Long before electrified zydeco bands filled dance halls, Creole musicians gathered for acoustic “la-la” house parties across southwest Louisiana. Two young Lafayette musicians are trying to bring that tradition back.
Cajun music leans on Louisiana French folk traditions built around the fiddle, accordion and triangle. Zydeco added rhythm and blues, electric guitars and the rub board, creating a louder, more energetic sound.
But no matter what kind of band is playing, there’s a beating heart in the music that drives people to gather, dance and make friends out of strangers. It’s possible to hear the unbroken traditions in the sounds, and even see it, when you observe traditional Cajun and Creole artists and zydeco players sit in jams together, or play on each other’s records…