Valcour Records

Requires the free Quicktime Player plug-in

Every month, Valcour features a different Louisiana artist or group with pictures, bios, links, and tracks for streaming. They may be Valcour artists, on other labels, or independent. Regardless, they will all be artists we think you will enjoy learning about and hearing. Occasionally, they won’t even be musicians…

January 2010 ————————————————————————————–

Zack Godshall and Emily Taylor: God’s Architects Filmmakers

On the Web
God’s Architects Website

God’s Architects is a documentary that tells the stories of five divinely inspired artist-architects and their enigmatic creations.The film details how and why these oft-marginalized creators, with neither funding nor blueprints, construct their self-made environments. The film was conceived of and created by Zack Godshall and Emilie Taylor.

Zack Godshall
After earning an MFA in Film Directing from UCLA in 2005, Zachary Godshall returned to his native south Louisiana, where he continues to live and work. With an ongoing interest in the stories and people of Louisiana, Godshall has combined his background in literature, photography, and film to produce a unique and sensitive view of his subject matter. His first feature film, LOW AND BEHOLD– an Official Selection of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival – weaves fiction with non-fiction to create an unflinching yet touching story of friendship and loss in post-Katrina New Orleans. Godshall recently completed GOD’S ARCHITECTS, a documentary film that tells the stories of several divinely inspired builders, and he currently teaches film and screen writing at LSU in Baton Rouge while he works to produce LORD BYRON, a fictional film about an aimless man in search of the good life.

Emilie Taylor
Also a native of South Louisiana, Emilie currently works at the Tulane School of Architecture as an instructor and as coordinator of design build projects for the Tulane City Center. Taylor’s education includes a technical building background at the University of Southern Mississippi followed by a Masters Degree in Architecture at Tulane. She is actively involved in university design|build and advocates for the engagement of such programs with the local community. Before the storm and the rebuilding efforts that followed, Emilie conducted a traveling fellowship across the south to meet, document, and study these divinely inspired self-taught builders. The lecture given at the end of that fellowship was a way of introducing these folk architects and their works to the design community. Between furniture making and screen printing experiments, Emilie is in the process of compiling a book on these makers and their inspired creations.

December 2009 ————————————————————————————–

Cedric Watson et Bijou Créole

On the Web
Cedric et Bijou on Myspace
Cedric et Bijou on Facebook
Online Press Kit

Tracks (click to stream)
Bijou Créole
Le Sud De La Louisiane
J’suis Gone A Blue Moon
Gardes La-Bas

Twice GRAMMY-nominate Cedric Watson has played with some of the great family names in Creole music, including Dexter Ardoin and the Creole Ramblers and Jeffrey Broussard and the Creole Cowboys. With the Pine Leaf Boys, Cedric expanded his repertoire of Cajun songs while adding his Creole and zydeco foundation to the band’s true-to-the-roots Southwest Louisiana sound. He plays old La-La French music (traditional Creole music) in a trio of accordion, fiddle and guitar with his two musical godfathers, Edward Poullard and James Adams, in Les Amis Creole. With accordionist Corey “Lil’ Pop” Ledet, Cedric turns to the more blues and R&B influenced songs of Clifton Chenier, John Delafose, Canray Fontenot, and Bebe Carrier.

Now Cedric continues to explore the roots of Louisiana’s Creole music with his own band, Bijou Creole. Playing a variety of old-school zydeco styles, original material and Creole traditionals, the polyrhythmic and syncopated sounds of Africa and the Caribbean are unmistakable in this ensemble of talented musicians.

Purchase their new GRAMMY-nominated album: L’ésprit Créole
Learn more about Cedric et Bijou here

November 2009 ————————————————————————————–

Kristi Guillory – Creator of the Cajun – Creole Music Spectator

On the Web
Cajun – Creole Music Spectator

The Cajun-Creole Music Spectator is an online-magazine and blog that is dedicated to Cajun and Creole music news and reviews.

Editor Kristi Guillory is a veteran of Cajun music of over 20 years and plays with the Cajun band Bonsoir, Catin. Kristi earned a masters degree in English Literature with a concentration in Folklore from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2004. She has since worked as the media folklorist at the Center For Louisiana Studies Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore and as an instructor of English. Kristi now focuses her energies on music writing, performance and professional writing.

October 2009 ————————————————————————————–

GIVERS

Tracks (click to stream, all tracks written by GIVERS, Published by Tasso Loop Music BMI)
Up Up Up
Meantime
Ceiling of Plankton
Saw You First

GIVERS specialize in sounds that gather together melodically and electronically bent forms of african, folk, and pop music, but send them underwater, where they are refracted with light and space, changing the overall shape and texture into something refreshingly new, yet at the same time, familiar. All natives of southern Louisiana, the members were brought up in a music scene steeped rich in culture, whether it be the Cajun or zydeco roots of their hometown, Lafayette, or the funky, dance inducing second line from neighboring New Orleans. Despite the abundance of traditional music surrounding the band, GIVERS have managed to harness a sound of their own, breaking free of tradition, all the while maintaining an honesty in their music which keeps listeners on edge.

