Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! Number 110

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com COVER: Images of Blake Miller and Rusty Metoyer rendered from photos by David Simpson; Cameron Dupuy image rendered from photo by Misty Leigh McElroy posted on the Mid-City Aces Facebook page.

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! is mostly written, edited, designed and produced by Jim Hance, floridacajunzydeco@yahoo.com.

Visit floridacajunzydeco.com for information on Cajun and zydeco dance events in Florida, Louisiana and elsewhere, as well as back issues of this publication.

No. 110 | March 2O22 3

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First Friday Cajun Zydeco Dance (Feb. 4) at Sauced (Largo, FL) Open dancing 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., beginner dance lesson at 8 p.m.

T-Broussard and Dwayne Dopsie headline Dunedin Mardi Gras Saturday, Feb. 26. Schedule for four stages, and map to stage locations.

T-Broussard and the Zydeco Steppers at Chief’s Creole Café Sunday, Feb. 27. A bit about T-Broussard and his zydeco style.

march: Beth McKee launches a live music event to Orlando on Mar. 13, 12

Suwannee Spring Reunion features Donna the Buffalo Mar. 17–20,

Festivals Acadiens et Creoles Mar. 18–20, 2022

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More Festival News

The latest info on Cray Cray in the Hatch, String Break Music Fest, Gator By the Bay in San Diego, and Rhythm & Roots comes to an end.

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feature: The Faces of Festivals Acadiens et Creoles, March 18–20 Stories on three artists: Cameron Dupuy, Rusty Metoyer, Blake Miller.

Regularly scheduled dance events in the Tampa Bay area Cajun, zydeco … and now west coast swing dances every Saturday!

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

JOIN US FOR A CAJUN ZYDECO DANCE ON FRIDAY, MARCH 4 7 p.m. to 9:3O p.m. at SAUCED SPORTS BAR, 125O Seminole Blvd., Largo 3377O NO COVER! (THAT MEANS FREE!) JIM HANCE will be playing recorded Cajun and zydeco dance music by your favorite artists including Chris Aroin, Pine Leaf Boys, Chubby Carrier, Steve Riley, Keith Frank, and dozens of similar artists. At least every tenth tune is a waltz.

Try a CRAFT PIZZA. Brief beginner dance lesson at 8 p.m. with instructor SHARON STERN.

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— SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022 —

T-Broussard and Dwayne Dopsie headline Dunedin Mardi Gras 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Downtown Dunedin, Florida Authentic Louisiana zydeco dance band T-Broussard and the Zydeco Steppers will be performing on two different stages. Mardi Gras Parade & Festival Saturday, February 26, 2022, 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. (parade begins 7 p.m.), Downtown Dunedin. Enjoy Mardi Gras in grand style and celebrate with food, drink, music and a parade featuring over 50 unique colorful floats. No pets, no coolers.

Presented by Downtown Dunedin Merchants Association.

For more information, visit MardiGrasDunedin.com

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

Dunedin Mardi Gras Schedule 1 — Main Stage at Pioneer Park 2 to 3:15 p.m. Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers 3:45 to 5 p.m. Jazz Phools 5:30 to 7 p.m. 6 Volt Rodeo PARADE BREAK

8 to 9:15 p.m. T-Bone Hamilton’s Big Easy Revue 9:45 to 11 p.m. T-Broussard

3 — East Stage on Main Street (by Caledonia Brewing) 2 to 3:15 p.m. Lucky Losers 3:45 to 5 p.m. Lee Pons 5:30 to 7 p.m. Swan City Jazz Project PARADE BREAK

8 to 9:30 p.m. Koko Zydeco

2 — West Stage on Main Street (in front of Crown & Bull)

4 — Broadway & Scotland Stage 2 to 3:15 p.m. Cadillac Cowboys 3:45 to 5 p.m KoKo Zydeco 5:30 to 7 p.m. Gumbo Boogie

2 to 3:15 p.m. T-Broussard 3:45 to 5 p.m. Reverend Billy C. Wirtz 5:30 to 7 p.m. Applebutter Express

PARADE BREAK

PARADE BREAK

8 to 9:30 p.m. Sarasota Slim

Jim Hance

8 to 9:30 p.m. Gumbo Boogie

Dunedin Mardi Gras Stages

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Stage locations and parking lot locations

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— SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2022 —

T-Broussard and the Zydeco Steppers at Chief’s Creole Café FREE ADMISSION T-BROUSSARD & THE ZYDECO STEPPERS at Chief’s Creole Café, 901 22ND Street South, St. Petersburg. FL

LIVE ZYDECO IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA! 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27 Come on out and make it happen! Great Louisiana zydeco band! Beads, throws, second line dance! Come early for some authentic Creole food!

Attention Tampa/St. Pete area dancers: With a good attendance this could become a continuing venue for us. Let’s make it happen! Best of all — free admission!

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

Zydeco is a family business in Louisiana. This is true for zydeco artist Bryant Keith “T” Broussard, front man for T-Broussard and the Zydeco Steppers.

