Louisiana Mardi Gras 2016: Sabra and The Get Rights, Chas Justus and The Jury

Blue Moon Saloon
215 East Convent Street
Lafayette, LA
http://bluemoonpresents.com/web/

Artmosphere Bistro
902 Johnson Street
Lafayette, LA
http://www.artmosphere.co

Lafayette, Louisiana is the most prolific incubator of singers, songwriters, and musical inspiration west of the Mississippi. Most of the musicians have been raised in towns dotting the prairie. Some, like Sabra Guzman, have been drawn here by the creative energy of the music scene, a benign black hole drawing talented musicians from afar.

Groups form, add members, trade members, morph into new groups, honor Cajun and zydeco genres, bend them into new directions, listen to each other’s music and cross polinate to invent hybrids never heard before. From honky tonk, country, old fashioned Cajun and La La (zydeco) to rap or rock tinged songs, they revel in making music that’s made to inspire dancers to invent right along with them.

Sabra (Guzman) and the Get Rights are a perfect example. Tonight’s five piece band are crackerjack musicians familiar with the honky tonk and western swing catalog from the good ol’ days of Patsy Cline, Bob Wills, right down to Dolly Parton and a killer cover of Buck Owens “Cryin’ Time” by fiddler David Greeley.

Sabra was deep into the country music of Appalachia when she felt the tug of Lafayette. She fronts the band with an easy blend of folksiness and a robust voice to interpret the ballads and two step numbers. With influences like Louvin Brothers and Mother Maybelle Carter, you know she can croon and belt it out.

 "What do you guys want...fast or slow?" she asks at one point. The fasts win, Sabra turns to the band, picks a song and off they go, shaking it up on the Moon's living room-sized dance floor.

Tonight’s personnel is awesomely talented. Roger Cash, mandolin; Joel Savoy, guitar; Joe Vidrine, standup bass; Danny Devilliers, drums; David Greeley, fiddle; and Sabra Guzman, guitar and lead vocal.

Mardi Gras is in full swing in Lafayette, LA. The Blue Moon Saloon is a cool place in more ways than one. The back room opens to an outdoor patio. The band is playing with their coats on, many of the dancers are layered up too. Who cares? It’s Mardi Gras week. Lafayette is filling up with dancers from afar who genuflect at the various stages around town playing fabulous music.

After Sabra and The Get Rights finish their set, a bunch of dancers head for the Artmosphere Bistro. Just in case you haven't had your fill of country swing, Chas Justus and The Jury is holding court in this bar/dance hall/ social mecca a three minute walk away. In between the classic swing, they put down some great slow bluesy numbers, with Chris Miller’s wailing tenor sax encouraging intimate encounters on the dance floor. The dance floor is packed. No need to wear your coat inside here.

Chas Justus - Guitar & Vox; Paul Anastasio - Fiddle; Chris Miller - Tenor Sax & Clarinet; Daniel Coolik - Electric Mandolin & Fiddle; Eric Frey - Bass & Vox; Glenn Fields - Drums & Vox

Megan Brown, Kelli Jones Savoy, Cindy McDermott, lovely harmonies

Versatile and creative, every member of this band and the Get Rights plays with other groups around town. Playing different genres or the same genres with different musicians gives each a chance to groove in different ways. For listeners or dancers, this is a definition of heaven.

Photos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.

Comments

[Phil Woodbury]

Sounds like heaven, brother, with guitar, sax, and fiddle for harps. Doing our best to honor carnival up north as another snowstorm hits. School of Honk marched, played, and danced in Davis Square Sunday.

[Bill Ives]

Thanks for sharing. It is also rocking in New Orleans carnival. We are enjoying the warm sun. Today is Zulu Lundi gras and the Red Beans and Rice krewe with Baby Dolls.

[Sabra Guzman]

Too sweet, Paul!

I appreciate you sending this along, and it was great to meet you. Thanks for introducing yourself, and glad you could spend some time in Lafayette with us.

Best,
Sabra