Bal du Dimanche with Goldman Thibodeaux & the Lawtell Playboys (LA Creole)
Dance the afternoon away with Goldman Thibodeaux & the Lawtell
Playboys at Vermilionville's weekly Sunday Dance. 1 – 4 p.m.
Refreshments will be available for this smoke-free all ages show at Vermilionville's
Performance Center. Visit the calendar of events at vermilionville.org
for more info on the performers.
Bal du dimanche is held every Sunday.
$5 admission is for dance only and does not include entry to the park.
Vermilionville, 300 Fisher Rd, Lafayette, LA 70508-2028
Large Wood Dance Floor, No Smoking
Info: (337) 233-4077
Goldman Thibodeaux and the Lawtell Playboys are performing at Vermilionville, a recreated Cajun village in Lafayette. I’ve missed half the set by the time I arrive at 2:30 PM. An hour later I’ve danced to classic waltzes and two-steps, all sung in French, and all born of the joys and sorrows of Creole life in mid twentieth century Louisiana.
Old timers like Goldman are windows into the past. My friend May Louise from Lafayette says he plays “La La”, a nickname for the genre of music that preceded zydeco in the mid 20th century. Goldman remembers listening to the legendary accordionist Amédé Ardoin play at a house party when he was 8 years old.
The group on stage today – rub board, drummer, guitar, bass, and, sitting on a stool at center stage of the barn-like structure built specially for music and dancing, seventy-something year old Goldman Thibodeaux,.
The singing duties are divided between Goldman and his drummer.
Goldman isn’t much on chatter throughout his set so when he talks, you listen. The first story he tells is a funny one about a hat. He tells it in French, milking it out as slowly as he sometimes pulls his accordion during a song, and adds some mugging for effect, and chuckles with the telling.
Despite only understanding every fifth word, I laugh when he finishes because his usually hang-dog visage melts into a wrinkly wry smile.
A few songs later, as the afternoon is waning, Thibodeaux pauses and says, “Places like Vermilionville are special. There used to be places like this all over the countryside. Now few like it are left where you can bring the whole family to listen and dance.”
No doubt there are fewer of the rural bars and restaurants but that doesn’t mean the tradition of parents bringing their kids to restaurants and dance halls is a thing of the past.
Aside from the scattering of kids here with their parents, children are not only welcome but expected at Randol’s Restaurant right up the street in Lafayette and Pont Breaux down the road in Breaux Bridge. Mamas, papas (accent on second syllable) aunties, uncles, gran’papas and gran’mamas cradle kids in their arms as they dance two steps and waltzes around the floor.
When they get big enough, and for some that means a couple of weeks after they can walk, children totter around to the music with an adult. Even teenagers shed self-consciousness to join their parents on the dance floor. It’s not as if people are leading a charge cultural charge to retain their culture. This is simply what people do here.
Photos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
In short, Mr. Goldman is the most conscientious, loving and thoughtful person I know. It's a tremendous honor for me to have played with him for the past 12 years. He considers and means every word he says from hello to goodbye and everything in between.
The in between is where he teaches a lot of lessons about how to treat people and how to just be a good person. One song he recently wrote is titled "Jealousy is a Bad Disease!" He wrote it because he thinks that jealousy causes a lot of problems in peoples lives...and it does! I hadn't ever thought of it as a disease, but I guess it is like a bad disease the way it eats at some people!
I enjoy every gig and never know when he's going to pop up with a tune I've never heard of! We don't play with a set list so every song is a surprise! Most of them we've played before, but some of them are tunes that he's remembered right there on the spot straight out of the good old days! Two gigs ago, he happened to remember the song "Poor Hobo." It's a delicious song that I'm so glad he remembered, otherwise, I would have never known of it! He's a walking creole music encyclopedia!
Most importantly, he's like a grandfather to me. Every time we say goodbye, Mr. Goldman says "I love you and if the good Lord says so, I'll see you next time." He considers every day a blessing and again, he's right!
Posted by: Courtney Fuller | April 21, 2012 at 01:33 PM
Your 'behind the scenes' anecdotes add mightily to the story, Courtney (guitar player with "Mr. Goldman").I had the feeling that singing is a way for him to have a conversation with us about what he's learned in life, what he wants to pass on in the way of lessons learned, the loving ones and the ones that hurt and everything in between.
Posted by: Paul A. Tamburello, Jr. | April 23, 2012 at 01:36 PM
We will actually be playing New Orleans Jazz Fest on the 27th of April.
Here's a few youtube videos of a jam with Goldman on Sunday. He and I were supposed to be playing on a front porch at Vermilionville. Some french jazz musicians showed up and asked to play with us. It was fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysR4AiJfhio
Courtney
Posted by: Courtney Fuller | April 23, 2012 at 01:48 PM