T-Broussard got his start backing his mother, accordion virtuoso Mary Jane Broussard, on rubboard, drums and bass guitar. In 1993 at age 21, T-Broussard founded his own

Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com

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T-Broussard and the Zydeco Steppers at Liberty Theater, Eunice (2016).

band, The Zydeco Steppers, which he fronts on accordion and vocals. The band has has released seven albums including his 2007 release, Zydeco Lover, which was

nominated for a GRAMMY Award in the short-lived Best Zydeco or Cajun category.

T-Broussard’s family is in the Jennings and Lake Charles areas, near the

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! happens, are both uncles of T-Broussard’s mother, making her son a cousin of Keith Frank and Chris Ardoin.

Calcasieu swamps where the zydeco tends to be more rhythmic in the style of Boozoo Chavis, Preston Frank, and Bois Sec Ardoin.

The latter two men, as it

T-Broussard’s mother, Mary Jane (Ardoin) Broussard, was a trail blazer for women accordion artists before Rosie Ledet and Donna Angelle came along. Also in his family tree is Queen Ida, a Grammywinning zydeco veteran on the west coast. Mary Jane Broussard was in the original Magnolia Sisters in the 1970s, and later joined a trio with Morris Ardoin on fiddle and Clarence LeDay on guitar. She has made regular guest appearances

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com with her son’s zydeco group, T-Broussard and the Zydeco Steppers. T-Broussard returns the favor by playing drums behind his mom in her band, Creole Sweet La La. Commenting on his mother’s influence on his music, T-Broussard said, “She was the one who taught me accordion. She would play Mary Jane Broussard all the time at house parties and family gathering things. with the drums and whatnot.

Instead of playing guitar, I You know, more upbeat.” would play the accordion.”

According to Dan Willging “Especially with the style in OffBeat magazine, “The she plays, the old traditional things that distinguish ‘T’ style, the original — where from the rest of the pack are the music comes from,” he his rhythmic lyrical couplets, said. “The zydeco derives and the fact that his mother, from the old Creole music, Mary Jane, was his mentor, and it’s got a different twist making him one of the few

David Simpson

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

David Simpson

zydeco tempo of twenty years ago. You might find some similarities to Geno Delafose or Roy Carrier in T-Broussard’s music, especially when he cover’s a song like Carrier’s “Whiskey Drinkin’ Man.”

T-Broussard

In January 2018, T-Broussard released his most recent album, Goin’ Live, available on iTunes.

who learned accordion from a female role model.”

T-Broussard Discography

While T-Broussard has dabbled a bit with the R&B stylings that are so much a part of the music of Keith Frank and Chris Ardoin, T-Broussard’s music generally has a more traditional sound and

It’s All Good (1995) Git It On, Git It On (2003) Knock Knock (2006) Zydeco Lover (2007) Super T (2009) Blindside (2012) Goin' Live (2018)

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— MARCH 13, 2022 —

Swamp Sistas Cosmic Conjunction FunKtion Beth McKee has announced a comeback event for both her and her fellow musical travelers. Their “Cosmic Conjunction Funktion” will be an alldayer set for Sunday, March 13, 2022.

The Swamp Sistas Cosmic Conjunction FunKtion at Will’s Pub will feature Beth McKee organized Swamp Sistas Cosmic musical performances, an open Conjunction FunKtion. jam session, and comedy on three separate stages from 4 to 9 p.m. Artists and vendors will feature wares in a market setting, and local community organizations will be on hand to highlight the services they provide to our residents. Local chefs will present diverse and unique food for sale.

Courtesy of Beth McKee

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Confirmed performers include: Beth McKee & Her Funky Time Band, Kristin Warren and Creek, Kaleigh Baker & Taylor Galbraith (as Cockatwo Freakout), Subject to Change Improv, Mila Belle, Mad Transit, Hannah Harber, Shine, Rachel Decker & George Dimitrov, Swamp Roots Troop, Amy Robbins, Ka Malinalli, Renee Arozqueta, Jeannine Gage, Kayonne Riley, Liz Nash and Arielle D’Ornellas.

Will’s Pub is located at 1042 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32803. Tickets (priced at $10/$15) can be purchased online at willspub.org.

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— MARCH 17-20, 2022 —

Donna the Buffalo to perform at Suwannee Spring Reunion March 17-20 in Live Oak, FL The Suwannee Spring Reunion festival features a range of music genres – Americana, bluegrass, newgrass, folk, singer/ songwriter, blues, and others. Featured artists will include Greensky Bluegrass, Trampled By Turtles, Yonder Mountain String Band, Sierra Hull, Peter Rowan, Donna the Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, Verlon Thompson, and Roy Book Binder.

For four days and nights this family-friendly festival is home to early morning sing-a-longs and night time musical pyrotechnics from the park’s stellar cast of alumni and new favorites. There will be music on four stages and Suwannee Spring Reunion attendees will also enjoy music in the campground with jamming at Slopryland and the Bill Monroe Shrine as well as camp pickin’ parties. Hands-on and performance workshops will be held throughout the weekend with a variety of artists set to perform.

For more information, visit suwanneespringreunion.com.

