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We'll See You Out Dancing in 2013!

The FloridaCajunZydeco.com Website, your source for Florida Cajun and zydeco dance events, has some great dance events posted for January and February. 

Some of these events will be THIS WEEKEND. In Region 3, Marcia Ball will be performing in Tampa at Skipper's Smokehouse. Donna The Buffalo will continue their tour of Florida with performances in Regions 5 and 3, Key West and in Orlando. And, In Region 3, The Gulfport Swamp Opera will be playing on Sunday at a Fais-Do-Do in St. Petersburg. 

In Region 2, Marcia Ball will be appearing at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on January 12. 

And January 18 in Region 3, Tab Benoit will be at Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa. Also that weekend, the Sunshine Blues Festival will be happening in three cities featuring Tedeschi Trucks Band, Walter Trout, Sonny Landreth, Joe Louis Walker, and others. In Region 5, the festival will be in FORT MYERS on Friday, January 18, and the same line-up of talent will appear in BOCA RATON on Saturday, January 19. Then the festival travels to SAINT PETERSBURG on Sunday, January 20 and Dr. John is added to the line-up. Also on January 20, Terrence Simien will be among the Legendary R&B Cruise leaving Fort Lauderdale. 

As on the Website, I am identifying each event by region. Region 1 is Florida Panhandle; Region 2 is Northern Florida; Region 3 is West Central Florida; Region 4 is East Central Florida; and Region 5 is South Florida. If a dance event is within your region, it is likely within an hour's drive. 

Regards, Jim Hance
Publisher, FloridaCajunZydeco.com

Region 3 --- Lipbone Redding Appeared Recently in St. Pete

Jane Hance with Lipbone Redding

Jane and I have been fans of Lipbone Redding for several years. We were not disappointed this evening with the Lipbone's singing and unique sound effects which have earned him his nickname.

Region 3 --- Marcia Ball Tours Central and Northern Florida

Marcia Ball

Region 3: Friday, January 4 -- Marcia Ball appears in  Tampa with BETTY FOX. Skipper's Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road, Tampa, FL. Phone 813-971-0666.

Region 2: Saturday, January 12 -- Marcia Ball appears at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Vedra Beach, FL

The Texas-born, Louisiana-raised pianist/vocalist/songwriter Marcia Ball is famed worldwide for igniting a full-scale roadhouse rhythm and blues party every time she strolls on stage. Ball's groove-laden New Orleans boogie and rollicking Gulf Coast blues have made her a one-of-a-kind favorite with music fans all over the world. But she's also a master at transfixing her audience with an emotionally rich, passionately sung ballad. On her new CD, Roadside Attractions (her 15th solo recording), Ball's songwriting is at the forefront, ranging from tales of wild parties to stories of twisted motel affairs to declarations of the enduring power of love and family. It is inspired by her years on the road and from insights gained from everyday life, making it her most autobiographical album. Roadside Attractions is certainly more than capable of starting a no-holds-barred bash.

Region 3 --- Gulfport Swamp Opera Play Fais-Do-Do on Sunday, January 6

Gulfport Swamp Opera appears at Fais-Do-Do

Gulfport Swamp Opera is not pictured above, but Gulfport Ramblers featuring some different personnel.

Region 3: Sunday, January 4 -- 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fais-Do-Do at Peter and Davida's.  From 4-7 p.m., enjoy a Fais-Do-Do (house party) with Gulfport Swamp Opera featuring Rex Blazer at Davida and Peter's home in St. Petersburg.  Questionable weather forecast for Sunday moved the band's beach party indoors. Everyone in the dance community is invited, and no food is required. No admission charge, but let's show our appreciation to the band in the form of a donation.  The address is 2421 First Street South, St. Petersburg, FL.

Regions 3 --- Tab Benoit at Skippers Smokehouse in Tampa

Bluesman Tab Benoit

Region 3: Friday, January 18 -- Tab Benoit (The Damon Fowler Group will open) (Tampa, FL)

Tab Benoit is a Cajun man who's definitely got the blues. Born November 17, 1967, he grew up in Houma, Louisiana. A guitar player since his teenage years, he hung out at the Blues Box, a ramshackle music club and cultural center in nearby Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas. Playing guitar alongside Thomas, Raful Neal, Henry Gray and other high-profile regulars at the club, Benoit learned the blues first-hand from a faculty of living blues legends. The nightly impromptu gigs were enough to inspire Benoit to assemble his own band - a stripped down bass-and-drums unit propelled by his solid guitar skills and leathery, Cajun-spiced vocal attack. He took his show on the road in the early '90s and hasn't stopped since.

Regions 3 & 5 --- Top Blues Talent at Sunshine Blues Festival in Three Cities

Beth McKee

Region 5: Friday, January 18, 2013 in Fort Myers, FL

Region 5: Saturday, January 19, 2013 in Boca Raton, FL

Region 3: Sunday, January 20, 2013 in St. Petersburg, FL

Winner of four Blues Music Awards and a Grammy Award for “Best Blues Album” the Tedeschi Trucks Band will headline the inaugural Sunshine Blues Festival in Florida, playing three dates in the state. Featuring two stages of live bands, the Festival will make its debut at Centennial Park in Fort Myers, Friday, January 18, 2013, with music starting at 12:30PM. Then, Saturday, January 19, 2013, with music starting at 11AM, it comes to Mizner Park Amphitheater, Boca Raton in South Florida and finally Sunday, January 20, 2013, with music starting at 10:45AM, at Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg in the Tampa Bay Area.