At a GIVERS show, one can expect to experience a barrage of colors, both within the music as well as within the visual aesthetic. The chemistry between band members alongside their vibrant light show creates a lucid dream-like atmosphere anywhere GIVERS play, leaving the crowd with no choice but to become a part of what is happening. To be in this experience is to, for a moment, accept the feeling of ascendance, not submergence–to give in to one’s vulnerability as set by the music making examples on stage–to let go and truly release.

The GIVERS EP is available now on Valcour Records.

September 2009 ————————————————————————————–

Paula LaFargue – Fashion Designer

On the Web
Paula’s Etsy Store

Paula LaFargue, a Baton Rouge native, is a fashion designer who recently left her career in the corporate clothing world to start making and selling her own clothes. From custom work to her own seasonal lines, she is finding ways to make it work in the world of dresses, skirts, and tops.

After obtaining a BA in Apparel Design from LSU, Paula went to New York to gain a supplemental Associate’s degree under the fashion gurus at the Fashion Institute of Technology (or FIT). She has spent her career working on a range of products, including fashionable clothing for nursing moms as well as children’s clothing, at companies ranging from 10 employees to 500 employees.

She just recently moved home to Louisiana and, among other endeavors, has launched an Etsy store (Etsy is an online marketplace for hand-crafted goods).

From her Etsy profile:
“I have recently moved back to my hometown, capital city the Big BR. I have spent the past 6 1/2 years in Brooklyn, Chicago, and Atlanta studying and working in the apparel industry. As much as I love the big cities, nothing could keep me from my family including my three sisters and my freckle faced nieces and nephews.

I love to make clothes. I love everything about it, the designing, the patternmaking, the fabric stores, the sewing…everything except the cutting, I don’t really like the cutting. : )”

August 2009 ————————————————————————————–

Tipitina’s Song Contest Winner: Christine Peirce

On the Web
Christine on Myspace
Vosteen on Myspace

Winning Track (click to stream)
Me & You

Other Tracks by Christine
World Wake
Parallel Universes (with Vosteen)

In 2006, Christine started playing music locally with the organic indie-rock band People-Machine. The project ended after two years and in the winter months of 2008, she started playing music with friend Andrew Vo. Together the duo created the electronic band VoSteen. Since March, VoSteen has been playing shows on a regular basis and recently returned from a summer tour of the Southwest with local artist Kid Midi.

As a solo artist, Christine has been composing and recording music for years and began performing live shows in 2009.

Christine studies music composition with a focus in piano at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Tipitina’s Contest Runner Up Tracks
The Cavemen: 100
Hart: Life Passes You By
Russell Cormier, Tre King, Wayne Curtis, Caldwell Joseph: Twisted
Jacob Landry of Stewart Street: Games I Won’t Play

July 2009 ————————————————————————————–

Linzay Young and Joel Savoy

Tracks (click to stream)
J’ai Laisse De La Maison
Reel De Coquin
La Valse A Pop
Empty Bottle Stomp

These two have been playing music together for over 15 years. Having learned to fiddle side by side at the Savoy Music Center Saturday morning jam session they share a remarkable musical connection that is uncanny at times. In their first CD as a duo, they pay tribute to their musical heros from around the Eunice area where they grew up such as Dennis McGee, Wade Frugé, and Cheese Read. Breathing new life into some of these old tunes and carefully recreating others as well as writing new ones, this is a recording that jumps out at you and will make you smile because you can tell a lot of joy went into the making of it. There’s a lot to be said for fancy studio recordings and big productions- and there’s plenty of that out on the market. Linzay and Joel’s new CD is proof that oftentimes, less is more.

Linzay and Joel’s eponymous CD is available now on Valcour Records.

June 2009 ————————————————————————————–

Bonsoir Catin

On the Web
www.bonsoircatin.com
Bonsoir Catin on Myspace

Tracks (click to stream)
Madame Faielle
Madame Basso
Viens Me Chercher
T’en as eu t’en auras plus

Bonsoir, Catin plays authentic cajun music that is energetic, passionate and heart-felt. Band members Christine Balfa Powell, Kristi Guillory, Yvette Landry, Anya Shoenegge Burgess and Jude Veillon go together like peas and carrots, beer and boudin.
It happened one night in Chicot State park around a campfire. Four girls, all friends, playing music and visiting until the early morning hours. They realized that they shared the same vision that Cajun music should be unafraid and unabashed, full of energy and raw emotion. Since that night, Bonsoir, Catin has emerged as one of South Louisiana’s most exciting new Cajun bands.

Members Christine Balfa Powell, Anya Schoenegge, Yvette Landry and Kristi Guillory play together with an intensity that stems from their passion for their music and culture. It is not unlikely to hear a wide variety of Cajun music styles during their set. They have been influenced by Cajun music local heros such as Edius Naquin, Octa Clark, Adam Hebert, Joe Warren Cormier, Aldus Roger, Sheryl Cormier…the list goes on.

Vive L’Amour is Bonsoir Catin’s first project with Valcour and we are very excited to have them on board!

