Let's Put On A Show

Hello...my friend Stephanie Broussard sent me this announcement regarding a special event...an Eavesdrop Theater reunion taking place this
Sunday, December 26 · 6:30pm - 10:30pm @ Cite' Des Arts.
You should go to this. As Elaine's boyfriend/psychiatrist once told her "You can and you will. You can and you will."
Take it away Steph:

While many of you would rather sit at home and watch the fights this Boxer's Day, why not do something different? Come join in a reunion of Eavesdrop producers, writers, directors, actors, stage hands, best boys, gaffs, and audience members and parking attendants as they collectively celebrate those magic years at Citi des Arts in downtown Lafayette. More than just this reunion, many people are talking about getting Eavesdrop up and running again on a regular basis. Finally .... something worthwhile to do on Wednesday nights. Won't you help? Come join the party. Although I'm not at liberty to drop names around, I hear that many ex Eavesdroppers will be coming in from out of town and out of state. Someone told me that Nathan Lane and Tony Randall will be making an appearance, although that someone is not the most reliable source. In any event ... please make an appearance. I'll be there, so you can at least see me.


Follow the link and state your intentions.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154044981308315

Bluerunners Open 11th Season of Louisiana Crossroads

So since Mark has been crazy busy with the Louisiana Crossroads series this week (in case you missed this week's Times of Acadiana - check it out....cover story on the Bluerunners reunion Crossroads events) I thought I'd do the music post this week. And because it has been a rather nostalgic couple of days, I thought it only appropriate that I sneak in and post this....the video that accompanied "I Can't Help You" from the Bluerunners Island Records debut. Saturday show at the AcA is sold out, but good tickets are still available for the Lake Charles show tonight.
Happy weekend!
jill :)

Don't Touch My Duck

This is from 1981. I'm pretty sure I attended that year's Festival Acadiens, though, much like the average festival goer who can't tell one Cajun song from another, it's hard for me to remember one year's fest from any other year's. I mean, was it the one when it rained? Or the one where it was super hot and dusty? Or the year when it was super hot and dusty, then it rained and it was super muddy? See what I mean?

However, that would be missing the point. This festival is a party that starts somewhere around Friday, and ends, mostly on Sunday night (maybe a little Monday morning breakfast and farewells). In between, is lots and lots of music, dancing, eating and drinking. It's what is great about living in South Louisiana. Much like the people and culture it celebrates, Festival Acadiens just keeps rolling on, bigger and better every year.

J-I-M-I

I love this version of Born Under A Bad Sign. Booker T and William Bell wrote it. Albert King made it famous. But this version by Jimi Hendrix utterly transforms the original into something sublime and beautiful. I'm telling ya, I love this track. Someone gave me a cassette with this on it, and I drove around listening to it, over and over for a year or more, before I realized it was an instrumental. His playing is so expressive and personal, it feels like lyrics are being sung....through the guitar. I mean, even the way he comes in...off of a pre-bent note AND a volume swell! That's some audacious (you know what) to come in like that....and it just gets better and better as he adds layer after layer after layer...all stream of conscious, live in the moment. I can't think of a better song to have stuck in my head all day. Have a nice weekend folks. It's good to be back.

Oh Lindsay

Ah the saga that is Lindsay Lohan. Normally we are able to stay away from Hollywood gossip like this (except...Britney....you've been so quiet lately.....) but not this time....not when Lohan's antics are now affecting us (well, not 'us' directly, but our state).

According to MTV, Lindsay Lohan was about to begin filming her new movie, Inferno, a biopic about porn star Linda Lovelace, in our fair state....that was until now. The producers of the film are moving production from LA to L.A. to accommodate Lohan's 'travel restrictions' placed on her because of her most recent failed drug test and arrest last week. A move that will cost the producers a "sizable amount of money." They say they understand the public exasperation about Lohan's behavior but are committed to her starring in this movie so they are finding additional financing to make the move. And to ensure everything goes smoothly, they are writing special sobriety clauses into her contract. That should go well...

The Downs At The Moon Tonight

This should be a really good show! Rotary Downs from New Orleans and The Picardy Birds from here in Lafayette both rocking out at the Blue Moon Saloon. Go get your indie-rock on. Weekend is here right about........now!

