Les Contes De Galerie (Stories on the Porch) Cedric Watson

1111 Saint John Street,Lafayette LA 70501

10 December, 2022

Description

"Food is one part of the experience. And it has to be somewhere between 50 to 60 percent of the dining experience. But the rest counts as well: The mood, the atmosphere, the music, the feeling, the design, the harmony between what you have on the plate and what surrounds the plate. - Author: Alain Ducasse" Join us for a special night as we close out our first year of Les Contes de Galerie (Stories on the Porch) with special guest, CEDRIC WATSON, on Saturday, December 10th. Michael Doucet is one of the top contributors to the preservation of our Cajun Culture, and when he has this to say about Cedric Watson you almost have to take pause and realize the gravity of it all - "To propel our Louisiana culture into the future seems to be quite a task, but if one lives for the music as Cedric does, the path seems effortless. These songs may well be early brushstrokes of a life’s worth of possibilities, not only for himself, but also for the identity survival of a culture.” Although y'all may not know it, Cedric worked for a small stint at Johnson's. He's part of our family and the times we had with him remain in our soul. I specifically remember one day, when we were pulling pork, we were talking about how many songs that he had to remember. I asked him what he did when he forgot the lyrics - He said, with a huge smile that only Cedric can make, that's when you let out a "big Aieee" or ask for "somebody to scream." Saturday Cedric Watson will play a few songs, talk about his songs, share his relationships with them and share stories of his favorite childhood food memories which Chefs C.J Pothier and Greg Walls will recreate (price includes food). And we might even here an "Aieee" or "somebody scream" or two! It's a night not to be missed! Doors open @ 6:00 PM. Show starts @ 6:45 PM( ish) Cedric Watson BIO One of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole and Zydeco (Louisiana French) music over the last decade, Cedric Watson is a four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist & songwriter with seemingly unlimited potential. Originally from San Felipe, TX (population 868), Cedric made his first appearance at the age of 19 at the Zydeco Jam at The Big Easy in Houston, TX. Just two years later, he moved to south Louisiana, quickly immersing himself in French music and language. Over the next several years, Cedric performed French music in 17 countries and on 7 full-length albums with various groups, including the Pine Leaf Boys, Corey Ledet, Les Amis Creole with Ed Poullard and J.B. Adams, and with his own group, Bijou Creole. Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole resurrect the ancient sounds of the French and Spanish contra dance and bourré alongside the spiritual rhythms of the Congo tribes of West Africa, who were sold as slaves in the Carribean and Louisiana by the French and Spanish. With an apparently bottomless repertoire of songs at his fingertips, Cedric plays everything from forgotten Creole melodies and obscure Dennis McGee reels to more modern Cajun and Zydeco songs, even occasionally throwing in a bluegrass fiddle tune or an old string band number. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he is also a prolific songwriter, writing almost all of his songs on his double row Hohner accordion. Cedric’s songs channel his diverse ancestry (African, French, Native American and Spanish) to create his own brand of sounds. Cedric’s albums are a tapestry of pulsing rhythms and Creole poetry, and his live performances are unforgettable, all at once progressive and nostalgic. “We don’t want to forget that one of the biggest contributions to our culture, music and heritage was made by the Native Americans. I find that the old Zydeco rhythms sound like a mix of African and Native American ceremonial rhythms. This mélange very possibly came about through the intermingling of the Native American population and the Maroons.” – Cedric Watson United States • Canada • Haiti • French Guyana • Martinique • Jamaica • Mexico • France • England • Ireland • Whales • Germany • Sweden • Finland • Norway • Spain • Thailand “To propel our Louisiana culture into the future seems to be quite a task, but if one lives for the music as Cedric does, the path seems effortless. These songs may well be early brushstrokes of a life’s worth of possibilities, not only for himself, but also for the identity survival of a culture.” -Michael Doucet We're always excited when we can feature our Porch Story Teller's song selection with A Downtown Lafayette Shop Session Production. This is a recording of Sweet Cecilia @ SOLA (Filmed by the local folks @ Magic Bus)