May 2009 ————————————————————————————–

Bébébelge

On the Web
myspace.com/bebebelge

Tracks (click to stream)
Madame Faielle
Madame Basso
Viens Me Chercher
T’en as eu t’en auras plus

From their album, Musique Cajun:

“”One day in 2003, Bébbeige was born in Geneva. Some long-time friends discovered the music of the Cadiens, the Cajuns, a francophone population living the prairies and bayous of southern Louisiana. Listening to early recordings, they were touched by the words and moved by the swing of the music, ad they began playing like the “old-timers” they admired. As they met more people involved with this tradition, the group was invited by a younger generation of musicians to Louisiana, where they went to take part in the Mardi Gras festivities. Upon their return, the original members were supplemented by a solid rhythm section and they began to record this album, which should be taken as an invitation to dance.”

April 2009 ————————————————————————————–

Triangle Remix Contest Winners

As promised, it is time to announce the winners of the Triangle Remix Contest! We figured it made sense to use the Artist of the Month section as a way to make the tracks available and keep them archived.

First of all, a big thanks to all of you that entered. This was a lot of fun for us and we hope you enjoyed it as well! Its pretty amazing how many different ways the delicate sounds of the Cajun triangle can be construed.

After hours of tireless deliberation we have come to a grand prize winner…

Tabastard Squarehole’s Balfa Waltz Remix! (click image below to download song)
[Chicago]

Also getting honorable mention:

For the most minimalistic use of the original track:
Liam Dunlop’s The Balfa Waltz (Liam Dunlop Remix)
[Manchester]

For best ballad:
Scotty Steady’s Triangle Waltz
[Atlanta]

And finally, for best hip-hop triangle remix:
Ate Trak’s ReWalix
(from the album Throwing Paint)
[Broussard]

Thanks again to all who submitted! We appreciate your effort and hope you had a great time. Look for more more of these contests in the future—we believe the music belongs to everyone, and we will look for more opportunities for fans to have an impact.

March 2009 ————————————————————————————–

Nue Moon Revue

On the Web
bluemoonpresents.com

Tracks (click to stream)
Kelli Jones: Chemical Dependency
Sarah Gray: Here We Go Again
Sam Broussard: Punch
Gina Forsyth: Mud

Part cabaret, part vaudeville, part showcase—the Nue Moon Revue is all about presenting the best new music coming out of Lafayette, Louisiana. Created and hosted by local Fig Caroline Helm (thefigsband.com), the Nue Moon Revue happens four times a year at everybody’s favorite nitespot, the Blue Moon Saloon (bluemoonpresents.com).

Each show features six exceptional songwriters performing a handful of their original tunes and backed by the best house band this side of the Mississippi. Band members Chris Stafford (Feufollet), Joel Savoy (Savoy Family Band), Cal Stevenson (Bluerunners) and Chris Courville (Lost Bayou Ramblers) back up an eclectic mix of blues, honkytonk, folk, and indie rock you won’t hear anywhere else in town. Local business’s sponsor the show, and local entertainers perform live advertisements for these sponsors.  Our next show will feature artists Teddy Lamson, Chris Stafford, Yvette Landry, Eric Schexnider, Gene and Jane Billeaudeaux and Allison Bohl. Don’t miss this show—April 11 at the Blue Moon. See you there!

February 2009 ————————————————————————————–

Eleisha Eagle

Purchase Eleisha’s New Album Neither Here Nor There
CD Baby (hardcopy)
Digstation (download)

On the Web
eleishaeagle.com
Eleisha on Myspace
Eleisha on Youtube

Tracks (click to stream)
Neither Here Nor There
Rocketboy
Best You Never Had
Goodbye

Live in Louisiana? Check out Eleisha’s March 26th Benefit Concert at the Rosa Hart Theater in Lake Charles  (tickets). In the last three years, Eleisha Eagle in Concert has raised over $62,000 for Children’s Miracle Network and other non-profit children’s organizations.

Standing only five feet tall, with her slight frame, mane of short, fiery red, curly hair, her signature four-inch heels and saccharine Louisiana twang, Eleisha Eagle is, most certainly, not whom you first think she is — at least not exactly.

The self-described alternative, piano-rock singer and songwriter is from the South. Lake Charles, LA, to be exact. She readily admits to having a penchant for high-heeled shoes. She’ll even happily relay stories of her childhood classes in etiquette and ballroom dance.

Then you’ll meet—and hear—the complete Eleisha on stage. It’s very possible she’ll be tap-dancing. It’s guaranteed that she’ll be playing her electric piano with the skill of Rufus Wainwright and the quirkiness of Feist. Her voice—which exudes Nora Jones’ clarity and rivals Pavaratti’s projection—will hit the back of the wall when she sings.

And just as Eagle’s voice belies her frame and visage, so does her experience. Eagle, who was classically trained in piano but went to college to study graphic design, left college at the age of nineteen and moved to Nashville, TN, to pursue her music career. Working as a nanny in exchange for room and board, Eagle spent her free time in production studios, sitting in on recording sessions, talking to engineers and producers, and learning how to record her own music.