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

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— MARCH 18-20, 2022 —

Lafayette, La. — Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, the world’s largest free Cajun and Creole music festival, is coming back stronger than ever in 2022. This year’s theme, “Le Grande Retour” or “The Great Return,” promises a tour de force of Cajun and Creole musicians and an immersive cultural experience filled with flavorful South Louisiana cuisine, crafts and workshops. The Festival Committee has planned two festivals in one year: March and October. The last time Festivals Acadiens et Créoles was held twice in one year was in 1980. Turn to the main feature story this month: “The Faces of Festivals Acadiens” on page 20.

Festivals Acadiens media kit photo

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles returns March 18-20, 2022

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— MARCH 25-27, 2022 —

Cray Cray in the Hatch will feature Dwayne Dopsie, J.B.’s Zydeco Zoo and Damon Fowler March 25-27 Cray Cray in the Hatch is a three day music festival planned for March 25-27, 2022 at Fiddler’s Restaurant and Resort in Steinhatchee, Florida. In addition to the music, the restaurant will be serving crawfish and other Cajun delicacies.

Friday Night — Damon Fowler and Kid Royal Band Saturday — The Porchdogs, JB’s Zydeco Zoo, Brown Bag Brass Band and Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers Sunday Afternoon — Brown Bag Brass Band, Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers and JB's ZydecoZoo This event is FREE but you need tickets in advance

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

Dance friends catch up in 2021 at Cray Cray in the Hatch Fest.

because space is limited. Rooms, vacation rentals and RV spots are available on site. Call 352-498-7427 or email Lynzi@fiddlersontheriver.com to make a reservation.

Location: Fiddler's Restaurant and Resort, 1306 Riverside Drive, Steinhatchee, FL 32359. Information on the venue, visit fiddlersontheriver.com

Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com

MORE FESTIVAL NEWS — APRIL 7–9, 2022 —

Cadillac Cowboys in lineup for String Break Music Fest Bands will include The Grass is Dead, Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express, Yarn, Have Gun Will Travel, Barefoot Movement, Western Centuries, Henhouse Prowlers, Brendan Nolan and Colin Farrel, Someday Honey, The Grass is Dead Good Morning Bedlam, Mark Johnson and Emory Lester, Mitch and the Lagerheads, Killbillies and Cadillac Cowboys.

Located at the Sertoma Youth Ranch, String Break Music

String Break Music Fest website

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

Cadillac Cowboys will be on stage at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 7.

Fest combines live music stage performances, camping, craft activities for the kids, and vendors selling craft and food items.

Location is 18953 Red Hill Road, Dade City, Florida.

For additional information, visit lindentertainment.com

Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Images from Gator By the Bay promo

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— MAY 5–8, 2022 IN SAN DIEGO —

Gator By the Bay Gator By The Bay, the largest, most-authentic Louisianathemed music and food festival west of the bayou is held each year over Mothers’ Day weekend — this year May 5–8. Presented by San Diego’s Bon Temps Social Club, it features four days of live music with over 100 musical acts and special performances on seven stages, southern cuisine including 10,000 pounds of crawfish trucked from Louisiana, non-stop live music, dancing, and family fun at Spanish Landing Park on beautiful San Diego Bay across from the airport.

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

Horace Trahan (right) will be a headliner once again at Gator.

The Saturday night Cajun zydeco dance at the Sheraton traditionally puts all the festival headliners on the stage at the same time.

Louisiana headliners include Horace Trahan and the Ossun Express, Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie, and Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. Also not to be missed are Michael Doucet, Tom Rigney and Flambeau, Big Time Operator, Bill Magee Blues Band, and Theo and the Zydeco Patrol. For information, visit gatorbythebay.com

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— THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES! —

Rhythm & Roots festival organizer calls it quits Regrettably, I am announcing that Lagniappe Productions is suspending all operations immediately. As a result, the 24th Annual Rhythm & Roots Music, Dance and Food Festival scheduled for Labor Day weekend 2022 is cancelled.

I have not come to this decision lightly. After consulting with my doctors and my family, we’ve decided that I should step away from festival production for health issues that have taken their toll for the past 12 years. Most recently, a major medical event hospitalized me for two days during the last Rhythm & Roots festival. You can imagine the frustration and disappointment that I experienced missing the festival that I planned for two years. The consensus of all involved is that I must step away from festival production immediately.

Deb, the entire Wentworth family and I share your disappointment that the Rhythm & Roots festival has come

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

to an end. We have worked diligently to present the best festival possible since 1998. As an independent, family run festival, we have managed to succeed despite facing numerous obstacles. Our success has been largely due to your unwavering support through the good and the lean times. We all share great memories of festivals past and we hope that you can Keep the Vibe Alive in spirit. Thanks again and we will always cherish every one of you who attended Rhythm & Roots over the past 24 years. You won’t be forgotten.

Thank you all again.

— Chuck, Deb and the entire Wentworth family

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Photos in this section by David Simpson

THE FACES OF FESTIVAL 1

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Festivals Acadiens et Créoles set for March 18-20 Once again, Cajun and Creole artists will fill the stages of Girard Park in Lafayette, and the clubs will be filled in the evenings with dancers from all over the world. Stories on three artists in the lineup this year — Cameron Dupuy, Rusty Metoyer, and Blake Miller — begin on page 28.

Do you know the faces of Festivals Acadiens et Créoles?

Their names appear on page 54.

