Terrebonne hosting fundraising tournament
May 29, 2012
Cecile Brou Mongrue
May 31, 2012
It is no secret that Louisiana’s culture is slowly disappearing amongst the younger generations in the bayou region.
For example, within three generations of my family, the Louisiana French language has vanished. I only speak English, but my grandfather, Alfred Bouvier, was on the cusp of that language transition in Lafourche Parish. He remembers when he was 6 years old in the first grade in Larose, and how he was reprimanded and teased by his teachers for speaking Louisiana French instead of English.
“We were bullied into losing our culture; they should have taught everyone to speak both languages,” he says.
Now there are efforts to restore and preserve our native tongue, but that’s like someone wanting to live in their house after they have already burned it to the ground. It is the plight of humanity to always have to duct-tape what our ancestors screw up.
When looking at the current landscape of Houma’s music scene, “Cajun and zydeco” seem more like of a novelty item that you pick up from a gift shop for tourists. It is seldom to hear a Cajun or zydeco band in Houma with young members and a young audience listening to them.
That’s not the case in places like Lafayette, where young bands are celebrated for creating music with that zydeco twist. That is why it was refreshing to be able to sit down with a founding member of Houma’s newest zydeco sensation, Nonc Nu and da Wild Matous.
Cody Guidry, a bassist, explained to me some of the underlying themes in the band’s music, how it uses humor to tell stories about growing up in the marshes and bayous of south Lafourche.
The group will sometimes have as many as eight people on stage including Leith Adams on drums, Phillip Porche on vocals and guitar, Brance Lloyd on washboard, Mike Collins on accordion, Travis Orgeron on guitar, Brent Kliebert on cow bell and tambourine, and Brent Melancon on fiddle, all of whom had a wide range of musical influences before they even considered zydeco.
They played in groups ranging from death metal to country to delta blues, but always held on to their earliest memories of traditional Cajun and zydeco on the radio. They formed only 18 months ago, just for fun, and now they are getting regular calls to play everywhere from hardware stores to fishing rodeos.
I first heard them perform at Houmapalooza Music festival in Downtown Houma in April and literally laughed out loud at the song “Eyee Yi Yee,” lyrically about getting poked by the fin of a catfish.
The music is upbeat, and they use all sorts of broken Louisiana French terminology and expressions that hit close to home for me. Besides the comedy and feel-good rhythms, the songs carry important messages about the culture and environment of southern Louisiana.
One song, entitled “Da Camp,” is about a child spending time with his father, who teaches and passes down traditions. Another tune, called “Living off the Land,” is about future generations going off to college and the family trade not being continued.
The song “Cajun” has a line that says” “The language is eroding like the coast everyday, the younger generation will have to save it some way.”
Guidry, 32 years old, says that he feels like a lot of people take Louisiana for granted, and through Nonc Nu and da Wild Matous’ music, he hopes to pass the torch.
For more information about Nonc Nu and da Wild Matous, go to www.reverbnation.com/noncnudawildmatous.
Their next public performance will be at Moran’s Marina for the Oilman’s Fishing Rodeo in Fourchon on July 13 and 14.
– Rusty Bouvier is co-founder of Houmapalooza Music Festival and Art Versus. He is a part-time rock star and artist. Bouvier has a BFA from Nicholls State University and is currently serving as the Community Development Coordinator for the Houma Regional Arts Council.
Nonc Nu and da Wild Matous, a Cajun and zydeco band, use humorous personal anecdotes in their attempt to further Louisiana culture. The band performs at the Oilman’s Fishing Rodeo next month.
