Brevard Live February 2011 - 1 2 - Brevard Live February 2011 Brevard Live February 2011 - 3 4 - Brevard Live February 2011 Brevard Live February 2011 - 5 6 - Brevard Live February 2011 February 2011 • Volume 19, Issue 11 • Priceless FEATURES page 51 ROSIE LEDET/MARDI GRAS KENNY ROGERS Having recorded more than 65 albums No sound is so distinctive for the bayous Columns which have sold over 100 million records than zydeco music, the sounds of thimbles Charles Van Riper worldwide Rogers is an American Icon srcaping the steel while the accordion is 20 Political Satire who is in the same league as The Beatles, pumping out a Creole song. These are the Elton John and Elvis Presley. sounds that Rosie Ledet draws upon to Calendars create her music. Page 17 Live Entertainment, Page 9 27 Theatre, Concerts, GRANT SEAFOOD FESTIVAL Festivals, Arts JOHNNY WINTER There is a reason why this festival has Johnny has always been one of the most been a success for 45 years. It offers great Brevard Scene respected singers and guitar players in food and fun and visitors are coming back 32 What’s hot in rock and the clear link between British every year. Take out the middle pages and Brevard blues-rock and American Southern rock use them as your festival directory. throughout the 70s and 80s, Page 23 Mixed Tape Page 13 41 It’s a woman’s life ROBBY sparks by Misti Blu Day TINSLEY ELLIS Sparks’ brush with the art of filmmaking Tinsley Ellis’ love for electric blues grew didn’t come until later in his life though. Life & The Beach by listening to British Invasion bands His first experimentation with film came Relationship such as The Yardbirds, The Animals, after his borrowing of his grandparents’ 45 Column Cream, and The Rolling Stones. He was VHS camcorder to make a video for a col- by Matt Bretz determined to become a blues guitarist. lege communications course. Page 15 Page 42 Brevard Live February 2011 - 7 8 - Brevard Live February 2011 Brevard Live BREVARD LIVE The largest and most popular free entertainment magazine on the Space Coast and beyond for 19 years. PUBLISHER/EDITOR Heike Clarke STAFF ACCOUNT MANAGER Charlene Hemmle MUSIC WRITERS Matt Bretz Chris Long Rosie OUT & ABOUT Misti Blu Day Ledet Charlene Hemmle ART Terry Cronin III he bayous of PHOTOGRAPHY TLouisiana have Misti Blu Day always been a mys- Tim Bretz terious and steamy COLUMNISTS place. The bayous Chuck Van Riper Matt Bretz are never silent. From Misti Blu Day the chorus of frogs Reproduction of any portion of and insects that sing Brevard Live Magazine is strictly through the night to prohibited without the written the call of wild birds permission of the publisher. and other creatures, ADVERTISEMENT/ SALES the sounds are var- Phone: (321) 956-9207 ied and rich. But no Fax: (321) 956-9228 sound is so distinc- [email protected] tive for the bayous than zydeco music, COMMENTS & LETTERS the sounds of thim- Brevard Live Magazine bles srcaping the P.O. Box 1452, steel while the accor- Melbourne, Fl 32902 dion is pumping out Copyright © 2011 a Creole song. These Brevard Live are the sounds that All rights reserved Rosie Ledet draws upon to create her We are not responsible for photos music. or scripts sent to Brevard Live Magazine. Published photos and articles become property of this Mary Rosezla Bellard Ledet was born Zydeco band, Rosie has been performing publication. We are not responsible for wrongful October 25, 1971, in rural Church Point, LA. steadily throughout the Louisiana-Texas advertised or canceled venues. She learned to play the accordion by watch- Zydeco circuit, as well as playing from ing her husband, Morris, play and then prac- coast to coast. Last year, she appeared at ticed on his accordion while he worked dur- the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Download a pdf file ing the day. She describes her first meeting St. Louis Blues Festival, Frog Island, and with Zydeco as such: “I attended my first others across the country. Rosie plays more BREVARD Zydeco dance at Richard’s Club in Lawtell, of the traditional style Cajun and Zydeco FLORIDA LA. I didn’t think I would like Zydeco mu- music and she composes her own songs. It’s sic, but when I heard BooZoo Chavis play, been said that Zydeco is “blues with an ac- LIVE I was hooked! That night I fell in love with cent,” and Rosie adds a touch of blues and www.brevardfloridalive.com www.brevardlive.com Zydeco music.” Creole French to her songs. www.floridalive.org Since rising to the front of her husband’s continued page 11 Brevard Live February 2011 - 9 10 - Brevard Live February 2011 Brevard Live Rosie and her band have quickly become the act to watch on the zydeco circuit. She scored the #1 song on KVOL with “I’m Gonna Take Care