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Photos in this section by David Simpson

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hen Cameron Dupuy’s name would be announced at the 63rd GRAMMYs Awards Show as a nominee for the Grammy award in the Best Regional Roots Music last year, veteran music writer for OffBeat Magazine Keith Spera reported that Cameron will be playing to a sold-out crowd at The Broadside in the band’s hometown of New Orleans.

Sharing the bill with New Orleans Nightcrawlers, also nominated in the same category, Spera Michael and Cameron Dupuy speculated that the bands were unlikely to brawl.

Facebook

At age 24, Cameron Dupuy is already a Grammy nominee

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

Gina Forsyth on fiddle, Cameron Dupuy on accordion and Michael Dupuy on guitar form the Mid-City Aces.

“We would be outnumbered anyway,” Michael Dupuy noted, tongue firmly in cheek.

Michael Dupuy, who accompanies his 24-year-old son Cameron on guitar and bass in the Cajun Troubadours, started playing Cajun music professionally at the age of 14 with Bruce Daigrepont’s band at the Maple Leaf Bar, and at the age of 18 joined the original version of Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys.

Michael originally formed the Cajun Troubadours in 1992 with

Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com his brother Chris playing New Orleans clubs. Cameron would hop on stage as a boy and join his father.

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Cameron Dupuy performing at Festivals Acadiens et Créoles in 2011.

“He was a little bitty boy,” Michael said. “I’ve seen him grow up both musically and as a man. He wasn’t a typical high schooler. He knew how to conduct himself on gigs. He matured by being around older guys. He watched what we did.”

During Hurricane Katrina, the DuPuys evacuated to Lafayette, during which time Cameron was introduced to the Cajun culture and its music. On the last day of the evacuation, Cameron finally convinced “Mr. Rick,” who let the Dupuys stay at his house for the storm, to let him play the accordion sitting on the shelf. Mr. Rick was reluctant to lend it to the youngster since the accordion was used to record a GRAMMYwinning album by Jimmy Breaux, but he decided to let him play it.

Young Cameron was instantly hooked on the accordion.

Following his return to New Orleans, Cameron received his

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

Cameron Dupuy at Eunice’s Liberty Theater in 2010. first guitar for Christmas. It was his constant hearing of Cajun music that made him want to get his father’s accordion repaired that had been broken for a few years. After spending several years as a guitarist, Cameron Dupuy started playing the Cajun accordion at the age of eleven. A breakout performance at The

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Liberty Theatre in April of 2010 led to a standing ovation, and earned Cameron and his band, The Cajun Troubadours, an invitation to play at Festival Acadiens et Créoles from Dr. Barry Ancelet.

As a seven-time Cajun accordion contest winner, Cameron The Cajun Troubadours established himself as a favorite among many Cajun music fans in Louisiana.

In 2012, Cameron performed at Jazz Fest. He had already sat in with the Pine Leaf Boys, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Ganey Arsement and the Lakside Gamblers, and Bruce Daigrepont.

As a teenager, Cameron joined the Lafayette-based Huval, Dupuy & Fuselier Cajun Band. The teen quartet released a selftitled album on Swallow Records in 2012, toured Canada and played festivals.

The Cajun Troubadours were rechristened Cameron Dupuy &

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! the Cajun Troubadours around that same time. Following Cajun tradition, the accordion player’s name is featured even if he isn’t the singer.

“That’s when I started calling the shots,” Cameron said, joking. “No, it’s still a collaborative effort. It’s 50/50. We collaborate on everything. It’s great to be able to do this with my dad. It’s been really special.”

In 2016, the Cajun Troubadours landed a steady gig at the Tropical Isle Bayou Club at 610 Bourbon St., playing Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons. They also entertained passengers arriving at the airport and hit the festival circuit on weekends.

After Cameron turned 18 as a senior at Rummel High School, he started joining the band for its Tropical Isle shows. “The only rule,” he said, “was that I couldn’t drink.”

He commuted back and forth to New Orleans for shows after he enrolled at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Cameron graduated from the University of New Orleans in 2020 with a business administration degree.

“I was going to school and playing four or five gigs a week,” he recalled. “It was one of the best times of my life. I was a student by day and playing music when I could at night.”

The father-son duo also toured with Cajun fiddler Gina

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Forsyth as the Mid-City Aces. Cameron takes his musical cues from Belton Richard, Marc Savoy, Lawrence Walker and other southwest Louisiana accordionists, but a New Orleans tinge also seeps into the Cajun Troubadours’ sound.

“It’s not the same feel as what they do out west,” Cameron said. “We have the traditional instrumentation, but a New Orleans feel and grooves. It’s a little more upbeat.”

The Cajun Troubadours recorded the album’s basic tracks in only two days, having honed arrangements during years of playing them live. But the post-production process dragged on, in part because the band was busy playing four-plus shows a week.

The pandemic solved that problem. Other than Facebook livestreams from Rock ‘n’ Bowl, the Troubadours had been mostly quiet for the past year.

“If the pandemic hadn’t hit and we hadn’t lost all our gigs, we may not have gotten the album out so quick,” Cameron said.

Cameron is a voting member of the Recording Academy, the organization that awards GRAMMYs. As his father noted, he “does his homework on everything he does.”

