07
Jun
2005
At Gumbo Ya Ya, the food might be hot, but the music is always hotter. (Quite a feat for an event serving Cajun sausage and spicy boiled shrimp.) That truism will certainly apply to this weekend's annual Mardi Gras in the District festival, at which nine bands will deliver crowd-pleasing performances of Cajun, zydeco, blues, funk, rock, soul, hip-hop, R&B, and reggae music.
The festival originated when Terry Tilka, owner of the Rock Island Brewing Company (RIBCO), was considering sponsoring an area-wide, Cajun-flavored assemblage of musical talent, and found the title "Gumbo Ya Ya" on a book of Cajun recipes. Tilka thought the moniker sounded ideal for a festival featuring the best in Cajun and zydeco music, and roughly 12 years later, this popular annual festival continues to electrify audiences.
Gumbo Ya Ya's bands, all nine of which have played the festival in the past, will perform on two stages at the Great River Plaza from 6 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Friday, June 10, and 3 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 11.
Meet this year's players:
Known as "The Zydeco Diva," Donna Angelle has toured the United States and Europe, enjoyed a three-week engagement at the Maxwell Cafe in Paris, and has opened for blues legends Denise LaSalle and Chubby Carrier. Now, she and her band - Donna Angelle & the Zydeco Posse - are set to give Gumbo Ya Ya audiences a taste of their zydeco, soul, hip-hop, and R&B stylings. (Angelle performs with the Zydeco Posse at 9 p.m. Friday, on the East Stage, and performs solo at 6 p.m. Saturday, on the West Stage.)
By the time Roddie Romero graduated high school, he'd recorded three albums and had toured the U.S. and Canada. So it's no surprise that his band - Roddie Romero & the High City All-Stars - is one of the festival's most anticipated acts. An accomplished accordian player since the age of nine (!), Romero and his four bandmates now bring their patented "South Louisiana Boogie" to Illinois. (11 p.m. Friday, East Stage; 10 p.m. Saturday, West Stage.)
Many zydeco bands pride themselves on their guitar and accordian skills, but how many can lay claim to a frontman who plays a mean washboard? We're Late & Smell Like Beer can. C.W. Riley left his native New Orleans to form this six-member, Galesburg-based group, and the band has been wowing the Midwest with its rhythmic Cajun stylings - and inspired washboard - for the past three years. (9 p.m. Saturday, East Stage.)
With five musicians performing on 15 instruments, The Backwater Bayou Band's motto is "Le Bons Temps Roule!" (For the New Orleans-impaired: "Let the Good Times Roll!") The sounds of Bourbon Street will be alive in this group's performances of Louisiana street music, as it performs originals and old favorites, all with a Dixieland Jazz flavor. (6 p.m. Friday, West Stage.)
One of a handful of female, American zydeco performers, Rosie Ledet is also one of the genre's most impressive, having earned awards from New Orleans-based Offbeat Magazine for Best Zydeco Performer and Best Vocalist. She and her band, Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys, have toured the South for more than a decade, performing zydeco and blues with a Creole French twist. (11 p.m. Saturday, East Stage.)
Wynton Marsalis once said, "If you like your gumbo spicy and your music hot, check out The Jack Brass Band." What more endorsement do you need? This eight-member group - and Minneapolis's only New Orleans-style brass band - inflects its performances of New Orleans jazz standards with a fusion of rock, funk, blues, hip-hop, pop, and reggae. (6 p.m. Friday, East Stage; 8 p.m. Saturday, West Stage.)
The Midway Ramblers Cajun Band knows Cajun music. Seriously. There are professors among their group. This six-member, Chicago-based ensemble has not only played festivals and clubs, but has presented educational programs on Cajun music to social groups, cultural institutions, and universities across the country. Don't call them eggheads, though - their performances of Cajun, zydeco, and creole get audiences of all ages dancing. (8 p.m. Friday, West Stage.)
J.J. Caillier's father once owned a zydeco and blues record store, so perhaps it was fate that his son would grow to be a renowned accordion player and Grammy-nominated performer. Influenced by the likes of Clifton Chenier and Count Rockin' Sidney, J.J. Caillier & the Zydeco Knockouts thrill crowds with their blues-influenced performances of zydeco and funk. (3 p.m. Saturday, East Stage.)
Gumbo Ya Ya allows festival-goers to feast on Cajun cuisine, but the only way you'll experience Chickenfoot Gumbo is by hearing them onstage. With their blend of bass, horns, jazz piano, and marching snare drum, the six-member, Illinois-based band will have Quad Cities audiences grooving to their New Orleans party music. Bouillon cubes not included. (10 p.m. Friday, West Stage; 6 p.m. Saturday, East Stage.)
