Zydeco: my new metal?

Francophone music takes a sharp turn south

Alcest’s most recent album, Les Chants De L’Aurore, was released on June 21, 2024 - and co-incided with my listening to The Bosstones and some of the only folk music I can tolerate: Neko Case. I think something in the Spotify algo(s) blended this all up and threw me into a tune that I cannot get out of my head: Beau Jocque’s “Don’t tell your mama, dont tell your papa” https://open.spotify.com/track/5nSKA2EVEjLiNwtKwv2EtY?si=2e7a455c1aba44b9

I’d say an equal amount of Zydeco and Metal are now consumed in the production of my software, and my ties to the area - which I’d forgotten about - have come into the forefront. I think perhaps there are echoes of my childhood instrument, the oboe, and Ska in this music. it just moves me.

I’m building up a substantial collection of Vinyl records and discovered that the second largest Zydeco hotbed was San Francisco of all places, per The Kingdom of Zydeco. Queen Ida played near my son’s school!

Current top players:

• Beau Jocque remains my favourite, particularly his live albums
• Boozoo Chavis started the style that i like best
• Jeffrey Broussard’s technical playing and layered polyrythems are impeccable
• Horace Trahan has a great DVD and sent me a lovely autograph; love that he layers in Cajun
• Queen Ida really does royalty right!
• Corey Ledet’s zydeco tunes are to die for, though i’m less fond of his crossover work
• Rosie Ledet - of no relation, apparently, but quite a foot tapping genius.
• John and Geno Delafose both

And I’ve loved both the “Kingdom of Zydeco” book and movie - which are different.

Getting deeper

I’m still struggling to find more memorabilia and history, and there’s not a great place on the internets where this is shared - beyond some MySpace styled forums and sites, it’s pretty sparse and not very much is available in terms of lyrics or translations or stories in one place. Almost nothing of “tabs”.

Slowly am reaching out to Cajun French and Kouri-Vini scholars, because this is beyond the limits of my very European French… though I do have some ties to the area on my mother’s side, surprisingly.

One idea: Pull more together into an online “museum” that maybe could someday be the “Gulf West Zydeco & Cajun Museum” - i think it could be an interesting case study for some of the marketing work i’ve been trying out!

www.gulfwest.org is looking good!