Thus, Cameron made sure the Cajun Troubadours’ album was properly submitted for GRAMMY consideration. “I was proud of the product we put out, and thought it deserved to be recognized.”

With more than 70 possible nominees in the regional

iTunes

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! roots music category, he didn’t think they stood a chance. But the Cajun Troubadours’ name was called along with the New Orleans Nightcrawlers, southwest Louisiana’s Sweet Cecilia, the Native American group the Black Lodge Singers, and the Hawaiian quartet Nā Wai ̀Ehā.

“It was pretty exciting,” Cover photo of the Cajun Cameron said. “I stopped for a Troubadours’ GRAMMYsecond and thought, ‘Is this real?’ nominated album That second went by real quick. I shouted out to my dad, ‘We’re nominated for a GRAMMY!’” In a review of the GRAMMY-nominated album, Cameeron Dupuy and the Cajun Troubadours, Dan Willging predicted, “By the time its all said and done, Cameron Dupuy should be on every list of top Cajun accordionists of all time.” Those are pretty big shoes to fill, but the 24-year-old Cameron Dupuy has already established himself as a true Cajun artist.

Cameron Dupuy & The Cajun Troubadours will be performing at Festivals Acadiens et Créoles Scène Mon Héritage stage at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, March 20.

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Performing in France, the audience sang along with the songs Rusty Metoyer wrote

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Lake Charles native, Rusty Metoyer was immersed in Creole music from a young age. Both of his grandfathers, Louis Metoyer and Cornelius Papillon, were Creole musicians. However, he didn’t pick up the accordion until the age of 14 after both grandfathers had passed away and he felt that someone needed to keep the tradition going in the family. In 2010, his senior year of high school, he formed the band Rusty Metoyer and The Zydeco Krush.

Metoyer told interviewer Herman Fuselier, “On holidays, everybody would pull out their instruments. I have uncles, cousins, and other relatives that play music, too. By the time both of my grandfathers had passed, I was about 15. I picked up my accordion.

I just wanted to learn it to keep it in the family. One thing led to another, and I formed a little band. I started getting gigs and started writing songs. Before I know it, I’m on a plane going to play in France, Holland, on the East Coast and West Coast.”

David Simpson

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

Remembering hs childhood growing among family members who played Creole music, Metoyer added: “My family has old pictures of me. It would be all older people in my family playing music—my uncle, my grandfather, my great uncles. I’m the only kid, in the background, with my eyes just focused on them. I was five or six years old. My cousins are outside playing basketball, and I would play with them, too. But when they started pulling out the instruments, that’s where I was.”

Metoyer learned to play music primarily to be a part of the family gatherings. “I just wanted to pick it up just to learn it and play it around the house and around the family for holidays again.

I never really planned on travelling the world with it, or playing every week and have a band and everything. I just wanted to learn how to play just to keep it going in the family.”

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Now Metoyer and his band perform regularly in Louisiana and Texas for a wide variety of events, including festivals, night clubs, trail rides, corporate events, casinos, and private parties. What makes Metoyer’s music unique are the noticeable influences from many different genres such as funk, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country, hip hop, and soul. Rusty Metoyer

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and the Zydeco Krush have released two albums: Take My Hand (2013) and In Due Time (2016) and two singles: Riverbank (2019) and Hurricane Proof (2020). He is also a member of the creole super group that Sean Ardoin organized, Creole United, that has recorded two albums with Creole musicians Andre Thierry, Sean Ardoin, Ed Poullard, and Lawrence Ardoin.

Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Rusty Metoyer website

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Rusty writes his own music, 24 of which have been published through his band’s two albums, 2013’s Take My Hand and 2016’s In Due Time. Although his main instrument is the accordion, he says he finds it easier to compose on a guitar. This allows him to work out the lyrics and chord progressions, on which he then layers the accordion.

Metoyer comes up with new songs when he’s outdoors. “It’s usually when I’m concentrating while doing some manual labor, working outside, cutting grass or driving. That’s when the songs come to me. I have to record them in the voice memo on my phone real quick.”

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

His music draws on both his own life experience and the stories of others. “I’m a big believer in learning from others’ mistakes,” he says, “I listen to what other people go through, and sometimes a song just comes to me about it.”

In the title cut of his second CD In Due Time that he recorded in 2016 when he was 24 years old, Metoyer sang: “I’m not trying to take what anybody’s got/ I just want to have my very own spot/ I know good things come with time/ but I feel like it’s my time to shine — in due time.”

Metoyer said his time is coming. “A lot of people think you just start and get big out of nowhere. I was always told by other musicians that it takes time. You have to keep working at it and you’ll get there. The song pretty much says it’s no rush. I know you might not know who I am yet. But in due time, you’ll definitely know who I am. You’ll know my music — in due time.”

Except for the bluesy classic, “Irene,” the 13-song CD is all original material with fresh lyrics and flavors of traditional and contemporary zydeco. The album includes a remixed version of “Louisiana Summertime,” a tune about fishing, front-porch sitting and other joys of bayou life.