“The Blues is where it all began for Modern Music in America,” says Neil Jacobsen, President  of Live Nation Florida. “Putting this show together has been a labor of love and we are very excited to bring a world class Blues Festival to Florida as an annual event.”It has been an amazing year for the Tedeschi Trucks Band or TTB as their loyal fans prefer to call them. In February their album Revelator won the Grammy Award for “Best Blues Album.” Then in July they dominated the Blues Music Awards (formerly the WC Handy Awards) where they won not only Album of the Year, but also took home trophies for Band of the Year, Gibson Guitar Award (Derek Trucks) and Contemporary Blues Female Artist (Susan Tedeschi). True to Truck’s promise, the album delivered a collection of blues-dipped rockers and heart stirring ballads in which the echoes of so many great traditions flowed together naturally, blending with an entirely original, modern sensibility.

Other bands include blues legends who don't tour Florida very often: Walter Trout, Sonny Landreth, Joe Louis Walker,  Jaimoe's Jasssz Band, The Wood Brothers, Big Sam's Funky nation, Matt Schofield, Sean Chambers and Bobby Lee Rodgers. At the St. Petersburg festival, Dr. John will join the line-up. 

Region 1 & 3 --- JB's Zydeco Zoo

Region 1: Saturday, February 2, 2013 at Joanie's Gourmet Market in Havana, FL

Joanie's Annual Mardi Gras Party will be taking place on February 2. Cajun Stomp music by JB's Zydeco Zoo. Mardi Gras Parade with beads & throws ("Throw me something, Mister!)  N'Awlins Dinner Menu: Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice, Po Boys, and Bread Pudding.  Beer, Wine, & Hurricanes.  Tickets on sale now: $35 + tax per person includes party admission, parade, music, N'Awlins Buffet, and five drink tickets. (Tickets at the door: $40 + tax)  Want to be in the parade with your decorated vehicle or Mardi Gras Krewe? Let us know so we can schedule you and provide your "throws."  850-539-4433.

Region 3: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at Cajun Cafe in Pinellas Park, FL

5-9 p.m. 16th Annual Mardi Gras Celebration with JB's ZydecoZoo features dinner, dancing, door prizes and Mardi Gras beads. Dinner will include Creole roasted pork, red beans and rice, jambalaya and crawfish cornbread, and whiskey bread pudding. Door prizes include a $100 gift certificate and three sets of 3-day passes to the Cafe on the Bayou Crawfish Festival in April. Dance lesson with Dwight Dupree. $15 advance tickets at ETIX.com or $20 at the door.

Region 3 --- Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers

Dwayne Dopsie

Region 3: February 8, 9 and 10, 2013 at Cuso's in Indian Rocks Beach

Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers return for another 3-day appearance at Cuso's. They put on a great show that will keep you on the dance floor. Fri & Sat  9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m./Sun. 6-10 p.m. at Cuso's Club & Cantina, 2405 Gulf Blvd, Indian Rocks Beach, FL. Phone 727-596-5640 for details.

T-Broussard from Houston, TX

T-Broussard

Region 3: T-Broussard Plays Fat Tuesday Celebration in Dunedin

This annual downtown celebration features a parade (8-9 p.m.) and concert (approx. 9-11 p.m.) featuring T-Broussard.  Where: Downtown Dunedin, Florida, on Main Street between Louden Avenue and Broadway. Admission is FREE. Beer, wine, food and souvenirs will be availabe for purchase.

Outside Florida --- Fat Tuesday in San Diego

Gaslamp Quarter

BIG PLANS FOR FAT TUESDAY MARDI GRAS
IN SAN DIEGO (Tuesday, Feb. 12)


My friends in the Bon Temps Social Club, led as usual by party and festival maestro Jean Claude Pierre Pierre (aka Peter Oliver), are at it again in creating a unique new party for Fat Tuesday. For over 20 years the BTSC has been holding monthly dances with live Cajun and zydeco bands. Then they created what has become one of the premier annual music festivals, Gator By The Bay, which attracts about 20,000 people each year. They also produce one stage of entertainment at Balboa Park's December Nights. What will they come up with next? 

For over a decade the Gaslamp Quarter Association has held a huge Mardi Gras Parade through the Gaslamp Quarter section of downtown and year after year the Bon Temps Social Club float and marching dancers would win the "first place" award. (Credit for design of their fantastic floats must go to John Bagwell.) This year the Gaslamp Quarter will host a Mardi Gras music festival with bands playing simultanously on four stages, and the Bon Temps Social Club will host one of the stages with Cajun and zydeco bands including Bayou Brothers, Theo & The Zydeco Patrol,and boogie-woogie diva Sue Palmer and Her New Orleans R'nB Review. One or two second line parades, led by the Euphoria Brass Band, will bring legions of revelers to the BTSC stage from elsewhere in the Gaslamp Quarter.

If you're in San Diego for Fat Tuesday, don't miss the festivities. Details to appear on the BTSC Website: www.icajunzydeco.com

What's Your Favorite Recording of 2012?

I know, it's ALL good. Check www.FloridaCajunZydeco.com for mine. I can give one hint: it's not "Call Me Maybe." Here's to a new year of great music, dancing and general carrying on.

 

Jim Hance, Publisher