Ernest James Zydeo releases a new CD - 3 Steps from La La

I got another interesting  message from my Zydeco friend Ernest James who lives  up in Kansas City Missouri. (See my previous blog January 2010.) He wanted me to review his new CD -3 Steps from La La.
I had become interested in this band when Valcour records made their previous CD the CD of the month, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE NOT RELEASED ON VALCOUR RECORDS! That's what got my attention in the first place.

I was checking post on the Facebook feed and saw an  interesting thing. Ernest James posted he was playing an Octoberfest gig  and I laughed to myself. Zydeco music is a far cry from German Polkas. Then a few days later Ernest posted a funny statement.  He a said a man approached him in the middle of the gig and this is what was said:  (Copied from his FB Page ....)

" Quote from Tulsa man: "Heard what chu boys was playing right dare an I said, "Them German boys been eatin' some crawfish!"
*firm handshake at Oktoberfest

I got a full belly laugh at that. I was ready for the new CD. After communicating with Ernest back and forth, he sent it to me. I have it in the car CD deck and have been digesting every note of it song by song. It is VERY GOOD.

The Zydeco influence is still strong, but this CD is very complex. Starting out with the lead cut, "Shake it Sugaree,"  each cut is strong and well thought out. As I stated in the previous review of his two previous CD's, there is an undercurrent of melodies that are California influenced, such as the guitar work on  "Sugaree."

My favorite cut, "Supposed to do" is pure blues. This is a song about evading temptation. I love it, especially when he professes to the seductress, " If you knew what I had you would understand......" 
The intro to this song starts out with clear as a bell guitar work, has a silent moment then spins into  low down gutsy groove. There are sophisticated drums and lead guitar licks that knock me out. It is hard driving, in a slow gutteral way that hits home. It slows down and then builds up suspense over and over again. You can see the mental struggle the singer faces and -SNAP- you feel his dilemma. The chorus is sung with two part harmonies which is brilliant. 

Ernest is very good at writing lyrics with some tongue in cheek witty sexual innuendo. On "Woa Sally" he sings about Sally taking him "into   into  the kitchen and turning out the lights, then "turning on the stove,"  then into the  basement, going "underground," and other two meaning phrases that are a delight. The lyrics are sung in a very catchy pleasing way. The second song with innuendo that I like is "Janitor" which starts out with a clever statement after a ringing doorbell, "Did someone call for the janitor?" followed with some clever two meaning lyrics. 

  Jaisson Taylor vocals ramps it up on "Zydeco Mother's day" with some hard core blues. If you like the Blues, you will adore this cut. 

The whole CD is filled with extremely good guitar work, well thought out lyrics and harmonies, and attention to detail.The song "Red cross People" is an example of story telling, emotional insight into the plight of  the rail riders and homeless in America, and the fact that there is little consideration for these people. It is told with a hint of humor. The mean, psychedelic guitar work at the end highlights the cluster-funk of angst these people must go through. There are layers upon layers of guitar work towards the end that express the jumbled up feelings that these people must endure. Jaisson Taylor sings one soulful  line that really hits home at the end "I didn't hurt nobody....."

Ernest ends the CD with the  Gospel standard,  "Glory Glory" ramped up with accordion that is complex, pleasing, and sure to be played over and over again if you pop it into you CD player. This is like a cross between Dixieland and Zydeco woven together in a way I have never heard before. It is delightful. 

Their CD release party will be held on November 30th, 2012 with their first live performance with their fiddler:

BB's Lawnside BBQ  
1205 E. 85th Street
Kansas V City, Mo
64131(816)

You can access this CD by going to 
http://www.cdbaby.comArtist/ErnestJamesZydeco
the band's website is www.ejzydeco.com

Patty McGehee

Music Trip to Austin -September 2012

Sam Broussard, Johnny Nicholas, and David Greely at Hilltop Cafe

Johnny Nicholas and Dave Greely at Hilltop Cafe

Starting in at the first of August, Dan and I  made a trip to Austin and Fredericksburg,  Texas to chase Golden Triangle. We caught their CD release party at Hilltop Cafe out of Fredericksburg on a Thursday night.
The Hilltop Cafe is a small gem in the middle of nowhere owned by Johnny Nicholas and his wife, who is the chef.