Reviewing Metoyer’s 2016 album, Dan Willging described his impression of it. “It’s a bouncy, jangly affair that constantly shifts hues and styles, primarily due to alternating between

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com four accordions and incorporating outside influences, besides the proverbial R&B and hip-hop that’s more of a trademark of his contemporaries.”

Though the swirling background vocals of “I Still Love You” were inspired by hip-hopper Missy Elliott, there’s also a steel guitar in the background for an innovative combination.

Additionally, there are Caribbean-style vocals on the tropically seasoned “Louisiana Summertime” and a chic single-note guitar counterpoint shadowing the accordion lines on the relentless “Set Me Free.”

Several tracks are blazing firestorms (“Hey Rosa,” “Deo-Foyo-

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

B-O”); the uplifting autobiographical title song is a testament to how Metoyer is willing to wait for his time to shine, and to keep paying his dues until then. As evidenced by “If I Was Your Man,” he has grown immensely as a soulful vocalist, making the plea stick with conviction. It’s still dance-intoxicating zydeco but served with tantalizingly fresh snap beans.

Metoyer says he is dedicated to preserving his Creole heritage and culture. For Rusty, the music he creates is a link to creole history and culture. He also feels that preserving the creole culture is more than just the language. “We do have to preserve our language, but my personal feeling would be the sense of family [and the] sense of strong family values. If you keep that up, the Creole culture is going to stay there. The traditions and everything.”

He has even kept this sense of family with him in the form of a tattoo, which he said started off with a dream of Louisiana playing the accordion. The animated fleur-de-lis was joined by his family names and the words “Creole Family.” Although his parents may not have liked all his tattoos, the connection to his family and Creole culture remains strong. As family and music are so closely entwined for Metoyer, his creative work is helping this preservation. He continues to write and perform with a growing fan base around the world.

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Tourism officials in his hometown of Lake Charles have used his words and image in marketing campaigns. In 2016, he was recognized by Louisiana leutenant governor Billy Nungesser, with the “Lasting Impression Award” from the Lake Charles/ Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau at the National Tourism Week Awards Ceremony. He was also presented with the “Best New Artist Award” at the 5th Zydeco Music and Creole Heritage Awards Ceremony in March of 2017. The award was presented by the C.R.E.O.L.E. Inc (Cultural, Resourceful, Educational Opportunities, & Linguistic Enrichments, Inc) organization of Louisiana. Metoyer was most recently voted winner of American Press’ “People’s Choice of SWLA – Best Local Musician” (2021).

A 2016 concert in Soliel, France, is also among his favorite performances. “They were so inviting to us and we were overseas, and they were singing my songs,” he recalls, “songs that I wrote.

We were thousands of miles away and they were singing my songs. That was pretty cool.”

Rusty Metoyer and Zydeco Krush is scheduled to perform at Festivals Acadiens et Créoles on Saturday, March 19 at 11:45 a.m. on the Scène Ma Louisiane stage.

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— F ESTIVA LS ACA D IENS ET C RÉOLES —

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Blake Miller: Honky-tonkin’ for your dancin’ delight

A.J. Srubas on fiddle, Blake Miller on accordion, and Amelia Biere on guitar are Blake Miller and the Old Fashioned Aces.

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stern warning before taking in Blake Miller & the Old Fashioned Aces at Festivals Acadiens et Créoles from OffBeat music reviewer Dan Willging: “A mixture of sugar, bitters, whiskey and a twist of citrus rind, the Old Fashioned is a potent cocktail you don’t want to overindulge

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com in if you want to keep your car keys.”

Described by Willging as a “groove band that’s dance compelling,” Blake Miller’s Old Fashioned Aces’ brand of Cajun French songs will take you on a dizzying ride from hard-core, pared-down, gritty Cajun/zydeco two-step party music to waltzes as soulfully heart-wrenching as only Cajun music can be.

Grandson of well known accordion builder Larry Miller, Blake Miller, veteran of top Blake was surrounded by Louisiana bands Pine Leaf Boys Cajun music and culture his and Red Stick Ramblers, keeps entire life. Inspired by the honky-tonking with The Revelers constant contact with famed and his Old Fashioned Aces.

Cajun and Creole musicians, the steady stream of house parties and jams at his grandfather’s shop, Miller began playing on a toy accordion at age 5. Since then he has picked up the fiddle, guitar, bass, and steel guitar.

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

In 2018, Blake Miller revealed memories of his childhood to Los Angeles dance organizer Karen Redding. Growing up helping in his grandfather’s shop from a very early age, Blake Miller met and was influenced by some of the greatest names in Louisiana music. Miller was star struck by the towering giant of zydeco, Beau Jocque, and many others. “This is what I grew up with. I thought everyone listened to Cajun music all the time,” Miller said.

“I was a huge fan of Boozoo (Chavis) when I was in kindergarden. One day, Boozoo and his son, Charles, came to the shop for a new rubboard and they got me and my cousin Jay out of school to meet him.”

A fluent French speaker and songwriter, Miller acquired a degree in Francophone studies from The University Of Louisiana at Lafayette.

While pursuing his degree, Miller became a founding member Cajun band the Pine Leaf Boys. Featured in the New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine, the Pine Leaf Boys have been musical ambassadors on six tours for the U.S. State Department.