Soon after, she founded her record label and financed Private School, the first of three self-released albums.   Private School quickly became a critical success among indie crowds and reviewers alike, prompting Musical Discoveries to give it a five-star rating (its highest mark) and note, “It is no wonder that Private School has drawn such significant attention from listeners. The album is a tremendous debut from an extremely promising talent…”

A year later, Eagle moved to Los Angeles. From there she embarked on her first solo tour. “I was by myself, just me and my piano. It took me weeks to book that tour. Everyone told me I would lose money doing it that way,” she remembers. Still, for the next two years Eagle traveled solo around the country, establishing her name, gathering a following, and releasing a second album, an EP, Eleisha Eagle.

In 2007, Eleisha completed her most acclaimed and ambitious album to date Lamplighter, which critics called a “monumental musical landmark.” Eagle then embarked on a national eighty-city tour to standing room only crowds.

After years of a nomadic/touring lifestyle Eagle recently landed in Austin, Texas, to record what many industry insiders expect to be her breakout album. Unlike her previous efforts, where Eleisha worked with producers to help her find the sounds she was looking for, Neither Here Nor There will be a departure for Eagle. She produced the new album in its entirety.

Eleisha Eagle’s majestic vocals, unique arrangements, and substantial songwriting have already made a indelible impression on the other noteworthy musicians residing in the self-proclaimed ‘Live Music Capitol of the World’.  At a recent sold-out showcase, whose audience members included six Grammy-winning artists, it seemed that the entire Austin music community had come out to see why everyone in town was singing the praises of the diminutive Southern charmer with the sonic voice.  After Eagle’s set had concluded, the legendary Texas Troubadour, Joe Ely, who in is own right is known as one of his generation’s most respected songwriters and riveting live performers, summed up the general consensus of all those in attendance.

“It’s genius,” he said, “really…pure genius.”

December 2008 ————————————————————————————–

Tiffany Lamson

On the Web
Arbor Vitae on Myspace
Dire Wood on Myspace
RotaryDowns.com
Teddy and the Tornadoes on Myspace

Tracks (click to stream)
Tiffany Lamson Solo
Cat in the Yard

With Teddy and the Tornadoes
Invisible Nets

With Arbor Vitae
Broken Records

With Dire Wood
The Goodbye Letter

From Joel - “When we approached Teddy to be featured as an AOM I told her that I’d need a bio, some pics and some songs. She wrote back and told me that she didn’t have a bio. per se, but that she could send me a list of her projects and I could edit it how I saw appropriate. Well I found her pseudo bio. pretty darn charming, so I left it as it came. She’s one busy bee! Hope you enjoy!”

From Tiffany – “I was born in lafayette. I grew up playing music in my dad’s church. After high school I moved to New Orleans to go to UNO for jazz studies then was forced to return back home leaving everything behind in the flood. I go to ULL (still) involved with Art and Humanities and minoring in music. With Tim Campbell, Chad Viator and Chris French, we formed ArborVitae in beginning of 2006. We are currently finishing writing a new record and plan on recording it in the early part of the next year 2009. It was my first time being on a record.

In late 2006, I joined Fine Lines (an indie POP rock band) along with Viator and French. We did some touring, played a few festivals and SXSW and broke up around winter 2007.

I joined Dire Wood aroundddd hmm i think 2007 sometime; we are about to record a new record in jan 2009 and will release it in the spring. (hopefully). They are getting a lot of radio play around the country right now and signed over some songs to appear on some TV shows.

I’ve been playing with The Board (a large -around 10 or more sometimes- group of improv artists – gypsy funk prchestra is a good description) since about late 2006 and we play only a few gigs a year and they are all improvised with different guest artists appearing each show.

I just recorded with Bad Chad and the Good Girls, which is some eclectic “crunk pop electronic music”. (I sing and rap and shit yehhh) Chad Faulk is the writer for most of the music along with production and engineering and arrangements. “Down by the Bayou” was featured on Padnah Cast… and another side project called imagineIAM’s album is coming out this month I believe.

I joined Rotary Downs (NOLA based indie rock band) in November of 2007. We just played our 2nd Voodoo Festival and our 2nd Jazz Festival and this year was filled with touring the east and west coast playing Bonnaroo Festival and High Sierra Festival. We are currently in the studio for a new record which hopefully be released in the Spring 2009.

I started a band called Teddy and the Tornadoes to have some fun- I wanted the people I love to play with get to have fun and play a different instrument they don’t normally play. I play guitar and sing and write most of the songs, Ryan Dejean plays guitar and bass, Christian Mader plays bass whenever he’s not on tour with his band Brass Bed, and Chad Viator plays drums and helps a lot of my songwriting. We just released our first EP record TornadoVolcano this fall and are already writing new material for a new record for next fall.

I just began my solo project which will include musicians from the surrounding areas appearing on each song. It started on my 21st bday in september and I plan on releasing it that same day next September 2009.