Of Your Dog,” and won three “Best of the Beat” awards from Offbeat Maga- zine, including Best Zydeco Band or Performer, Best New Zydeco Group or Performer, and Best Vocalist. One of a small handful of women in Zydeco, Rosie has the best chance of long-term success. Her warm stage presence combined with the infectious Zydeco beat, makes her irresistible to audiences. She also is one of the few younger Zydeco players who still writes and sings some of her own ma- terial in Creole French. She will perform at Riverfront Park in Cocoa on Saturday, February 26th, from 10 to 11:30 pm. The History Of Mardi Gras istorians date Mardi Gras back Hthousands of years to pagan ritu- als and celebrations by the Romans in- cluding the festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. When Christianity arrived in Rome, leaders decided to incorpo- rate some of these Roman traditions and celebrations into the new faith. Mardi Gras and Carnival celebrations became a period of abandon and ex- cess that preceded Lent, the 40 days of penance between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. These carnival celebra- photo by Misti Blu Day tions spread throughout Europe. people in costumes and masks that of krewes holding parades and balls The French then brought the Mardi were riding in carriages and on horse- throughout the Mardi Gras season still Gras celebrations to America in 1699 back. The first documented Mardi Gras today. Other customs that have lasted when an explorer, Sieur d’Iberville parade was held in 1837 which is a tra- through the decades include bead sailed to America and landed in what is dition of Mardi Gras that still contin- throwing, wearing masks, decorating today Louisiana. They held a celebra- ues today. In 1857, a secret society of floats and eating King Cake. tion upon arrival and named the spot New Orleans businessmen called the Mardi Gras has become a legal Point du Mardi Gras. In the next de- Mistick Krewe of Comus, organized holiday in the state of Louisiana where cades, New Orleans and other French a torch-lit Mardi Gras procession with the annual Mardi Gras celebration settlements celebrated the season with bands and rolling floats which set the occurs the weeks leading up to Lent. street parties, balls and lavish dinners. tone for future celebrations. Since then However, Mardi Gras and Carnival During the 1800’s public celebra- krewes have remained a fixture of the festivities occur throughout the the tions of Mardi Gras centered around Mardi Gras celebrations with a variety rest of the world. Brevard Live February 2011 - 11 12 - Brevard Live February 2011 Brevard Live February 20, At Lou’s Blues, Indialantic Guitar Legend Johnny Winter ohnny Winter has been a giant among the guitar Johnny Winter formed loudly that there was a Jlegends. Columbia Records signed him in 1969 his first band, Johnny and new guitar-slinger on the as the largest solo artist deal of its time. Johnny im- the Jammers, in 1959 at new national scene. the age of 15, with his Winter stayed with mediately laid out the blueprint for his fresh take on 12-year-old brother Edgar Columbia and its boutique classic blues, a prime combination for the legions on keyboards in his home- Blue Sky label for more of fans just discovering the blues via the likes of town Beaumont, Texas. than a decade, turning out Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Constantly shifting Winter’s big break- such well-received plat- between simple country blues in the vein of Robert through came in 1968 ters as “Johnny Winter Johnson, to all-out electric slide guitar blues-rock, when Rolling Stone writ- And” (1970), “Still Alive Johnny has always been one of the most respected ers Larry Sepulvado and and Well” (1973) and John Burks featured him in “John Dawson Winter III” singers and guitar players in rock and the clear link a piece on the Texas music (1974). Johnny joined Al- between British blues-rock and American Southern scene, which prompted a ligator Records in 1984. rock. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Johnny was bidding war among labels His desire to record noth- the unofficial torch-bearer for the blues, champion- that Columbia eventually ing but authentic blues ing and aiding the careers of his idols like Muddy won. Johnny’s self-titled made for a perfect fit. Waters and John Lee Hooker. 1969 disc announced continued page 15 Brevard Live February 2011 - 13 14 - Brevard Live February 2011 Brevard Live Johnny Winter continued When Johnny released Guitar ing contract with Chicago’s Alligator Slinger later that year, it was widely Records. According to Billboard, “no- hailed as his best (and bluesiest) album body has released more consistently ever.