.C.E. Saturday night. These musicians totally kick ass!
Also those who saw the wonderful Les Amis Creole at U of C Folk Festival….guitar and accordion player James Adams (J.B.) has a radio show to stream in from Houston. See info lower down on this list.
Also just a quick ‘I’m so sorry’ to y’all….some sort of communication snafu resulted in not getting the February Cajun jam location changed to Andy’s Music Shop on our CFMA site. Sorry for all the confusion. I’ll let you know March date as soon as it’s decided and I’m pretty sure it will be back at Ventrella’s.
Friday, March 5th
Midway Ramblers playing their monthly Cajun dance at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox in Chicago. Dance lesson at around 8:45 p.m. $8. Dance in room on first floor. Free parking in lots and Irish pub down the hall. Dance is from 8 to 11 p.m.
Saturday, March 13th
Cajun Vagabonds playing the CFMA Cajun dance at Parkview Lutheran Church, 3919 N. Monticello, Chicago. Enter thru red door to the left of the church. 8 to 11 p.m. Basic Cajun dance lesson (if needed) around 9 p.m. Lots of fun, nice people, great music, door prizes, bake sale and complimentary coffee! $12 admission for general public, $8 for CFMA members. Become a member for annual fee of just $20 – can join on-the-spot. Everyone welcome, all ages.
Sunday, March 21st
CFMA Cajun jam at Ventrella’s Caffe, 4947 N. Damen, Chicago. 2 to 4:45 p.m. Kicks off with beginning musicians (so come if you are just learning) and morphs into a more advanced jam later. Everyone welcome. All songs are Cajun/Creole in nature. Ventrella’s offers great Panini sandwiches, coffee drinks, gelato. The jam is anchored by a seasoned musician to keep things moving and fair. Come join us!
April 24th
**BeauSoleil playing at Dominican University in River Forest, IL. hppt://www.dom.edu/performing-arts 708-488-5000
Friday, May 7th
Monthly Cajun dance with the Midway Ramblers at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox in Chicago. Dance lesson at around 8:45 p.m. $8. Dance in room on first floor. Free parking in lots and Irish pub down the hall. Dance is from 8 to 11 p.m.
June 18th
**BeauSoleil playing at U of I’s Sangamon Auditorium in Springfield, IL
June 19th
**BeauSoleil playing at Walker’s Bluff Vineyard in Carterville, IL.
Friday, July 9th
**Red Stick Ramblers bringing their high powered, high talents to SummerDance!! SummerDance is the FREE dance lesson/dance held in the Spirit of Music Park, on Michigan Avenue between Harrison and Balbo. Dance lesson from 6 to 7 p.m. with dance w/Red Sticks from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. DON’T MISS THIS…MICHIGAN AVENUE WILL BE BLAZING!!
July 10th
**Jeffrey Broussard and the Creole Cowboys will burn up the SummerDance stage at the Spirit of Music Garden on Michigan Avenue between Balbo and Harrison in downtown Chicago. Dance lesson from 6 to 7 p.m. with dance from 7:30 to 9:30. Jeffrey and company will kick it hard…don’t miss this.
July 10th and 11th
The super fun annual Chicago Folk & Roots Festival sponsored by The Old Town School of Folk Music. Held in Welles Park, which is situated between Lincoln Avenue, Western Avenue, Sunnyside and Montrose. Will post details when they become available.
September 18th
**BeauSoleil playing at U of I in Springfield, IL. 217-206-6160.
http://www.sangamonauditorium.com
Did you know?
Can’t sleep and wanna hear some great music? J.B. Adams (who plays guitar w/Les Amis Creole) hosts Zydeco Pas Sale Sunday mornings from 4 to 6 a.m. You can stream this show on www.kpft.org
Check out the New Orleans Music Hour radio show hosted by Tom Jackson on WLUW, 88.7 fm. Some Zydeco/Cajun/Creole played from time to time as well as lots of diverse, regional New Orleans and Louisiana music.
You can also stream in ‘Louisiana Rhythms’ live on Fridays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. from KFAI.org in Minneapolis. Four Cajun/Zydeco enthusiasts take turns hosting this show which features Cajun & Zydeco music.
Mark Stoltz hosts ‘Louisiana Sound’ a radio show from Traverse City, Michigan every Saturday that you can stream in from WNMC.org It’s on the air from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern time (so that’s 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for us in Illinois). If you are in the area you can also pick it up on the radio on 90.7 fm.