I do various sit in recordings such as:
Drums on the new Feufollet album Cow Island Hop - i believe it’s the first song on it.
Drums on the new Little Band of Gold album – i dont believe it ever got released.
Vocals on the new MyNameIsJohnMichael project – Nola based band- singer-songwriter.
Drums on the Cajun drinking album on VALCOURRECORDS - parlez nous a boire…
Vocals and ukulele on the new solo album of BirdCity’s Jake Hebert – coming out this year or beginning of jan 2009
Vocals on chad viator’s solo ambient record.\
and other various recording extras here and there…”

November 2008 ————————————————————————————–

Pine Leaf Boys

On the Web
PineLeafBoys.com
Pine Leaf Boys on Myspace

Tracks (click to stream)
Festival Acadiens Two-Step
Je Veux Rester avec Toi
J’suis Gone Pour me Saouler
T’es pas la Me?me

Louisiana’a finest Grammy-Nominated Pine Leaf Boys have made a name for presenting their own inimitable brand of Cajun music with youthful exuberance. Hailing from the southwest Louisiana, the Pine Leaf Boys, known for their wild shows and thoughtful arrangements, have breathed new life into Cajun music, reviving ancient songs and bringing them to the bandstand. Being described as, “… the link that connects the young and the old generations,” and, “the best new, energetic, and fun Cajun band in a very long time,” the Pine Leaf Boys play the old fashioned dance hall standards while making a priority to bring many of the more obscure songs of past masters into their repertoire and play them with gusto. The variety and energy they release evolves through their shows, bringing multi-faceted angles to Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco. Their mission is to present the awesome music of their ancestors and present the real Cajun music to the world and prove that it is still thriving and full of life.

Steeped in music since children and hailing from farms and towns in Cajun country, the Pine Leaf Boys have preserved the traditional Cajun sound, while allowing it to breathe and stretch with those who play it. They present their music in multiple configurations such a twin fiddle, duo accordion/fiddle, bass, drum, and foot-stomping jurés.

The new album, Homage au Passé, out on Lionsgate, will soon be available at PineLeafBoys.com and at stores near you!

October 2008 ————————————————————————————–

Podnahcast

On the Web
Catch the show on their website Wednesdays at 7pm central: Podnahcast.com

Tony Davoren, a musician from the foothills of the Wicklow mountains, and Toby Rodriguez, an Artist from Breaux Bridge, first got together over a boudin breakfast sandwich at last years Black Pot Festival. It wasn’t long before the BS was flowing freely and plans were being made. However these ideas and future projects were quickly put on the bottom shelf and the boys reached for the top shelf in favor of another hang-over.

Despite their best efforts the “boys” couldn’t help becoming local media stars, and it wasn’t long before they were being harassed to create their own radio show. They both failed to impress the powers that be at the local NPR affiliate, KRVS, mainly due to the Irish man’s incessant bad language and the Cajun’s penchant for public nudity, so plans were made to create their own show that were be a no-holds-barred, free flowing organically creative outlet for the local arts and music scene – otherwise known as the local drunks.

Podnahcast is essentially a roots music program featuring the best in music from Louisiana and Ireland. Other music is occasionally added to the rue to thicken the pot so its not uncommon to hear some Clash or Soundgarden or if Toby needs to show off his 80’s dance moves: Culture Club. Spice is added in the form of local characters such as “Bird”, a Louisiana celebrity at the stove’s helm cooking some down home Cajun / Creole food to be devoured later on the air by the live audience and crew.
The whole program is filmed live at Joel Savoy’s Cajun cottage in Eunice, LA, which means live music and musicians are in abundance whether the cameras are running or not so the show’s format is gladly broken up with some exquisite local live music. The whole program streams live on their own website and includes a chat-room where listeners can interact live with the Podnahs while watching Video of the room musicians, the slow cooking pot, and all the guests who came to cut up, harass and drink the Podnahs beer and whiskey!

Tony and Toby, “The Podnahs” envision a fully interactive internet TV show where their friends and Podnahs can join in on the fun and feel like they’re part of a Louisiana Party whether you’re in Billings, Montana, or Spiddal, County Galway. Podnahcast is a tongue-in-cheek look at an area the Boys are proud to call home and and its sometimes ridiculous character. So get the black pot, open a beer and prepare to be offended. Just remember if the Podnahs are making fun of ya, its cos they like ya! Yeah you’re right!

August 2008 ————————————————————————————–

The Figs

On the Web
TheFigsBand.com
The Figs on Myspace

Tracks (click to stream)
The Letter
Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
Taking My Time
And So It Goes
This House

From Joel Savoy:

Well I’m pretty excited about our featured artist this month. Their new CD is fantastic and I can hardly believe how far they’ve come is such a short amount of time. I remember several years ago while I was living in Calgary, my friend Caroline Helm started talking to me about how she wanted to start playing guitar and how she was going to start a band- I think at the time she wanted to learn some Django tunes or something, so I was all pumped up! What seemed like days later, I started hearing about this band ‘Addie Kean and the Figs’ that involved Caroline and I think most or all of the current members of The Figs. Still to this day I don’t understand how they pulled it together so fast. She explained that she and a bunch of girlfriends just wanted to get together and sing songs. So they did. Dang.