Miller was also a member of the premiere Louisiana roots band The Red Stick Ramblers. The Ramblers were featured in seasons 3 and 4 of the post-Katrina HBO hit, Treme, playing their songs “Made in the Shade,” “Katrina,” and “Morning

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com David Simpson

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Blake Miller singing one of his tunes with The Revelers (2015) Blues.” The Ramblers dissolved in 2013 and reassembled as The Revelers, which went on to a Grammy nomination for the 2015 release, Get Ready, their second CD of original tunes.

The Revelers have created their own niche in the Lafayette area music scene. Although they play songs with Cajun French lyrics as well as English lyrics as many Cajun bands do, they are not quite like any other Cajun band. They blend some Cajun with a lot of western swing (ala Bob Wills), R&B, their own brand of joyous New Orleans celebratory music with influences from big

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! band and jazz, and swamp pop classic tunes from the 50s. And most everything they play is reliably danceable, so Cajun or not, dancers love this band.

The Revelers’ music is similar to the Ramblers’, but the new band added one instrument: saxophone played by Chris Miller (no relation to Blake). Besides Blake Miller on fiddle and accordion, the Revelers include Chas Justus on guitar, Daniel Coolik on fiddle, Eric Frey on bass, and Glenn Fields on drums.

The Revelers’ most recent recording released late in 2019, Au Bout de la Rivière (At the End of the River), received enthusiastic critical reviews. According to Chris Miller, “This is our arrival record. This band started by searching for a sound that incorporated a lot of ideas. Now the process of writing songs is a much more cohesive process. We know what The Revelers sound is!” And finally, in 2022, we can dance to the Revelers and their newly realized sound at Festivals Acadiens et Créoles.

Blake Miller has also served stints in just about every other Cajun or Creole band of note including Balfa Toujours, Les

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Malfecteurs and Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole, taking his strong cultural identity and accomplished musicianship to the world. At this year’s Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Miller will be performing with the world-traveled Revelers as well as Blake Miller & the Old Fashioned Aces.

Blake has performed in an extensive list of venues, but his most memorable performance was going to Haiti to play with another former member of The Pine Leaf Boys, twice Grammynominated Cedric Watson.

“We were at a music festival” Blake said. “The extreme poverty was jaw-dropping, yet everything was so alive and vibrant. It was so rich. It was beautiful!” he said reverently.

“The beaches, the trees, the landscapes. It was gorgeous. We just went and started playing on a porch in town, and everyone started singing and playing along with their own instruments.

They would sing the songs back to us like they knew the songs.

We drew a huge crowd. There was a “Rah Rah” parade with two groups and each group in the parade had its own colors and instruments, mostly drums and big tubes they played into.

The two groups met in the middle of town and the whole thing exploded, like a Caribbean battle of the bands. It was a giant party,” he continued.

“In a way, all my songs are about this. I feel the Caribbean

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Dancing to The Revelers at Le Grand Hooray in 2018.

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com influence in my everyday life. Louisiana is very different because of the Caribbean influence.”

While still playing with The Revelers, Blake pared things down to Cajun music’s core with The Old-Fashioned Aces. Asked how he came to the Aces trio configuration, Blake says, “I wanted to do something more homey, like comfort food — you know, like a great gumbo. Something that would stick to your ribs.”

High-end venues such as Lincoln Center don’t appeal to him.

“My favorite places to play are the old opera houses and the dance halls. The places with low ceilings, dark, not always good sound,” he said. “The grittier places.” Blake continued, “I’ve played at La Poussiere, Whiskey, Wranglers, Atchafalaya Club, McGees. I love Ashkenaz in Berkley, Eagles Hall in Alameda (California.) We’ve played at Eagles in Seattle. I want to play more Eagles around the country.” Upon being asked where he’d like most to play, he responded sadly, “They’re all closed.

Richards. Hamiltons. Slims Y Ki Ki. Don Quixote’s in Santa Cruz, California.”

In Redding’s story, she asked Blake Miller what he’d like people to know about him. “That I’m a good cook! I’m a classic gumbo guy — chicken and sausage all the way.”

Back to Dan Willging’s review of Blake Miller & the Old Fashioned Aces’ album review for Quelle Belle Journée. Willging

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Florida Cajun Zydeco Update! said it’s a sonic concoction and comparably potent since Blake (accordion, fiddle), Amelia Biere (guitar) and AJ Srubas (fiddle) stir its ingredients creatively to cover a vibrant breadth of Cajun music.

There are passionately played waltzes (“Mermentau Waltz,” “Amitié Cassé”); there are fiddle duets like “Courville-McGee Waltz,” where Srubas and Miller burrow into the melody line for an entrancing performance. A handful of tracks are rousing dancehall numbers (“Pointe Aux Pins”) propelled by guests Jimmy Breaux, drums, and Joseph Vidrine, doghouse bass. On these tracks, Srubas jumps on steel for some twangy rides that add yet another angle to the Aces’ broad palette of sound. Yet it’s the vocals that really seal the deal. Biere plays a huge role in this regard with her spirited, hardscrabble vocals. She and Miller harmonize magically together.

