Hello again!

The FloridaCajunZydeco.com Website, your source for Florida Cajun and zydeco dance events, features the top Cajun-Zydeco festivals U.S. in its "Festival-O-Rama" tab on the home page. Festival season is beginning, so make your plans to attend the festivals of your choice. Most of my readers love good music and dance, so I will be adding a few blues and country events for good measure.

Allons danser!

Get Twisted on Tuesday, January 21!
Venue: Twisted Martini (Clearwater)

Zydeco Dance 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Twisted Martini, 13563 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33760. (727) 754-9800.  Allons Danser is hosting a free cajun/zydeco CD party at the Twisted Martini in Clearwater on Tuesday, January 21, 2014, from 5:30-8:30.  Come early for happy hour specials and dance to your favorite tunes.  We will be using the room off to your left as you enter the building. It is in the Icot Center off of Ulmerton Road. There is NO COVER CHARGE, but please consider buying a drink and appetizers or dinner. We need to cover $400 in sales for the restaurant, so please come and enjoy. Let's get twisted. Please contact Sharon Stern at727-648-7858 for any information or questions. http://www.twistedmartinigrill.com/

The Porchdogs play for free at Saturday Morning Market in St. Petersburg

Do some grocery shopping, check out the crafts, and dance to the feel-good music of The Porchdogs.  Saturday Morning Market on January 25, 2014, First Avenue South and First Street, downtown St. Petersburg, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. GPS location: 230 First St. SE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

Marcia Ball at the Bamboo Room on Sunday, January 26.

Singer/pianist Marcia Ball knows how to raise roofs and tear down walls with her infectious, intelligent and deeply emotional brand of southern boogie, rollicking, roadhouse blues and heartfelt ballads. Over the course of her three-decade career, Ball has earned a huge and intensely loyal following all over the world. Her exquisite piano playing and passionate, playful vocals fuse New Orleans and Gulf Coast R&B with Austin's deep songwriting tradition into a sound No Depression described as "a little rock, a lot of roll, a pinch of rhythm and a handful of blues."

Tickets $37/$32. The Bamboo Room, 25 South J Street, Lake Worth, FL. Phone 561-585-BLUE. http://www.bambooroomblues.com/

Richard Thompson at Capitol Theatre, Clearwater, FL

On tour in support of his latest album release Electric, GRAMMY®-nominated musician Richard Thompson will make a stop at the Capitol Theatre on Monday, January 27 at 7:30 pm.  Electric, produced by Buddy Miller, comes in what is arguably Richard’s most creatively productive period in a career that stretches back some 45 years, back to his emergence as a teen guitarist and songwriter with the groundbreaking Fairport Convention, the band that essentially invented the term “English folk rock.” And that’s saying a lot, with his dozens of albums consistently high on critic’s polls and guitar skills that have earned him a Top 20 spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of Best Guitarists of All Time. Richard Thompson’s many facets only seem to get more, well, multifaceted and multi-fascinating.

Popular Cajun "hits" of Beausoleil and Jo-El Sonnier, "Valerie" and "Tear Stained Letter", were written by Richard Thompson.  Thompson's lyrics chronicle love at the complex intersections of temptation, jealousy, disappointment, abandonment, indignation, sorrow — perfect ingredients for a fine Cajun gumbo. Add to that a spicy tempo of 190 beats per minute, and you've hit the sweet spot of a Cajun jig. (Sure, Cajuns play slower music. They call those waltzes.) "Cry, cry, if it makes you feel better. Write it all down in a tear-stained letter." Even the alliteration has a quick tempo. At the Capitol Theatre, RT will be playing new stuff in an electric ensemble which mostly hearkens back to his folk-rock roots, but I wouldn't be surprised if "Will You Dance, Charlie Boy" or "The Rival" don't show up on a Beausoleil album in the future.

Capitol Theatre Website

Easy Street is playing the following evenings at Zydeco Grille in Englewood, FL:

7-9 p.m., Saturday, February 8
7-9  p.m., Friday, February 14
7-9 p.m., Saturday, February 15
7-9 p.m., Saturday, March 1
7-9 p.m. Fat Tuesday, March 4
7-9 p.m. Saturday, April 5
7-9 p.m., Saturday, April 12
7-9 p.m., Saturday, April 19

Mark Trichka and Lisa Brande will be doing their mix of rootsy zydeco, cajun, rhythm and blues, and Americana music. Mary Morella will accompany Easy Street Duo on rubboard and percussion. Zydeco Grille, 8501 Placida Rd  Englewood, FL 34224. (941) 828-1472. Lisa says "We have a couple senior folks who come and dance zydeco there to us pretty regularly. Its a restaurant, so not really set up for dancing but if a few couples were there, they could fit in to dance by the bar."  Zydeco Grille Website.

Cajun-Zydeco House Party
February 15, 2014, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Cajun-Zydeco House Party at Davida and Peter's house. Jim Hance will deejay with a nice mix of different tempos for you Cajun, zydeco and waltz dancers with tunes by Jeffery Broussard, Brian Jack, Bruce Daigrepont, Horace Trahan, Beau Jocque, Boozoo Chavis, Gator Beat, Kevin Naquin, Leroy Thomas, Lil Nathan, Steve Riley, and Zachary Richard. Bring a dish to share for a potluck feast, and BYOB if you like.  