By the time I moved back, The Figs were the talk of the town. The first time I went to see them- I think it was at the Blue Moon Saloon- I only knew a few of the gals, and I have to admit that most of their show I saw them more than I heard them. I think I was in love with all of them at once! I had no idea what they were playing or singing, but I was certainly impressed. But enough about that, because soon after that Caroline shared a living room demo CD with me and I knew this was something special. It’s easy to be distracted by six beautiful girls all dolled up onstage rockin some old-timey stuff, but the demo CD blew me away. They write, sing and play as well as anyone and even without the charm and beauty, they’d steal my heart! So I mailed the demo out to my partners and Phillip and Lucius and I decided that we’d like to ask them to be on Valcour Records. Our goal has always been to support Louisiana music that we feels is a good representation of our local music scene and the Figs were something we wanted to share with the world. So together with Steve Riley and the support of the Feufollet Studio gang, we made Valcour Records’ third release, and they were a hit. And they still are!

For the What Keeps me up at Night release party at the Blue Moon, they packed in over 420 people trying to get a glimpse but I was just as happy listening in the back. I put this new CD on and I’m blown away. Twelve out of the fifteen tracks are original and by far the best ones on the album. I can’t pick a favorite, but these featured here are my first choices for now. So hats off to you, ladies. You done good, and we’re proud to have been involved along the way!

You can purchase What Keeps Me Up At Night here.

July 2008 ————————————————————————————–

Alison Lefevre

On the Web
alisonlefevre.com
Alison Lefevre on Myspace

Tracks (click to stream)
Red Shoes
Bang Bang
One Reason
Still Smiling
Wide Awake

Alison Lefevre—singer, whistler, pianist and composer—finished her debut CD, “Where It Ends,” in 2003, produced and arranged “Clara Von Street” in 2005, and is ready to release her EP entitled “Red Shoes” this upcoming Fall. The writer of “Oriental Illusions”—featured in David Blaine’s 2003 Street Magic Shows—to compliment winning a Berklee Jazz scholarship, she now works as a graphic designer by day, and songstress by night. Born in Louisiana, Alison ultimately achieved her art degree from the University of New Orleans, and now lives in Brooklyn with her super hot twin poodles.

June 2008 ————————————————————————————–

Dire Wood

On the Web
Dire Wood on Myspace

Tracks (click to stream)
Safe and Sound
The Goodbye Letter
Leah
A Place They Call the Edge

Dire Wood began in 2004 in a downtown rent-house in Lafayette, LA. J Burton and Chad Viator had a history of making good music together, and before long they were filling the local dives with their chilling melody and haunting counterpoint. The deeds of this duo were well received, but soon the project took on more members. In March of 2005 Ryan DeJean and Frank Kincel were enlisted and the band recorded a 5 song eponymous EP. The idea quickly grew from the single cell simplicity of a bare-bones acoustic act into a full-bodied, complex, and electrically-powered creation. They self-released their first full-length “Stand at the Edge and Listen” in April 2006. Its mix of jangle-pop, romantic dissolution, and alt-country heartache secured Dire Wood a spot as a band of note in South Louisiana. Dire Wood, now joined by vocalist Tiffany Lamson, will release their second full-length The Escape in the summer of 2008.

Dire Wood is:
J Burton – vocals, guitar, piano, Rhodes
Chad Viator – guitar, and a little piano
Ryan DeJean – bass, banjo
Frank Kincel – drums and other percussion
Tiffany Lamson – vocals, guitar, percussion, spiritual B-12 shots

May 2008 ————————————————————————————–

Drew Landry

Download flyer for May 30th release party at Grant St. here.

On the Web
dirtycajuns.com

Tracks (click to stream)
Sharecropper’s Wine
Juvenile Delinquent
Lap of Luxury
Last Man Standin’

After the release of “Keep What’s Left” in 2004, D. Landry & the Dirty Cajuns found themselves on the pages of Magazines & websites worldwide. From Americana.uk’s Pete Gow calling the Album, “the equivalent of the Lomax field recordings for the 21st Century.” to The Oxford American proclaiming “Sometimes an inspired amateur can achieve an originality that veteran competence forbids.” the young songwriter quickly made a name for himself & began touring.

The follow-up was pushed back in the wake of the Hurricanes Katrina & Rita giving way to the “Hurricane Companion & Tailgaten Relief EP” (2006). It debuted 11th on the Euro-Americana chart & landed his band on the House of Blues website as “Ones to Watch”.

In that time Landry was fortunate enough to share a stage with songwriters & storytellers Billy Joe Shaver, Charlie Louvin, Dwight Yoakam, Texas country acts including Robert Earl Keen, Cross Canadian Ragweed, & Randy Rogers, Rockers like Johnny Winter, Hank 3, and countless others.

After touring from the Catskills to the Redwoods Landry returned to Louisiana to record, “Sharecropper’s Whine”. During this transformation from storyteller to musician filmmaker josh Hyde chronicled his progression in the Documentary film “Last Man Standin”. The CD will serve as the soundtrack to the film. (see trailer below)

Full of autobiographical stories told in Landry’s go for broke style- THIS IS A ROCK ALBUM… some tracks are beautiful & endearing, while others are unapologetically edgy and political. You can find glimpses of his influences and the places he has been. Drew says, “It’s a broken hearted protest record, but I think it still it leaves people with the hope that we can learn from our mistakes.”

