Little Fest - Escoheag RI 6/28
Nate Goldshlag
Folks -
You may have heard that the Big Easy has been cancelled next week. Well,
Brian Bishop, Laurie Spry, and others have organized the Little Fest on
Saturday as a totally grassroots, volunteer effort. I urge all of you to
come. Bring food and water, as that situation is unclear. Here is the
email from Brian and Laurie.
Nate
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To Whom It May Concern, i.e. Cajun / Zydeco Music Fans
I was approached by one of the Stepping Stone Cajun festival volunteers
organizers, Roy Hopper, and the new ranch owner Darryl Waldron to consider
helping to stage some small musical event for anyone who did show up at the
ranch on Sat., June 28th after the announcement on Chuck Wentworth's radio
show that the Big Easy Bash was cancelled.
Having nothing to do with the originally planned festival (other than
intending to be a consumer), I worked through personal contacts with several
of the bands on the original card and local bands in the RI area which I have
presented at Austin Farm. With the cooperation of the new owners of Stepping
Stone who donated the use of the ranch, we will not have the Big Easy, but we
will have a little something in its place. Thus is created the "Little Fest"
featuring Sounds of the South- Cajun, Zydeco, R&B Roots*
*loosely construed to mean any dancin' music we could find on short
notice.
It will be at the STEPPING STONE RANCH Escoheag Hill Road, West Greenwich, RI
(directions at bottom of message) * Saturday Only ,June 28th from Noon to
Midnite (Shine or Rain) * Admission at the gate will be $12 per person-$20
per couple (relationship need not be definitively established, i.e. bring a
friend and get in for ten)
It will feature:
* Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys - Hot to Traditional Cajun
* Balfa Toujours - Traditional Cajun
* Donna The Buffalo - Roots R&B
* Zydeco Norton (not confirmed yet) -Zydeco (guess that's obvious)
* Magnolia - Rhode Island's Cajun Band
* Dirty Rice - Zydeco
* Loaded Dice - R&B
* John "Crawlin' Snake" Mac with Rory Macleod and David Z. - Delta Sound
* other special guests
The bands that are coming from out of state were picked strictly by the
serendipity of the few people I knew in Louisiana and who they knew. Several
other of the headliners who were announced for the Big Easy have called and a
few acts may be added to the list.
The schedule for the beginning and end of the day is being worked out, but
due to wedding plans for one of the Band members, Steve Riley's set is to run
from about 5:30 to 6:45. More on the schedule to follow on Monday.
Paying the bands for this impromtu "Little Fest" is dependent upon the gate,
so please spread the message widely and make the pilgrimage if you possibly
can. We can't totally take away the sting of a failed production effort, but
we can demonstrate that the audience for this music in Rhode Island is strong
and believes in the Ranch as much as the bands do by coming to play on a wing
and a prayer.
While there is a kinship between the Big Easy and the Labor Day Cajun/Blue
Grass festival, they are produced by two separate entities and, to our
knowledge, the Labor Day plans are unaffected by these foibles. So we hope
you continue to support the Labor Day festival as well.
Brian Bishop and Laurie Spry
Directions to Stepping Stone Ranch: exit 5A off 95 north or south in Southern
RI onto 102 south - go 1/2 mile to T intersection with Route 3 - Go Right
onto Route 3 south - immediately go straight through stoplight - continue 1/2
mile to blinking light and take right onto Route 165 West. Go 5 miles to
Escoheag hill road - go right and 2 miles to ranch)
For information respond by e-mail: <austo...@aol.com> or
phone 401-392-0212
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Nate Goldshlag "People ask me why I don't get fat
na...@reflection.com it's cause I like to dance like that.
http://www.ziplink.net/~nateg I eat as much as I can hold
Cambridge, MA and go out and do the zydeco."
-- Marcia Ball