Schenectady, NY-February 13, 2008
Red Stick Ramblers honor the music, food of Louisiana
Linzay Young is convinced that music and cooking go together. So much so, the fiddler, lead singer and co-founder for Louisiana’s Red Stick Ramblers brings his cast-iron pots and portable propane stove with him whenever the band hits the road.
But the best way to see the music-food connection is to read the band’s promo bio. Here’s how it starts: The music and cuisine of Louisiana, it states, have much in common. “An initial blast of heat usually commands attention right off the bat, but then — slowly, but surely — all sorts of subtler notes start to creep in, making for an irresistibly captivating experience.”
What’s more, Young and his mates in the Ramblers, who play Saratoga ’s Caffe Lena on Sunday, started the Black Pot Festival two years ago as a way to celebrate both music and food. Or as Young put it more specifically, the Lafayette , La. , festival honors “the art of cooking in cast-iron pots, which is something that’s a big thing down here.” He says this when reached near his home in Eunice , La. , last week. “Down here it’s an occasion to get together whenever the black pot is heated up.”
The kind of music the Ramblers play — a diverse blend of Cajun, Creole, zydeco, western swing, blues and early jazz — teems with southern Louisiana culture, the kind of place where life slows down for good food, music and dancing. With dual fiddles, the band touches on all things string-driven. The buzz word is eclectic, but paradoxically, they stay rooted in traditional music. They’re purists, and they’re not purists.
“Out of love for music in general,” Young said, “we tried to incorporate the things we like. But we’ve learned over the years just how to keep a common thread in there. . . . And in any culture of music, tradition is not static. It breathes like a living organism. So you’re going to have some sway on either side of the imaginary line that is traditional. But the important thing is that the heart and soul remains the same.”
Family friends
The band formed almost a decade ago when Young was at Louisia ?na State University . He co-founded it with longtime friend Joel Savoy, son of Marc and Ann Savoy, two of Cajun music’s most well-respected names. The Young and Savoy families, in fact, have been friends for generations. And Young learned to play the fiddle at the informal, but legendary, Saturday morning jam sessions at the Savoy Music Center , Marc Savoy’s store outside Eunice.
Now in his late 20s, Young still goes back to those jams. But touring, and promoting the Ramblers’ fourth album “Made in the Shade,” keeps him away more than it used to.
Meanwhile, getting signed to Sugar Hill Records, which put out “Shade” late last year, has put the band at the forefront of what some call a southern Louisiana Cajun/Creole music revival. There are reports of young people showing up at the region’s dance halls again, clamoring for the traditional music that pulls from a unique melting pot going back centuries.
Cajun music, it should be noted, dates from the French immigrants who created the fiddle-and-accordion-rich sound. Some even trace it to the French settlers of Nova Scotia who were forced south by the British during the French and Indian War. Creole, meanwhile, is the variation created by southern Louisiana ’s black population.
But when talk turns to revival, Young is not quite sure that’s the right word.
“In recent years,” he said, “there’s been a resurgence of folk music and young people playing folk music in general in other areas of the country. But down here, it’s always been a part of life for us. . . . It might not be the majority but the keepers of the flame have always been there.”
- Philip Schwartz