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(Almost) Every month we will bring you new featured artists for listening to or purchasing tracks. Some of the artists will be Valcour artists, some will be independent, and some still will be on other labels. Regardless, they will all be artists we think you will be interested in learning about and listening to.
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.
Trailer for “Last Man Standing”
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’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 ————————————————————————————–
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!