‘Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler’ at Landmark on Main Street

The good times were rolling on Friday, March 8th, at Landmark’s Jeanne Rimsky Theater with a stellar double bill of Mardi Gras music by BeauSoleiland The Subdudes.

BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet on vocals and fiddle started the show. In addition to Doucet, the band included a bass player (who later switched to accordion), guitarist, drummer, and percussionist. The band had an unusual stage set up with their mixing board right in the middle of the stage. I wondered about that for a while until several songs in when the bass player switched to accordion, and their sound man took over on bass.

Doucet was a great frontman, a superb storyteller with a smooth and powerful voice. He told the audience that the band has been together for 44 years, performing their mix of Cajun, jazz, blues, folk, Zydeco and country. Most of the singing was in Cajun French and the Louisiana flavor was apparent. The group was tight and musically superb – each individual musician playing at the top of his game combining for an amazing sound. It was literally impossible to sit still in one’s seat – feet were tapping, hands were clapping, and towards the end of their set, couples began gathering in front of the stage to waltz.

BeauSoleil is a Grammy award winning band. Their 1996 album “L’Amour Ou La Folie” won the 1997 Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album, and in 2008 they won the Grammy Award for Best Cajun Music Album for “Live at the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.” Leader Michael Doucet has been awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The performance was absolutely stellar, and I was riveted throughout. They closed with a selection from their post-Katrina album, “From Bamako to Carencro” featuring the guitarist on the ukulele and an excellent bass solo. When the left the stage, I felt very concerned for The Subdudes because I couldn’t imagine how anything, anything at all, could follow an act like BeauSoleil.

Luckily, The Subdudes were up to the task. Made up of singer/guitarist Tommy Malone, accordionist/keyboard player John Magnie, percussionist Steve Amedee, and Tim Cook on bass, this band clearly enjoyed playing and did so with great enthusiasm. The best description I can think of for The Subdudes is exuberant. They burst onto the stage, treating the audience to some selections from their upcoming new CD, and then going back to their backlog of ten albums. Their sound is little more blues and rock than BeauSoleil, but also with Cajun influence. All the members of the band sing, and their four-part harmonies were excellent.

At one point in the show, an audience member got up and stood by the side of the stage playing the harmonica along with the band. This led to a discussion between the band and the harmonica player about the key of the harmonica (it was D). “That will work,” said Tommy Malone, “come on up here and play with us.” The harmonica player jumped onstage and joined in on “All the Time in the World” – he actually was a great addition and an excellent harp player. I hope we see this guy jumping onstage again in the future.

At the end of their show, The Subdudes unplugged and took their instruments into the audience to do an acoustic serenade. Including the beautiful song “From Time to Time.” This segment of the show was wonderful as it really highlighted their tight harmonies and the fact that they have been performing together for a quarter century.

It was another wonderful night of music at Landmark on Main Street. Check out their upcoming performances here: www.landmarkonmainstreet.org