Blake Miller will be performing at Festivals Acadiens et Créoles with the Revelers at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 19 on the Salle de Danse stage (dance tent), and as Blake Miller and the Old Fashioned Aces at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 on the Scène Atelier stage.

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Visit FloridaCajunZydeco.com Artist names for photos on pages 24–27 1. Steve Riley, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys and Riley Family Band; 2. Chris Ardoin, Chris Ardoin & NuStep Zydeko; 3. Kevin Naquin, Kevin Naquin & the Ossun Playboys; 4. Kyle Huval, Kyle Huval and the Dixie Club Ramblers; 5. Terry Dominguez, Terry & the Zydeco Bad Boys; 6. Christine Balfa, Balfa Toujours; 7. Miriam McCracken, Daiquiri Queens; 8. Wilson Savoy and Jean Bertrand, Pine Leaf Boys; 9. Nathan Williams Jr., Lil’ Nate & the Zydeco Big Timers; 10. Yvette Landry; 11. Jourdan Thibodeaux, Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rôdailleurs; 12. Jeffery Broussard, Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys; 13. Chris Miller and Daniel Coolik, The Revelers; 14. Chubby Carrier, Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band; 15. Wayne Toups, Wayne Toups & ZydeCajun; 16. Jesse Lége; 17. Desiree Champagne and Cedric Watson, Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole; 18. Geno Delafose, Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie; 19. Adeline Miller, T’Monde; 20. Corey Ledet, Corey Ledet Zydeco; 21. Kelli Jones, Feufollet and Festival Ballad Workshop; 22. Curley Taylor, Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble; 23. Chris Stafford and Chris Segura, Feufollet; 24. Horace Trahan, Horace Trahan & the Ossun Express; 25. Roddie Romero, Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars; 26. Randy Vidrine and Yvette Landry, Lafayette Rhythm Devils; 27. Russell and Sheryl Cormier, Sheryl Cormier & Cajun Sound; 28. Reggie Matte and Bobby Dumatrait, Jambalaya Cajun Band; 29. Kristi Guillory, Bonsoir, Catin; 30. Joe Hall, Joe Hall & the Louisiana Cane Cutters.

Florida Cajun Zydeco Update!

Regularly Scheduled Dance Events in Tampa Bay Area Tuesdays, noon to 2 p.m. — Ballroom Dance Lessons (open dancing 2 to 3 p.m.), Gulfport Casino, Gulfport, FL Tuesdays, 8 to 10:30 p.m. — West Coast Swing Party at District Dance Academy, 14100 U.S. Hwy. 19, Suite 139, Largo 33764 (districtdanceacademy.com) Wednesdays, 8 to 11 p.m. — Swing Time Dance (lessons 6 to 8 p.m.), Gulfport Casino, Gulfport, FL Info at swingtime.info.

Thursdays, 8 to 11 p.m. — Latin Dance (lessons 6:30 to 8 p.m.), Gulfport Casino, Gulfport Third Thursdays, 7:30 to 10 p.m. — Westie Night on the Town with Danielle Bouin (dbdance.net/group-classes/) Thurs. thru Sat., 7:30-on — Country Line Dancing at Stockyard, 1916 US Highway 19, Holiday, Florida 34691 (stockyardlive.com) Fridays, 7:30 p.m. — Tampa Bay Dancing Club, Mike Unwin, 8401 West Hillsborough Ave., Tampa First Fridays, 7 to 9:30 p.m. — Cajun Zydeco Dance, Jim Hance DJ, at Sauced Pizza and Sports Bar, 1250 Seminole Blvd., Largo 3377O *May dance will occur on April 29.

Second Fridays, 8 to 11 p.m. — Disco Party at Gulfport Casino, 5500 Shore Blvd. S., Gulfport, FL 33707. Lesson at 7 p.m. Info at swingtime.info.

NEW: First Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. — Tampa Bay Westies with Shay Patel at District Dance Academy, 14100 U.S. Hwy. 19, Suite 139, Largo 33764. Updated info on Facebook “Tampa Bay Westies.” DistrictDanceAcademy.com, 727-219-2420.

2nd, 3rd, 4th Saturdays, 8:30 p.m. to midnight at Bayou Dance Club, 6541 102nd Ave., Pinellas Park. 2nd Sat. Floorplay WCS & Country Dance; NEW: 3rd Sat. WCS Technique Workshop and dance; 4th Sat. Tampa Floorplay WCS. Confirm info at dbdance.net.

Sundays, 4-7 p.m. — Sara Dance Center Ballroom Class & Dance at new location: 2821 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota (saradancecenter.com) Sundays, 8-11 p.m. — Swing Dance Tampa Bay (Lindy), at Torpedo Room, (lessons 6-8 p.m.) American Legion Hall, 3810 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa

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The website soundexchangetampabay.com has info about vinyl.

Want to revive the experience and memories of listening to your vinyl records on an improved sound system? Sound Exchange with stores in Pinellas Park and Tampa can adjust, repair and upgrade your old stereo turntable to make your stereo sound better than you remember. “Ron” at Sound Exchange does the repair, adjustments and installation of new cartridges that enhance your system’s sound when playing vinyl records you’ve probably not listened to for decades. Email Ron with your questions at soundexchangetampa@gmail.com. Thank you, Ron!