MORE ABOUT THE RECORDING: 23 musicians gave their efforts to making this album. It was recorded by the great Jay Burton at his studio in Saint Martinville, La. The sound and production are due to the patient effort of Jay, the guitar work of Michael Juan Nunez, and the grace of God. I guess you could say he blessed me with some pretty talented friends.

For a complete list of musicians on the album, please visit dirtycajuns.com.

April 2008 ————————————————————————————–

Feufollet

Feufollet’s new release on Valcour, Cow Island Hop, is now shipping! Learn more and purchase the album right here.

On the Web
Feufollet.net
Feufollet on Myspace

Tracks (click to stream)
Cow Island Hop
Blues De Dix Ans
Chère Bébé Créole
Je M’en Vas Dans Le Chemin

From Feufollet.net:
“Although Feufollet has often been hailed as the future of Cajun music, a more current assessment must admit that they are now the present of Cajun music. Once idolized at at early age for their precocious musicianship and sent all over the world as youthful emblems of Acadiana’s cultural resurgence, the members of Feufollet have, in the meantime, grown into the music as young adults. While Feufollet remains central to the neotraditionalist brush fire they helped ignite as youths, their latest album finds the band coming into its own and pushing the envelope, leading the way once again as Cajun music extends itself into a new century.”

Feufollet’s long-awaited new album, Cow Island Hop, combines a progressive and original sound with traditional roots and know-how. Songs range from dancehall style to euphoric to rock and even a little Leonard Cohen (if Leonard Cohen could sing in Cajun-French). It is truly one of a kind and we are proud to release it on Valcour.

Look for their CD Release parties at Festival International and Jazz Fest (download schedule here) – and also at 307 Downtown in Lafayette on April 26th, where they will be joined by Valcour’s own Figs.

To hear some of Feufollet’s older stuff, scroll down to the first Artist of the Month entry – Anna Laura Edmiston.

March 2008 ————————————————————————————–

Arbor Vitae

On the Web
Arbor Vitae on Myspace

Tracks (click to stream)
Sunken Ships
Broken Records
For The Queen
Circles

Arbor Vitae started as a collaboration between singer/songwriter Tim Campbell and guitarist/composer Chad Viator in the fall of 2005. The melancholy tone of Viator’s guitar textures and Campbell’s emotional songs were soon rounded out with the youthful spark of Tiffany Lamson’s soulful voice and energetic drumming alongside the orchestral bass stylings of Chris French. The quartet was able to develop a unique sound by fusing lullaby inspired melodies with carefully layered textures moving to an aggressive yet patient ebb and flow of dynamic pulses. Arborvitae recorded with J. Burton (Redamp Records) in the fall of 2006 creating the first documentation of the groups sound. After a year of performing shows around the gulf coast Arborvitae added Will Henderson (samples, keyboards, video/light texture) completing the groups lineup. Arborvitae is currently working out music for a second release which should be out by 2009.

“The debut album by Lafayette’s Arbor Vitae is a surprising record that defies expectations. It stands out in a world of fast-paced, plastic and overloaded rock by taking its time, slowly drizzling layer upon layer. Once it starts a convincing approach to ambient rock, it builds to a subtle, tense pitch then levels off to deliver dreamy lyrics. These foggy and ethereal lyrics are punctuated in mid-sentence with instrumentation like hooks competing with hooks. Guitarist Chad Viator adds samples and synthesizer while bassist Chris French mixes in percussion and the occasional tuba. Singer/song writer Tim Campbell and drummer Tiffany Lamson take lead vocal roles in the liner notes only. Instead, the band itself sings the lead in the layers. Delicately placed atop each other, they melt and swirl together. Campbell’s nearly whispered vocals move the dizziness along as they are met with reinforcement from Lamson, who makes most of the bold moves with her raspy vocals. The pair does not compete in the typical duet fashion, but, like the band, form one instrument, almost inseparable from itself” — offbeat magazine review by nick pittman

February 2008 ————————————————————————————–

Cedric Watson

Cedric’s debut solo release on Valcour is now shipping! Learn more and purchase the album right here.

Websites Associated with Cedric
cedricwatson.com is coming this spring, but in the meantime…
Cedric on Myspace
pineleafboys.com
Pine Leaf Boys on Myspace

Tracks (click to stream)
Cedric Watson
Cochon de Lait
Lala

With the Pine Leaf Boys (courtesy of Arhoolie Records)
Musicien avec un Coeur Cassé
Ma Petite Femme

One of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun or Creole music in the past few years, Cedric Watson is a fiddler/singer/accordionist/songwriter with seemingly unlimited potential.

Originally from Sealy, Tx, Cedric moved to Duralde, Louisiana to perfect his fiddling, practice his French and play as much music as possible. 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.

At 21 years old, Cedric is already breaking down barriers, and he is already a sought after musician, both for festival appearances, and as a hired gun for bands such as Dexter Ardoin and the Creole Ramblers, Hadley Castille and the Sharecroppers Cajun Band and Corey “Lil Pop” Ledet.

In addition to appearing on three albums with Valcour Records, including his most recent self-titled solo debut, Cedric is also a key dynamic member of Lafayette’s GRAMMY-nominated Pine Leaf Boys.

