Gator By The Bay Zydeco, Blues and Crawfish Festival
Spanish Landing Park
San Diego, CA
May 10, 2015
Thirty acts at four stages from 11 am till 7:30 pm plus six sessions at The Bayou Grove, a small patch of tree shaded park in which musicians talk about their craft and play samples to explain to listeners who sit on bales of hay a few feet away. Oh, and a Cooking Tent Demo Stage in which on Sunday chefs demonstrate how to make beignets, jambalaya, red beans and rice with smoked ham hocks, and sweet potato bread pudding.
SHARIFAH AND THE GOOD THING
R&B, rock n roll, soul - Sharifah Muhammad can croon or belt them out with range, velocity, and conviction. Anywhere she performs, she takes a crackerjack band of veterans along who get her style and place it in a setting like jewelers with a precious gem.
SHARIFAH AND THE GOOD THING VIDEO
Above right, Sharifah Muhammad, Mercedes Moore, Deejha Marie Pope (pink headband) head for the Mardi Gras Stage after Sharifah's show.
GAL HOLIDAY AND THE HONKY TONK REVUE
Well, Vanessa Niemann, aka, Gal Holiday, and this tight band can cover western swing, Americana, rockabilly, rock n roll, and a certain Louisiana bluesiness in their sets. There is nothing formulaic in their shows, just music that harkens back to its roots and waters it with a sweet voice that can croon, rock, vamp and and swing. Vanessa Niemann (vocals), David Brouillette (bass, rock steady, gets a really good workout on this song), Greg Good (acoustic guitar), Izzy Zaidman (electric guitar), Michael Sollars (drums)
http://www.galholiday.com/about
GAL HOLIDAY VIDEO 1 "I'm Comin' Home"
GAL HOLIDAY AND THE HONKY TONK REVUE VIDEO 2 "You Win Again"
Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue. Great country, standard honky-tonk, excellent musicianship, tight band... long legged, punk rock type hairdo, righteous colorful tattoo up and down her left arm and Lord knows where else, this woman can sing everything from Patsy Cline to Hank Williams' "You Win Again" which she describes as a swamp pop song, and does it Louisiana justice.
Hank's 1952 original of this song is the standard. Jerry Garcia, the master fuser of blues, country,folk and jazz cut this VERSION in 1972 and broke that mold. Gal Holiday takes over from there with this deep, swinging, foxy version.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MISSY ANDERSEN
1:40 PM to 2:50 PM "The Gospel According to Missy Andersen".
There is no way my little digital camera can reproduce the sound from these women and the high octane band backing them. Missy Anderson, Mercedes Moore, Sharifah and Deejha Marie Pope transformed the Mardi Gras Stage into a Gospel Tent, testifying to the high heavens.
Right at home in smoky bluesy ballads, soul, rhythm n blues, with an occasional undertone of New Orleans rhythms echoing way back to Professor Longhair, Missy Andersen covers a great swath of American music heritage, including gospel music she listened to in her childhood home.
Missy wouldn't have trouble bringing down the house all by herself. With Mercedes Moore, Sharifah, and Deejha Marie Pope at her side, she practically makes the Mardi Gras stage levitate. Missy's tight band is led by her husband guitarist Heine Andersen.
These four powerhouse belters have a loyal following of disciples who congregate at the foot of the stage and rain Hosannas to them before, during, and after every one of their gospel-tinged soul and blues repertoire. If Lazarus hadn’t already done it, he would surely have risen from the dead if these heavenly divas of gospel soul sang at his wake. They sing in tandem, in concert, and individually with the help of a celestial B3 player, drummer, bass and and guitarist Heine Andersen, who happens to be Missy’s Danish husband .
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MISSY ANDERSEN VIDEO 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbWy1Hnc2wI
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MISSY ANDERSEN VIDEO 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbWy1Hnc2wI
There is no way my little digital camera can reproduce the sound from these women and the high octane band backing them. Missy Anderson, Mercedes Moore, Sharifah and Deejha Marie Pope transformed the Mardi Gras Stage into a Gospel Tent, testifying to the high heavens.