SWEETS

I have been remiss is giving kudos to one of Lafayette's rising stars Kody Chamberlain. He's an artist, writer and one prolific dude. His latest work SWEETS was featured in this article by Patrick Strange and Leo Mcgovern in Good, the New Orleans issue. From the article:

The recently published NYPD Blue-meets-Seven crime drama Sweets—created by Louisiana native Kody Chamberlain—attempts to use New Orleans’s staggering murder rate for its fictive advantage. Set in late August, 2005, as the hurricane looms, Sweets follows Detective Curt Delatte as he chases down a serial killer who leaves pralines as his calling cards. Adding somber insult to fatal injury, Delatte’s wife has just left him after their daughter was killed in a brazen hit-and-run. Murder and civic chaos abound, and the surrounding violence only heightens the sense of impending doom as the storm swirls towards the city. “Like it or not, the murder rate gives the city a sharp edge,” Chamberlain says, “which adds weight to any story set in New Orleans." Of course, complicating the case is the encroaching hurricane and the uncertainty of the evacuation—a facet of Sweets that may hit New Orleanians a bit too close to home. But hurricanes, like crime, are a fact of life for those who live in the city. “Every time a major storm enters the Gulf, everyone feels the stress, and that can have a major impact on a character, which, in turn, makes for good stories,” says Chamberlain. As for Delatte, his stress is channeled into hunting a killer. “What if the killer evacuates?” Chamberlain asks, assuming the voice of his protagonist. “What if evidence is destroyed? What if Delatte can’t handle the real-world pressure? Surely New Orleanians would root for Delatte...”

Also, check out Chamberlain's blog In No Particular Order for updates and reviews of SWEETS. He seems to always be working, moving....try and catch up will ya?

Ahh..These Are The Good Kind Of Clowns

Not today folks. I'm not gonna waste time getting angry about the cynical political pandering our elected officials shovel out to us today. There's stuff out there from the usual suspects. And if the new cap on the broke oil well works...that would be great. But until then, I'm gonna look towards New Orleans for something nice to listen to. It's Tuesday, and it's boiling hot in Louisiana.

Sweet Relief

Ah man...when it sucks...like it does now....here's one guy who got it right.
Weekend starts right after a brief cultural history lesson. Shut up and let Clifton play!

Music

Sometimes, when, there's nothing that can be done....that's when music can help. It can't plug the hole, can't stop the glug, glug, glug, but it can help us get through this crap. It doesn't matter what kind of music. Go find something that does it for you, and put it on. This is for the spirit, and spirit is what we're need to be strong. They talk about this oil killing our culture, but that's not true. It may kill the fish, but our community and our culture is still here. Weekend starts now.

New Mini-Golf Coming to Lafayette

I drive by the old Global Golf location on Johnston Street almost every day and each time I do, I look at the empty lot with nothing left but some big pampas grass and think to myself how much I enjoyed miniature golf as a kid. The bigger and fancier the better. I remember going to giant miniature golf parks on vacation....not the wimpy little putt-putt courses, but big, pirate ship fancy miniature golf courses. Well, the mini-golf gods must have been listening to my opine because there's a new $20,000 miniature golf and batting cage recreation center going up on Duhon Road...not far from the old Global Golf. But in the meantime, if you need a mini-golf fix, visit Kart Ranch...they have one of the best courses around and lots of other fun stuff. Ok, there's no giant pirate ship, but they do have a lighthouse and it is still very nice. Plus, if you get hot, you can cool off in the bumper boats or start a Super Soaker war. Happy summer! jill :)

Water (((water)))

Wow, I'm starting the weekend a day late this week, and it's not like I did it on purpose. I suppose the Mimosa Girls distracted me. So, today is Friday, and I have a maritime theme going with our musical clip. First off, today's clip is dedicated Jill's Dad "Sailor Jim Johnson" who has come to live with us this week; secondly, this is a way to enjoy the water without getting all depressed about the Gulf; and finally, what place besides Louisiana could lay claim to an artist named Frogman? With that, let's sit back and recall one of my favorite scenes in the movie Diner which featured this same tune. Weekend starts (albeit a day late) now! Take it away Clarence!