The festival originated when Terry Tilka, owner of the Rock Island Brewing Company (RIBCO), was considering sponsoring an area-wide, Cajun-flavored assemblage of musical talent, and found the title "Gumbo Ya Ya" on a book of Cajun recipes. Tilka thought the moniker sounded ideal for a festival featuring the best in Cajun and zydeco music, and roughly 12 years later, this popular annual festival continues to electrify audiences.
Gumbo Ya Ya's bands, all nine of which have played the festival in the past, will perform on two stages at the Great River Plaza from 6 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Friday, June 10, and 3 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 11.
Meet this year's players:
Known as "The Zydeco Diva," Donna Angelle has toured the United States and Europe, enjoyed a three-week engagement at the Maxwell Cafe in Paris, and has opened for blues legends Denise LaSalle and Chubby Carrier. Now, she and her band - Donna Angelle & the Zydeco Posse - are set to give Gumbo Ya Ya audiences a taste of their zydeco, soul, hip-hop, and R&B stylings. (Angelle performs with the Zydeco Posse at 9 p.m. Friday, on the East Stage, and performs solo at 6 p.m. Saturday, on the West Stage.)
By the time Roddie Romero graduated high school, he'd recorded three albums and had toured the U.S. and Canada. So it's no surprise that his band - Roddie Romero & the High City All-Stars - is one of the festival's most anticipated acts. An accomplished accordian player since the age of nine (!), Romero and his four bandmates now bring their patented "South Louisiana Boogie" to Illinois. (11 p.m. Friday, East Stage; 10 p.m. Saturday, West Stage.)
Many zydeco bands pride themselves on their guitar and accordian skills, but how many can lay claim to a frontman who plays a mean washboard? We're Late & Smell Like Beer can. C.W. Riley left his native New Orleans to form this six-member, Galesburg-based group, and the band has been wowing the Midwest with its rhythmic Cajun stylings - and inspired washboard - for the past three years. (9 p.m. Saturday, East Stage.)
With five musicians performing on 15 instruments, The Backwater Bayou Band's motto is "Le Bons Temps Roule!" (For the New Orleans-impaired: "Let the Good Times Roll!") The sounds of Bourbon Street will be alive in this group's performances of Louisiana street music, as it performs originals and old favorites, all with a Dixieland Jazz flavor. (6 p.m. Friday, West Stage.)
One of a handful of female, American zydeco performers, Rosie Ledet is also one of the genre's most impressive, having earned awards from New Orleans-based Offbeat Magazine for Best Zydeco Performer and Best Vocalist. She and her band, Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys, have toured the South for more than a decade, performing zydeco and blues with a Creole French twist. (11 p.m. Saturday, East Stage.)
Wynton Marsalis once said, "If you like your gumbo spicy and your music hot, check out The Jack Brass Band." What more endorsement do you need? This eight-member group - and Minneapolis's only New Orleans-style brass band - inflects its performances of New Orleans jazz standards with a fusion of rock, funk, blues, hip-hop, pop, and reggae. (6 p.m. Friday, East Stage; 8 p.m. Saturday, West Stage.)
The Midway Ramblers Cajun Band knows Cajun music. Seriously. There are professors among their group. This six-member, Chicago-based ensemble has not only played festivals and clubs, but has presented educational programs on Cajun music to social groups, cultural institutions, and universities across the country. Don't call them eggheads, though - their performances of Cajun, zydeco, and creole get audiences of all ages dancing. (8 p.m. Friday, West Stage.)
J.J. Caillier's father once owned a zydeco and blues record store, so perhaps it was fate that his son would grow to be a renowned accordion player and Grammy-nominated performer. Influenced by the likes of Clifton Chenier and Count Rockin' Sidney, J.J. Caillier & the Zydeco Knockouts thrill crowds with their blues-influenced performances of zydeco and funk. (3 p.m. Saturday, East Stage.)
Gumbo Ya Ya allows festival-goers to feast on Cajun cuisine, but the only way you'll experience Chickenfoot Gumbo is by hearing them onstage. With their blend of bass, horns, jazz piano, and marching snare drum, the six-member, Illinois-based band will have Quad Cities audiences grooving to their New Orleans party music. Bouillon cubes not included. (10 p.m. Friday, West Stage; 6 p.m. Saturday, East Stage.)
