Willis Felecien Sevin
October 2, 2013
Not your average QB: THS star shines, despite desire to be halfback
October 9, 2013
I’m taking a break from extolling the virtues of a few CDs this month to share my thoughts on this year’s Best of the Bayou Festival (BoB). My viewpoint comes from two directions/perspectives: a music fan and a member of the BoB music committee. (I’ll let others comment on the festival’s other showcases, food and culture, since I lack even the most rudimentary qualifications to discuss those.)
The biggest change in this year’s Fest was of course the weather. The relentless rain and thunderstorms of last year were replaced with glorious sunshine sprinkled with a few clouds. While it could have been a few degrees cooler, attendance (or lack of it) couldn’t be blamed on the weather. The LSU game on Saturday no doubt kept a few fans glued to their home’s flat screens, but by the end of the game the streets were swollen. The Saints-free Sunday saw a decent but underwhelming crowd.
The music was uniformly great. I say “great” without reservation, also. Since the festival apparently insists on having two stages with staggered but simultaneous acts, I was not able to be in two places at once. After making the quarter-mile trek back and forth a few times, I decided to stay put at the end of each day.
The local acts all shined. Sheauxdown (a metal band in a former incarnation) presented their unique spin on other’s tunes and sprinkled in a few of their own. Blue Eyed Soul Revue showed that their spirited take on classic soul still has plenty of juice left; a lot of the original members have returned with their in-the-pocket groove. Autumn High’s infectious exuberance spilled from the stage onto Main Street. The Auto Pilots showed that local acts can have a razor sharp modern sensibility while still being accessible. And Baby Bee, Houma’s budding national act, tore up their set with their take-no-prisoners approach to barebones rock and roll.
The New Orleans and national acts were also uniformly superb. Susan Cowsill charmed the Grinage Street stage crowd backed by a baby-faced killer band. Her bell-like voice graced not only her own superior originals but also a few classics from her family’s ‘60’s TV show. Kermit Ruffins swung hard and easy, giving a mellow take on traditional New Orleans jazz and brass band music.
Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue took a much different approach to swing (hard country style) and may have been the breakout stars of the Fest.
The headliners on the Barrow Street stage all hit home runs, and some of them were grand slams. Eric Lindell, with his confident take on white-boy soul and blues, has never sounded better. Ivan Neville and Dumpstaphunk were a funk monstrosity. The double bass attack and cosmically on-the-one drumming of Nikki Glaspie slayed the crowd. Their funk was hard as nails, but nimble enough to allow nuances into the cracks.
Robert Randolph and the Family Band, featuring Anders Osborne, took off where Dumpstaphunk ended and brought things into the stratosphere. The huge crowd watching the show was treated to rhythmic and melodic fireworks that Main Street has never seen before. Marcia Ball braved direct sunlight Sunday afternoon to pound out her special blend of Professor Longhair boogie woogie, Texas blues and rolling ballads. She never disappoints and certainly did not here. Jason Isbell closed the Fest with a rocking set equally split between his old and new material. The man simply can’t write a bad song. He and his band delivered a superb performance and a graceful and fitting end to the Fest.
There are those who make the valid point that the BoB Fest does not feature enough local (as in the Houma area) talent. A few words then on that topic. The whole genesis and purpose of the festival came from the somewhat tarnished source of BP-related funds. A fairly sizable chunk of money was given to the state and then to parishes that were affected by the Spill with the only provison that it be used to promote tourism and the local culture.
The local powers-that-be decided that a music, food, and cultural festival would be the best vehicle to spend that money to promote those goals. In order to promote tourism, it was thought that certain musical acts ought to be booked that would attract attention outside of this area. If people’s eyes were caught this way, then hopefully they would come and be exposed to all the festival had to offer (and that is still plenty of homegrown talent and food and crafts). Then, so goes the thinking, the tourists would go and spread the good word from whence they came.
Yes, it would be the best of all worlds if the entire festival could be stocked with all homegrown music acts, but the Houma area is not there yet. More can be done in that area in future festivals if there are such. The vitality and future existence of the Fest depends on financial health and the post-Fest appraisals have yet to be done. Everyone should understand that this festival is in its infancy, and if it survives the crib to one day walk on its own, then we’ll all be as proud as mamas and papas.
– Dave Norman is a local attorney who has been smitten with music since he could hear his first transistor radio turned to WTIX, and is thankful for his ability to share his love with you.
Robert Randolph and the Family Band, joined by Anders Osborne for their Best of the Bayou set, electrified downtown Houma to close the festival’s first day.