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MISSY ANDERSEN VIDEO 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-n0_9DYG3Q (Lord Have Mercy When He Comes)
The other music on stages this weekend was sassy, classy, jump jiving, synchopated,harmonious, honky tonkious, and bluesified. This,however, was stirring, salvational, soul-satisfying testifying that nearly tore the roof off the Mardi Gras Stage. The videos just can’t capture this.
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MISSY ANDERSEN VIDEO 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlDr1ouRmSE (I've Been Walkin')
THEO AND THE ZYDECO PATROL
Theo Bellow and band send up a bluesy version of the classic zydeco song "Paper In My Shoe" supercharged with saxophone, guitar, frattoir, drums, and, of course, that diatonic button accordion in Theo's hands. Clifton Chenier was the godfather of this form of zydeco and Theo is carrying on in the same path. Theo Bellow was born in Lafayette, LA. Relocated to San Diego, he regularly plays Cajun and zydeco music to local crowds. http://www.zydecopatrol.com/http://www.zydecopatrol.com/backstage.asp
THEO AND THE ZYDECO PATROL VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHgA-3xqI_o
BUBBA MCCOY BAND
THE BUBBA MCCOY BAND VIDEO 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0aVrGch2UM
The last few seconds give you an idea of the hard driving take no prisoners style Bubba McCoy fires up on some songs, his mouth harp splitting rails all the way through sets that include Americana, Blues, and Soul.
THE BUBBA MCCOY BAND VIDEO 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YveUubOTuLc
Living in San Diego, a Latin influence is likely to inform a band's repertoire. This song with its infectious rumba beat shows that Bubba McCoy can cross from Americana to Blues to Soul to Jazz to Latin genres.
TODD DAY WAIT'S PIGPEN, a folk, country, blues band, entertained at ground level along the main path from the Festival Stage to the Mardi Gras Stage. The live oak behind them was a grand spot for kids to explore while their parents listened.
JOE FONTENOT CAJUN BAND
JOE FONTENOT CAJUN BAND VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXWmRp9S9qs
Joe Fontenot digs into a classic Cajun waltz, The Evangeline Waltz, at the Fountain Stage.
THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS
When you've done nine European tours and played at the Monterey Jazz and High Sierra Jazz Fests, you've already punched your ticket to high caliber status. Guitar and trumpeter Lech Wierzynski and his pal drummer Ben Melamet began as buskers around Oakland's BART station. Wierzynski was born in Warsaw, Poland, learned his chops by listening to records by Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, he put it all together at Oberlin College then by playing the Oakland transit system! A very distinct New Orleans flavor informs their music.
THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8yUZfU3_Ko
THREE CHORD JUSTICE
"These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" Purely country with a streak of honky-tonk and rockabilly, this band covers Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Patsy Cline and with some of their own songs. The guys on the telecaster, pedal steel and bass lay the tracks for vocalist Liz Grace. The guy on the drums holds rock steady time and happens to be Liz's husband.
THREE CHORD JUSTICE VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N6z9XxwU7I
BRIAN JACK AND THE ZYDECO GAMBLERS
A pretty little waltz covering "There She Goes, Walking Away". Brian Jack, like so many other Louisiana born musicians, has music in his blood. At 13, he took guitar lessons from his uncle in LeBeau, LA. He bought his first accordion at age 15, began playing with his uncle's band in Texas. Ten years later, here he is anchoring the Sunday show at Gator By The Bay. http://www.brianjack.net/biography.html
BRIAN JACK AND THE ZYDECO GAMBLERS VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsqRSgVEDhE
The Bon Ton Club of San Diego is the organizing force behind this fabulous festival. A serious shaker and mover in the local dance world, it puts on zydeco/cajun dances during the year, many of them at scenic Balboa Park every month. About 60 bands played this weekend, many of them local, all of them great, spanning genres from swing to cajun, zydeco, blues, all kinds of Latin, country, rockabilly, rock 'n roll, gospel and honky tonk. For listeners or dancers, this was a weekend of pure musical cake.
Photos and videos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
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