Want a true slice of Southwest Louisiana without leaving your house? Listen to the fantastic ‘Rendez-Vou Des Cajuns’ music concert broadcast LIVE from the historic Liberty Theater in Eunice, Louisiana. Broadcast every Saturday night from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Go to KRVS Radio Acadie at KRVS.org on your computer to stream in. You can also see who will be playing on the Liberty Theater schedule posted on http://www.eunice-la.com Enjoy this most wonderful show – broadcast in French but the music needs no translator to enjoy!
Here’s one from Port Arthur, Texas: www.klvi.com features the Dana Melancon Cajun Show every Sunday morning from 8 to 11 a.m.
Taking a trip to Southwest Louisiana??? Want to find out what happening and where?? Check out this website – http://www.allthingscajun.net
This is a good site to use and keeps you from having to look up individual club, gallery, etc. websites.
FOR ALL THAT ARE NEW TO MY LIST – WELCOME- AND I WANT TO MAKE YOU AWARE THAT WE HAVE AN ASSOCIATE CHAPTER OF THE CFMA (CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC ASSOCIATION) THAT YOU CAN JOIN. SEE OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.CHICAGOCAJUNS.ORG FOR DETAILS.
Off the Beaten Path : Events further away but oh, so worthwhile!
The Cajun Strangers play lots of gigs in Madison and around Wisconsin. Check their website regularly to see what’s up!
Sunday, February 28th
The Cajun Hot Soles, New Riverside Ramblers, Black Bear Bayou, Pop Wagner, Kevin Anthony & other musical friends playing a benefit dance & dinner for the John Hugelen Cajun Music Scholarship Fund. This is a wonderful tribute to a wonderful musician and friend to many. Event is from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Half Time Rec, 1013 Front Avenue, St. Paul, MN. 651-488-8245. Cajun dinner: $8 (Red beans & rice, cornbread, gumbo and bread pudding), Donation: $10. Raffle items. For more info call 612-296-6585. For those who want to donate to this great scholarship but cannot make the event you can send a check to either Folklore Village or to Augusta Heritage Center with a note stating that the donation is in memory of and for the John Hugelen Scholarship fund. See websites for addresses: http//www.folklorevillage.org
March 11th
Bob Juneau Musique Acadian will play a 2 hour concert with John Romano, Brian O’Donnell, John Terr, and Brian Grondin at McMillian Library, 490 E. Grand Avenue, Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Playing from 8 to 10 p.m. 715-423-1040 This show was a big hit in Feb of 2008 w/standing room only!
April 9th through 11th
**Paul Daigle and **Jason Frey are the featured Louisiana musicians at the always anticipated Cajun Dance and Music Weekend at Folklore Village in Dodgeville, WI. This is a great weekend of music dance workshops, cultural sessions, music workshops in Cajun accordion, fiddle and guitar, great communal meals and kick-ass evening dances. A great way to meet new friends and reconnect with old friends through the love of Cajun music.
http://www.folklorevillage.org http://www.augustaheritage.com
April 16th through 23rd
The annual Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week in Chicot State Park near Ville Platte, Louisiana. Louisiana artists include D’Jalma Garnier, Kristi Guillory, Jesse Lege, Ed Poullard, Christine Balfa, Dirk Powell, Kevin Wimmer and Linzay Young. Bands playing will be Red Stick Ramblers, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, Pine Leaf Boys, Balfa Toujours, Jonno Frishberg & Bayou Deville. See website for full details.
http://www.lafolkroots.org or email info@lafolkroots.org 337-234-8360
April 23rd
**BeauSoleil playing at The Ark in Ann Arbor, MI.
Saturday, May 29th and Sunday, May 30th
It’s back!!! – the ever-so-fun Taste of Louisiana Amana Colonies Cajun & Zydeco Festival in Iowa. After a two-year hiatus, it’s back strong with **Belton Richard and the Musical Aces, **Feaufollet, **The Malfecteurs, **Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band and Dennis Stroughmatt & Creole Stomp. Dance workshops, Cajun food, lots of dancers. This is a very fun event. More details posted as event gets closer.
June 18th
**BeauSoleil playing at U of I in Springfield, IL 217-206-6160. http://www.uis.edu/sangamonauditorium
July 11th through 16th
The fantastic Cajun/Creole Week at Augusta Heritage Center on Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, West Virginia. A full week of music lessons, dance lessons, culture sessions, zillions of jams, gumbo porch party, nightly dance and concerts. Whew! See website for details about this week. 304-637-1209
http://www.augustaheritage.com
September 11th and 12th
**BeauSoleil playing at the annual Wheatland Music Festival in Remus, MI.
January 15, 2011
**BeauSoleil playing at Goshen College, Goshen, IN