Lightin' Strikes Twice

Oh mais amis, it's deja-vu all over again. Seems like just last month a group from Mississippi came through, and Sam Rey (now w/Michael Juan Nunez!) opened the show, and the Gulf was being destroyed by a greedy oil company. Tonight, at the Blue Moon Saloon Cedric Burnside and Lightin' Malcom headline, and Me and Juan open...and the Gulf is still being destroyed by a greedy (and unethical, perhaps criminal) oil company. Come drown your sorrows in North Mississippi blues!

Weekend starts.....wait for it.....wait....no peeking....now!

Hutslar Exhibit at the ACA

Photographer Kent Hutslar died of pneumonia earlier this year, but his art lives on as The Acadiana Center for the Arts has announced that they will feature an exhibit of Hutslar's fine art photography from June 12 through July 2. Hutslar was known for his talent as a photographer and an advocate for the arts. Over 50 pieces of Hutslar's finest artwork will be on display and for sale with all proceeds benefiting the Hutslar family.

Curator of the exhibit is UL professor and artist, Herman Mhire. He says "Kent Hutslar was an exceptional photographer and a dedicated, community volunteer / activist. His enthusiasm for the arts, and belief in the value of the arts, was an inspiration to all who knew him. Sought after by collectors from around the country, Kent Hutslar's photographs exhibit the influence of some of the 20th centuries' modern masters. There is no doubt Kent Hutslar will be remembered as a significant contributor to the evolution and history of photography in Louisiana."

For more information, visit the ACA's website at: acadianacenterforthearts.org

This Note's For You

This one goes out to our "friends" over at BP, particularly in light of their recent claims that they remain unconvinced of underwater oil plumes in the Gulf; for their consistent underestimations of how much oil was spewing from their botched well; to their CEO who wants "his life back"; for claiming relief workers from Louisiana were merely "sea sick" or overcome by the heat, rather than suffering from exposure to noxious fumes emanating from the oil and chemical dispersant; and lastly, to whore monger David Vitter for attempting to introduce a bill limiting BP's liability. They all got one helluva nerve.

James Booker don't take no mess, and neither should we. Weekend is here, have a can a beer! Thanks Tim.

(Press Play)

Tell Me When It's Over

I'm bending the rules a little bit today, using a non-Louisiana artist. I don't really even like this song so much, but it was the one that came to mind while we WAIT to see if those donkeys at BP were able to plug their well. It's the hardest part you know...the waiting. See what I did there? Very clever. Weekend starts now, with one eye on the Gulf and the other on the Cajun Women's Super Regional. Cap it!

Shannon McNally Tonight @The Blue Moon Saloon

Yep, and I'm opening the show.....self-promotion. Excuse me while I swim another lap in Lake Me.
Now, crank up that oily, tar ball, wetlands coated, (don't forget the chemical laden, noxious fumes) weekend. Whoohoo!

I Don't Love The Smell Of Napalm In The Morning

So, yeah, this is a long version of Fiyo On The Bayou, but it's nothing compared to how long that broken well has been glug, glug, glugging crude onto our shrimp and oysters. Looks like it's gonna be a long and oily summer. Weekend is here.

It Ain't Chocolate Milk

So,that gusher is still gushing. Despite the best efforts of all the king's men, humpty oil rig cannot be put together again. I'm so outta sorts over this, I was going to put Rod Bernard's classic "This Could Go On Forever" to illustrate the lingering, maddening debacle of oil pumping unabated into our backyard. Yeah, that would have been a great marriage of song and situation....but then I realized the title is "This SHOULD Go On Forever" Not as appropriate. Still a great song, but not for right now.

Enter Van Broussard with Red Red Wine, for no other reason than it's a great song, and he's a great Louisiana singer. Van can kick off the Mother's Day weekend for us, and I'll try to think pleasant thoughts of distraction.

Maybe They'll Burn It

Second weekend of Jazz Fest; Crawfish Fest in Breaux Bridge; gigantic oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico threatening the wetlands and what's left of our natural resources. Just another weekend in Louisiana. Sing it Earl.




p.s. Good luck to STM Lacrosse in the state semis!