Joie de Vivre Cafè, Breaux Bridge, LA
February 9, 2018
For a dancer, having The Revelers contained in a tiny place like the Joie de Vivre Café is somewhere along the lines of The Second Coming.
They just about dare you to sit down when they play their brew of Cajun two-steps and waltzes, honky tonk, swamp pop, a dash of country, and the occasional rock ‘n roll number. Every time I sat down to take a break, they cranked out another song that insisted, “I don’t think so, PT.” I was not alone in this regard.
You want a great sound mix? How about accordion, fiddles, guitar, bass, drums and saxophone that’s so resonant that some it is probably embedded under the quirky murals on the walls?
Some of the musicians have come from far from CajunLand but they all ‘get’ the music. They’ve made their bones around Lafayette, respect the roots of Cajun culture, and sing in French and English.
Accordionist Blake Miller is the engine of the band and the other Revelers throw in musical anthracite to keep it chugging full steam ahead. The best thing about the Revelers? They are kaleidoscopically fresh. Their pacing, range, and stylings pivot on a dime. Ho-hum is not in their lexicon.
“Can you feel the difference in the energy in different places you play in?” I ask saxophone player Chris Miller.
‘When we play for a seated audience it’s a different level but when we play to an audience of dancers who are really into it , we feel it. We love playing music with each other and that alone fires up our playing.”
Every one in the café adores their music. The fact that this is Mardi Gras week adds extra combustion to the atmosphere. There's a handful of out-of-towners present but most of the audience is men and women who were born and raised here or who have moved here because they were struck with what I call the magic of the Breaux Bridge Stick.
Make no mistake about it, this place is Brigadoon without the time constraints.
Chas Justus, guitar; Chris Miller, saxophone; Daniel Coolik, fiddle; Blake Miller, accordion; Trey "Boom Boom" Boudreaux, bass; Glenn Fields, drums
Great organic fusion of music, musicians, dancers, listeners...a wrap around experience of rhythm, melody and harmony.
Age? Everybody dances!
Picking up on their own energy...
the band is feelin' it.
And we feel it too when Chris Miller gets into a smokey swamp pop number
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Singing in French or English, Blake Miller leads the way.
with Trey "Boom Boom" Boudreaux, bass; Glenn Fields, drums hitting every beat that keeps the train rolling
Family friendly
Cafè, yes...and a fabulous music destination, check them out.
The smiles say it all...
there's genuine joy in the Joie de Vivre.
Larry Miller, Blake's grandfather and builder of world class acccordions, talks shop with his grandson.
Blake Miller's mom and his nephew getting a head start on the accordion!
Photos and videos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
Again ,Paul, you nailed that scene perfectly. I would have been there, as Joie is my usual Friday night dance venue but ..... Loved seeing what I missed.
Happy Mardi Gras!
May Louise
Posted by: May Louise White | February 13, 2018 at 08:06 PM
Great as always. I'll fwd to JdV and the Rev's
Posted by: Bartman | February 13, 2018 at 08:08 PM