AKA Abraham Bacoln

For years I have thought I didn’t like Cajun music, or zydeco, or whatever you want to call it. This stems from the fact that every bead and t-shirt shop and daiquiri joint along Decatur in the Quarter blasts this horrible stuff out into the street at all hours, trying to suck in the tourists looking for that kind of thing while the real Cajun country sits a three hour drive away into the middle of nowhere.

Well, like I said – it only takes one thing. In reading an article today about what really makes a Cajun a Cajun I saw the name of a musician, Dewey Balfa, and decided to look up some of his stuff. Watching the clip featured below kind of gave me a shock, because it was so different than what I expected, and also was something I had never seen before or even heard of in music:

I mean, really? Fiddlesticks? It just … is fantastic. I might have to actually search for more of his music (in album not Youtube form) and give it a listen. I just can’t believe how different it is than what I expected, and how good it is. It’s … surreal. It reminds me of good old-timey country (which I love) but with some amazing twist. I’m sure Walter could explain all the technicalities of it to me but for now I’ll just say I’m happy I finally made the discovery.

[side note:if you really want to dissect the difference between cajun music and zydeco then this article is a good start – if that’s what you’re into]