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BRINGING THE MUSIC OF THE BAYOU TO ST. LOUIS
by Diane Toroian Keaggy
St. Louis
is home to more blues bands than stop signs, but when it comes to
zydeco music, there are two biggies: Gumbohead and Zydeco Crawdaddys.
They
boast different styles — Gumbohead brings in the funk, Zydeco
Crawdaddys
keeps it country. Both will perform today and Saturday as part of
Mardi
Gras.
And both acts share a passion for Louisiana music matched only by
their
mutual disdain for "Mustang Sally."
"That was a founding principle of the band — never
playing 'Mustang Sally'
again," said Gumbohead bassist Andy Coco.
"Or 'Brown Eyed Girl' or 'What I Like About You,'" added
singer Tim Halpin.
Zydeco is "rump-shaking music," says Coco, an irresistible
mix of rhythm
and blues, jazz and folk music. Still, life is not always a party for
these
party bands. Gigs can be hard to find, and the uninitiated are perplexed
by
the accordions and washboards.
"We can play a whole hour of Louisiana stuff, and then we'll
just pull
'Brown Eyed Girl' out of a hat and the dance floor is packed. Then
they'll
all go sit down" afterward, said Paul Jarvis, the daddy of Zydeco
Crawdaddys.
"But every song we do is danceable. I tell ya, it's been a struggle."
Except during Mardi Gras.
The band will play more dates and make more money this month than
it will
all the rest of the winter. Both bands booked shows for the Mardi Gras
celebration in Soulard months ago.
"It's our bread-and-butter time," said Jarvis. "People
want to hear real
Mardi Gras music. They want to party, and they are geared for it when
they
leave the house."
Mardi Gras without the music?
Well, not everyone. Most revelers like Mardi Gras for the booze, beads
and
red beans and rice, not necessarily the beats. That's why the bulk
of
Soulard's bars will have DJs and cover bands on Saturday.
"It's appalling that you go down to the Mardi Gras and have to
search to
hear 'Saints Go Marching In,'" said Jarvis. "The bars ask
why they should
play a lot of money to bring up someone from Louisiana when they can
have
Joe Blow and make a lot of money."
Gumbohead took particular offense to last year's headliner, Mini Kiss,
a
KISS cover band composed entirely of little people. This year's headliner
on Saturday is alternative act They Might Be Giants.
"It was more of a sideshow than a celebration of that tradition
and
heritage," said Halpin. "It was a real missed opportunity
to make a gesture
to a community hurt by Katrina."
Gumbohead drummer Benet Schaeffer noted: "The French heritage
is almost as
thick here as it is in New Orleans. Soulard is our French Quarter.
We can't
replicate New Orleans Mardi Gras, but can we at least not book Mini
Kiss?"
Organizers answer that they simply served the audience's taste. Even
John
Johnson, owner of the Broadway Oyster Bar and the city's leading promoter
of Louisiana music, acknowledges that St. Louisans can't relate to
New
Orleans' musical traditions the way they embrace, for instance, the
blues
of Memphis.
"I will see a band in New Orleans that I really enjoy, and there
are
literally thousands of people all up on their feet," said Johnson. "Then
I'll bring them up to St. Louis and the typical response is, 'Entertain
me
and I might get up in the second set after I've had a few drinks.'"
What's not to like? Johnson wonders.
"It's not about the lyrics. Some songs maybe have two lines.
It's all about
the feeling good," said Johnson. "But people aren't familiar
with it, so
they are afraid to try it. I tell people, give it a half-hour, and
if you
don't like it I'll give you your cover back."
Still, Johnson has met St. Louis halfway by booking bands that temper
traditional zydeco with funk. That means Gumbohead is in, the more
traditional Zydeco Crawdaddys is out. So is Buckwheat Zydeco, among
the
genre's few household names.
"I've lost money every time I had him," said Johnson. "It's
simply
unbelievable that I can't get people to come see him."
Same but different
Zydeco music is, in simplest terms, blues music with an accordion
and a
washboard. It was created by Louisiana's Creole population in the early
20th century. Legends include Clifton Chenier and BooZoo Chavis.
Cajun music, by contrast, was pioneered by French-speaking Acadians
who
settled in Louisiana. Think of it as bluegrass music with an accordion
and
triangle.
Though the Zydeco Crawdaddys and Gumbohead cover many of the same
artists,
they approach zydeco from, literally, different places.
Jarvis has never been to Mardi Gras, nor has he spent much time in
Louisiana. He grew playing tuba and drums. Then he heard C.J. Chenier,
Clifton's son, on community radio station KDHX (88.1 FM) and decided
to
pick up the accordion. Hoist actually. His accordion weighs 25 pounds.
"It can be hard on your back when you're pumping and squeezing
and trying
to hold that thing up as you sing," said Jarvis. "Try to
imagine a sack of
dog food hanging around your neck."
Though a lot of contemporary zydeco music incorporates funk and hip-hop,
Jarvis' original songs reflect his roots. The band has recorded two
albums.
"We do more of the country sound," said Jarvis, a taxidermist
by trade.
"I'm from Illinois, so when I write a song it's got that rural
flavor to
it."
Gumbohead, however, considers the Big Easy its second home. Most members
make an annual pilgrimage to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival,
a
mecca for zydeco artists. There Halpin and Coco, once colleagues at
an ad
agency, first conceived of Gumbohead.
The band has recently released a self-titled album of covers and originals
and will play a fundraiser for New Orleans musicians during Jazz Fest
in
New Orleans this spring. Coco acknowledges he is nervous about playing
before New Orleans' best, but he has faced tougher crowds.
"We've played some wedding receptions where the bride and groom
really like
the band but they have neglected to tell the rest of the wedding party
what
we do," said Halpin. "So in the middle of the set we'll get
a request for
'Brown Eyed Girl' and we'll have to say, 'No, that's not really what
we
do.'"
Join the club, says New Orleans banjo player Don Vappie. Even in New
Orleans, New Orleans musicians don't always feel the love, especially
during Mardi Gras.
"Mardi Gras is not about having a lot of New Orleans bands," said
Vappie,
who will perform Saturday at Sheldon Concert Hall as well as the New
Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival this spring.
"The young people don't want to hear a banjo and a clarinet.
They're going
to go to some karaoke place. Even Jazz Fest — I'm not knocking
it, but
look who the headliners are."
They include Rod Stewart, Brad Paisley, Jill Scott. And Van Morrison
who,
wanna bet, will play "Brown Eyed Girl."
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