This place is an old service station from the 40's revamped and decorated with a lot of memorabilia Johnny collected when he toured with the band
 Asleep at The Wheel. (Dan and I followed Asleep at the Wheel around for a few years over 30 years ago.)  This was a unique dining experience, paired up with the incredible show performed by Johnny Nicholas, David Greely, and Sam Broussard, also known as the Band Golden Triangle. Previously, I posted a song performed by two of the performers at Chickie Wa Wa. Check it out to see what you think. Sam was unable to make that Chickie Wa Wa show show, but the performance  still stands up extremely well. Dan and I were the first to purchase their CD that night at The Hilltop and they autographed it on the spot.

Patty at Luckenbach

The next day  kicked around the countryside and visited Lukenbach Texas and then caught Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys  and Golden Triangle on a double bill at Antone's in Austin. C C Adcock sat in with Steve's band. That was a very good show. Dan and I started dancing and got the whole place up and going.







After the show, C C told us that Jimmy Vaughn was at The Continental Club Upstairs and we went there when we left. We were able to catch most of a set Jimmy Vaughn  put on, which was sort of a Jazzy Blues mix.

Steve Riley At Antone's

Patty and Jimmy Vaughn

C C Adcock At Antone's

We went back to The Hilltop that Saturday  night for another spectacular dinner and show by Steve Riley and his band, of whom one of the members is Sam Broussard. Sam is an exceptional guitarist, I might add. 



After visiting with Jimmy Vaughn after the show Friday night, CC also  invited us to go to the Fuck Cancer benefit held the next day (a Sunday) at The Continental Club , which was a benefit  for guitarist Nick Curran, who was riddled with cancer at the time. (Nick passed away two weeks ago-RIP.)

Patty and Dale Watson

The list of performers that played that day were:
Dale Watson
Dave Gonzales and Stepahnie Marlar
The Wyldwood Four
The Horton Brothers
The Bellfuries
The Sniffs
The Modern Don Juan
C C Adcock and The Lafayette Marquis and of course
Nick Curran and The Flashboys




Nick was very sick, could not speak, yet he played a blistering set of high powered punk. Dan got a poster and had all of the performers autograph it. I don't think I will hang it with the "F" word on it, but we will treasure it anyway.
I am posting  a photo I took of Nick's hands. I will not post a photo of him the way he looked that day  out of respect. He looked terrible and I don't want anyone to re-post a photo of him in that state and take it out of context.

Nick Curran's hands at the Fuck Cancer Benefit

The concert ended at 7:15 that evening and I had to jump in the car and drive back to Louisiana to be at work the next day at 7:00 am. I was an hour late to work, getting there at 8:00, after making a hellish ride back though the night which included getting lost in Houston due to a badly marked detour. It was worth it.
I went to work the next day  with the stamp on my hand in red  ink that read "Fuck Cancer." I wore it proudly. After all, I lost both my parents to cancer and it just did not seem right to wash it off.

Patty and Nick Curran in 2009  at The Blue Moon-Lafayette LA

Johnny Nicholas and David Greely

Johnny Nicholas and David Greely

Dan and I braved the rain and drive to NOLA to see Johnny Nicholas and David Greely do a set at Chickie Wa Wah. It was an incredible show which showcased Johnny's song writing ability and David's ability to pick up a melody right away. David Johnny have voices that mesh quite well.
Here is the  song address for the song "Big Basile."  David Greely is amazing and Johnny writes the most wonderful  songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Cei1Xdmtoo

.