* Cedric also makes a cameo appearance in the Red Stick Ramblers first music video, which you can view on redstickramblers.com – the Red Stick Ramblers is a Lafayette band that features Chas Justus, our previous Artist of the Month, on lead guitar.

January 2008 ————————————————————————————–

Chas Justus

Chas appears courtesy of Sugar Hill Records

Websites Associated with Chas
redstickramblers.com
Red Stick Ramblers on Myspace
Hungry Hungry on Myspace

Tracks (click to stream)
Tired Of Writin’ Songs
It’s Too Late
Pourin’ Rain
Another Song

While he is known primarily for his dynamic fusion of gypsy, blues and Western Swing guitar styles with the group he co-founded, The Red Stick Ramblers, or as an ace sideman in the burgeoning Lafayette Cajun and zydeco music scene, Chas Justus has steadily and quietly emerged as one of South Louisiana’s most promising young songwriters. Just as Justus’s guitar playing engages a demanding stylistic spectrum, his compositions reveal a familiar approach to genre, moving naturally from clever honky-tonk duets and rollicking country rock to nuanced jazz ballads, and from there to brooding, misanthropic dirges that defy categorization. Recently, Linda Ronstadt’s recording of a Justus original, “Rattle My Cage,” on the Grammy-nominated Adieu False Heart (which also features his guitar playing), confirmed the writing chops many in Louisiana were already well aware of. With this debut release as a solo artist (accompanied by Hungry Hungry), Justus joins a noble line of guitar pickers/scribes. Imagine Steve Goodman playing guitar in zydeco band, or if Kris Kristofferson had stayed in Lafayette, instead of moving to Nashville, and started playing Cajun music. It looks like Chas Justus is sticking around, and we’re glad to have him.

December 2007 ————————————————————————————–

Gill Landry

Gill’s Myspace page
myspace.com/gilllandry

Website
gilllandry.com

Tracks (click track to stream)
Angel of Mine
Lawless Soirez
Dixie
La Valse de Balfa Refait

Gill Landry appears courtesy of Nettwerk Music Group

From Gill’s Myspace page:
“Take a pinch of the shuttered French Quarter, a dash of shack distilled brew, mix it with the alleyways of Les Halles, throw in equal measures of wrong side of the tracks and whiskey driven night sweats. Fire it up with songs of loss, of dashed dreams, of devils in dresses and a twist of bitters. Shake it. Bottle it. And sell it out of an old battered cardboard suitcase. These are the ingredients of Gil Landry’s debut album. The songs veer from the rural to ruined streets, from the bottle to the graveyard, from a murder of ravens to hymns. These songs read like a book…a collection of stories, of narratives charting the restless wanderings of a itinerant musician. These are not songs about Main Street. These are way back-an alternative soundtrack to the American nightmare. Southern gothic meets Noir.

Years ago, Gill Landry began performing as a busker on the streets of New Orleans, a town that knows a thing or two about decadence. He took the name Frank Lemon and created the Kitchen Syncopators, inspired by the old country blues, jazz and songster music of the 20’s and 30’s he was hearing around New Orleans. More recently, he’s played banjo and steel guitar for the Old Crow Medicine Show, but the music he’s created for The Ballad Of Lawless Soirez has a steamy, almost sinister vibe all its own, a resonance at once timeless and timely, the lonely sound of solitary footsteps scuffing down a deserted midnight street. Landry’s gruff, weary vocals, sharp lyrics, indigo melodies and understated fretwork give every one of these sharply etched vignettes its own unique character.”

You can pick up Gill’s album, The Ballad of Lawless Soirez, here.

October 2007 ————————————————————————————–

Anna Laura Edmiston

Website
feufollet.net

Tracks (click to stream)
Anna Laura
As Soon as I Pick Up the Phone
Sweet Nuthin’

With Feufollet
Aux Natchitoches
Tout un Beau Soir

Although Anna Laura Edmiston is primarily known for her crystalline singing with Cajun group Feufollet, she has recently been rehearsing a new band and recording tracks reflecting her musical interests outside of Cajun music. Presenting her own take on early country rock (think George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Brenda Lee) and rockabilly in the vein of Wanda Jackson, Edmiston takes a natural leap other Cajun musicians in the past have made: exploring other types of kindred musical styles with a sensibility grounded in Cajun dancehall music. Though fully bilingual, and used to singing in French, Edmiston has been relishing the opportunity to work within an English repertoire. Edmiston’s band features some of Lafayette’s top young musicians: Chris Stafford, Linzay Young, Eric Frey, Chris Courville, and Chas Justus.

21 year old Anna Laura is studying French Education and Music at ULL. She is currently working on a new Cajun album with her band Feufollet, and can be seen this fall with Feufollet at the following venues:

October 13: Festivals Acadien in Lafayette
November 2 & 3: Blackpot Festival in Lafayette
November 13 & 14: Monterrey International Forum Monterrey, NL, MEXICO
December 9: New Orleans Cajun and Zydeco Dance Festival at Tipitina’s in New Orleans

You can find out more about the band at feufollet.net.

Recently, she has started working with Valcour’s own Joel Savoy on a project featuring her singing with the Bluerunners of Lafayette. Keep your eye out for what becomes of this! It’s bound to be fantastic!