Cajun-Zydeco House Party will be at 2421 First Street S., St. Petersburg, FL 33705. Questions? Email Davida at femfoto@hotmail.com or phone 727-479-2440.

Beth McKee Band at Bradfordville Blues Club on Saturday, February 1st
(Tallahassee, FL)

A former member of the popular New Orleans country-cajun group Evangeline, Beth played blues on the chitlin' circuit from steamy juke joints to muddy hog farms, and ultimately emerged as a respected player on the New Orleans, Austin and Nashville 
music scenes. She is also at the helm of a group of over 2,000 women who answer to the moniker "Swamp Sistas" and host gatherings called La Las all over the south. The Swamp Sista La Las are celebrations of regional music, food and culture and raise awareness and money for community issues and organizations that are important to the group. A check of Beth's website shows she is booked for both Friday and Saturday at BBC.

Bradfordville Blues Club on the Web.

Gumbo Boogie at Skipper's Smokehouse on Sunday, February 9, 5-9 p.m. (Tampa, FL)

Emerging in 1995 as a primarily acoustic jug band with a Louisiana flavor, GBB band cranked up the beat and electrified. They serve up a tasty musical stew with good time, street party, New Orleans-style dance music, strong on Zydeco, adding   swampy rock tunes and classic rockers to keep the party moving.

Skipper's Website

February 20-23: Virginia Key Grassroots Festival
(Miami, FL)

Camping is available on the sands of historic Virginia Key Beach Park, on the main festival grounds, just steps from the sparkling Atlantic Ocean. Campers can come for single nights or all four nights of the festival. Family camping farther away from the stages close to Kids' Village.

40 bands from all over the world include Preston Frank, Keith Frank and Soileau Zydeco Band, Cajun-rock band Donna The Buffalo, Grammy Award-winning Afro-Colombian group ChocQuib Town, bluegrass legend Del McCoury, reggae chart toppers John Brown's Body. Cajun dance lessons with Jerry Carrier. Tickets are $25-40 per day, $100-120 for four days; kids 12 and under free; camping $50 per night or $100 to stay 4 nights; RV passes are $150. More info: www.virginiakeygrassroots.com; phone 786-409-5261.

Celebrate Mardi Gras with JB's Zydeco Zoo on Saturday, March 1st

Mardi Gras Celebration at Cajun Cafe on the Bayou featuring JB's Zydeco Zoo (Pinellas Park, FL). $16 cover charge will include their Cajun Plate: Creole Roasted Pork, Red Beans & Rice, Jambalya and Crawfish Cornbread. Also included, Whiskey Bread Pudding and more! Door Prizes: We'll be giving away one $100 Gift Certificate and 3-Day Passes to our 17th Annual Crawfish Festival to be held April 4,5 & 6, 2014. As always, our Bayou Bar will be stocked with fine craft beers, in bottles and on draught.. 8101 Park Blvd, Pinellas Park, Florida 33781. Phone 727-46-6732.
cajuncafeonthebayou@tampabay.rr.com

4 p.m. to 8 p.m. --- Cajun-Zydeco Birthday Bash for Trish Gowl (St. Petersburg, FL)

Birthday Party Dance at Trish Gowl's in St. Petersburg. She's new to St. Petersburg, but has been a part of the C-Z scene in the Washington DC-Baltimore area.  Let's all show up at Trish's birthday bash and welcome her to the neighborhood.  Party will be at the Pavilion at Roberts RV Park, 3390 Gandy Blvd. North, St. Petersburg.  Please bring a dish to share, and your own beverage if you like. No gifts, please. Info: Trish Gowl, pgowl92@gmail.com.

HEADS UP! NEW FESTIVAL! "CRAWDEBAUCHERY MUSIC FESTIVAL" A one day festival in Pompano Beach, FL with     
           Rosie Ledet and Dwayne Dopsie. Mark the date! more info to follow.
 Website: http://crawdebauchery.com/

Lipbone reports, "There's a new record in the works, and by that I mean its mostly recorded and a release date set for April 1st.  My first idea for the record was not to use a trio at all, but something a little more experimental and quirky. But I am glad it came out the way it did. I still wove in lots of clicks, pops, groans, ba-booms, da-dang-dangs and lip trombone all the while keeping it live as possible. One benefit is that it looks like the trio will be going out and doing some touring this year. Even though I don't need anybody because I have stuffed animals to keep me warm."
More info: www.lipbone.com

Let me know if your favorite Cajun or zydeco band is coming to town and I will be sure to post that information on the calendar.

Also, a special THANK YOU to Jerry Carrier for his support of this website, and his tireless efforts to keep Cajun and zydeco alive in Florida with his email CZ NEWSLETTER. If you would like to receive Jerry's newsletter, send him an email requesting to be added to his email list to jerry.carrier@verizon.net. In addition to his listing www.floridacajunzydeco.com each issue, I find his newsletter to be an excellent source of information to add to my Dance Calendar page. Jerry is awesome!

Check out each of the new features I have reviewed above at www.FloridaCajunZydeco.com, and I hope to see you on the dance floor soon!

Regards. Jim Hance
Publisher

FloridaCajunZydeco.com