P

Michael Juan Nunez and the American Electric is set to release "My Little Train Wreck" on April 17th, 2012

A couple of weeks ago I was baby sitting my adorable grand baby and stayed home while Dan and Larry drove  over to Lafayette to see Michael Juan Nunez and The American Electric at a fundraiser.I don't know much about that show, but as Dan was leaving Juan slipped him a copy of the just completed and polished "My Little Train Wreck" CD to bring back for a listen.

I was honored. I listened to it four times in a row and sent Juan a message: Could I review it? He said to keep it under wraps for a while and that we were privy to it ahead of the world. Of course we have been listening to it non stop. It has ten clean cuts.

Juan's song writing and slide guitar abilities shine here. He also brought into the fold some of the best musicians Acadiana  has to offer, including super slide star Sonny Landreth.
Over the last few months we have seen Juan play the title track song "My Little Train Wreck" many times with only him on guitar. It was a delight to hear Sonny Landreth slide on in on that cut and to hear Juan hold his own next to Sonny. I used to think Juan was heavily influenced by Sonny, but side by side it is obvious that Juan has a distinctive individual  style of his own. He uses a variety of guitars on these tracks and even plays bass on a cut.

Juan has brought in some young guns from his Alma Mater, Erath High School. A young man from Erath High School named Alex Boudreaux plays trumpet, Mike Veasey, the assistant band director at Erath High School plays sax, and Josh Trahan from UL plays trombone on the cut named "Lemonade." This cut has a very "New Orleans" feel to it. Delightful.

Dudley Fruge and Clint Redwing appear on the drums throughout the tracks. I can tell who is who, but listeners not familiar to these two might have a hard time distinguishing between the two. Basically, if there is finesse involved in the drums, that is Dudley. Powerful pounding sounds of driven force is usually Clint.
My favorite bass player in the world, Chad Willis is found here in full force. On "Needles," the sound gets powerful and tough and it brought back the feel of an Anders Osborne show I saw a year ago. Clint Redwing pounds the drums with force and conviction here.

The cut "Rock N Roll" is very good but I am hooked on the version from Juan's web site in a group of songs he allowed fans to download for free called "Songs from Potter's Field." (That gift is gone from his site now, I am sorry to say!) I can't get used to this version. If you have not heard the former, you will like this version just fine.

A tune about Harry Hippolite is endearing. This is a sweet tune dedicated to Juan's dear friend. It is a wonderful blues ode to a wonderful person.It is soulful and emotional.This showcases Juan's use of the slide in a way that is all his own.

The end cut is my favorite. "Up Jump the Devil" showcases the unusual  sounds Juan can coax  from the guitar just as he does at the end of each and every live show he does. Juan coaxes out sound here that is powerful, unusual, yet subtle.This cut reeks of  hardcore blues. Gris Gris oozes out of the sounds sliding across the landscape all the way from Congo Square ..........................

You can catch Michael Juan Nunez and the American Electric Thursday, April 19th, at  8:00 pm at Jefferson St. Pub, Jefferson St., Lafayette, LA, and at Festival Internationale in Lafayette, Louisiana on April 28th.
Below is the link to a video from the fundraiser that I missed.

There is a long list of people involved in the making of this CD:
Dan Desandro does the Mexican DJ voice on "Border Station."
Jerry Lejeune plays a gris gris stick on "Up Jump The Devil."
The CD is engineered by Tony Daigle and produced by A.J. Dauphin and MJN.
It is mixed by MJN and Tony Daigle. It was recorded October 22-26 2011 at Electric Comoland Studios in Lafayette, Louisiana, except for "Up Jump The Devil." Additional over dubs were done at Jerry Lejeune's studio in Lafayette, Louisiana. "Up Jump The Devil" was recorded (the guitar and vocals) at the KRVS
studio on the ULL campus by Aaron Thomas, and Carl Fontenot.


I am looking forward to the next few shows. I hope to see you there.
Patty McGehee

Below is a link to a live performance..........