The Louisiana Story

I'm sure other cities face the same issue in varying degrees, but in southern Louisiana, the question of how to deal with musical traditions in contemporary music is central to the art. I touch on this tension and the omnipresence of rock 'n' roll in a new piece on the Cajun band the Pine Leaf Boys in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

One bummer, though - one of my favorite stories in the piece bit the editing room dust. Guitarist Jon Bertrand told the story of walking the red carpet into the Grammys this year, when the band's Blues de Musicien was nominated for Best Cajun/Zydeco Album. He explained that someone with a white-erase board walks in front of you as you go down the red carpet so the media know who you are, and so the designated cheerers in bleachers know who they're cheering. He was so amused by the experience that when he finished his trip down the red carpet, he slipped out of line, went back to the front and did it all over again.