Bayou dreams

As we rediscover each year at Bele Chere, blues chords and rock beats have been known to rouse summertime crowds (abundant, cheap beer doesn’t hurt too much either). But five years ago, Rick Ramsey parted the swamp grasses of destiny when he hit upon a sure-fire way to lure people downtown: transport them to Cajun country.

Ramsey chairs the Asheville Downtown Association which, for the past 11 years, has sponsored Moonlight Over Downtown — a free, Pack Square minifestival that kicks off the Downtown After Five series (monthly, open-air Friday night concerts that run June through September).

Thanks to a succession of hot zydeco bands — not to mention Asheville’s continuing growth spurt — the once-tepid event has become a resounding gala.

“It’s high-energy, exciting music … party music,” enthused Ramsey during a recent phone interview.

“You see people’s faces just light up when they hear [Cajun bands]. I remember eight years ago, when there were only 50 people there. Last year, it was 12,000. Every year it gets bigger and bigger. It’s unbelievable, to me, how it grew,” he confides.

Publicity coordinator Amee Shultz concurs: “We hope this year will be at least as big, or bigger, than last year.” As always, she notes, “Our goal is to get people downtown, to keep downtown as a destination,” pointing out that the relatively early event leaves grown-ups plenty of time for barhopping after the show.

But this is absolutely an inclusive event (it’s aimed at everyone “from babies to the elderly,” says Schultz), and the fun and feasting commence at 5 p.m.: spicy food (courtesy of downtown eateries Rio Burrito and Havana, this year) and cold beverages (alcoholic and otherwise) are, of course, integral to the Moonlight experience. And, judging by the pleasure in Ramsey’s voice as he recalls the band-selecting process, it’s clear that the business of turning Pack Square into a one-day, family-flavored French Quarter has been anything but tedious for him.

“We just really loved their CD,” he says warmly of File’s La Vie Marron (“The Runaway Life,” Green Linnet Records, 1996). This year’s featured band hails, naturellement, from New Orleans. Geoffrey Himes of The Louisiana Post once noted that the Cajun quintet “[is] one of the best dance bands in French Louisiana, where people of all ages still come out on a Saturday night to dance in crowded, beer-slicked saloons.”

Formed in 1983, File was personally schooled by famed Creole fiddler Canray Fontenot. However, the band’s wide-ranging influences have made for some interesting musical friction over the years. Founder (and accordionist) Ward Lormand (brought up in French-speaking Ossun, La.) is a noted roots purist, and fiddler D’Jaima Garnier, who hails from a venerable Creole family, wields his bow like a lightning bolt: “[his] pyrotechnics go above and beyond folk fiddling,” proclaimed one publicist. Honky-tonk pianist David Egan’s songs, meanwhile, have been covered by rockers like Joe Cocker, among others — and bassist Kevin Shearin and drummer Pete Stevens contribute solid jazz instincts to the mix.

La Vie Marron blends soaring zydeco, snappy originals and traditional French waltzes with liquid ease. Lyrics are sung (and printed) in both English and French. And though traditional arrangements like “Cheroquis” (“Midland”) are definite standouts, it’s the album’s succulent pockets of humor that put the group’s distinctive stamp on the disc. In “Loup Garou mange pas mes enfants” (“Loup Garou Don’t Eat My Children”) — based on a Cajun folk legend about a werewolf — a desperate father pleads with the monster: “Get out of here if you please/Today I bought an expensive set of encyclopedias/My little girl’s braces are only a week old/The loup garou is a big bad beast.”

Family music, indeed!

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.