An afternoon of dancing is the perfect way to lift those post-holiday winter blahs. So if that’s what you are in need of, head to Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 15) for the Winter Cajun and Zydeco festival.

The Back O’Town Cajun Band and Planet Zydeco will treat listeners to some great music from southwest Louisiana. And in addition, this event will include introduction and intermediate dance lessons for two-step, waltzes and zydeco dance by well-known dance teacher Jim Christensen.

Multi-instrumentalist Michael Pattavina of Greenfield is curating the festival. Pattavina has hosted Sunday afternoon dance festivals at Hawks & Reed in the past, but this is the first time he has been able to do so in three years. He is looking forward to getting people back on the dance floor.

This festival marks the local debut of the Cajun band Back O’Town. This project came about when Pattavina joined forces with Pete and Linda Simoneaux from Langdon, New Hampshire, who are longtime players of the music of Louisiana and also have a Cajun/Creole dance band called Bayou X.

Pattavina plays acoustic guitar and sings in the band, while Pete Simoneaux plays fiddle and Linda Simoneauz plays accordion. They both handle the vocals and all three musicians bring over three decades of experience playing, studying and dancing to this music. Steve Frankel of Brattleboro, Vermont, will be playing bass at this show.

“My last band (The Nite Caps) didn’t make it through COVID as people went off onto other things,” said Pattavina. “I wanted to play dance music again, so I started playing with Pete and Linda and we started this project where various other musicians come and go.”

Back ‘O Town plays traditional, acoustic Louisiana Cajun and Creole dance music with a repertoire ranging from the legendary recordings of the late 1920s and early ‘30s through the postwar periods of the ‘40s and ‘50s. You’ll also hear the group’s take on the great Cajun music revival of the 1960s and ‘70s, when the music started incorporating modern elements of folk, blues, jazz, swamp pop and bluegrass styles.

Also performing will be Planet Zydeco, a New England-based zydeco band that captures the essence of traditional rural-style accordion-driven dance music. The Planet’s funky syncopated sound includes accordion, fiddle electric guitar, bass, drums and rubboard. The band members hail from Vermont and Rhode Island.

“Planet Zydeco has been around for a long time and is a very well-known band,” said Pattavina about his decision to have the band play this event. “They have played all over and every year they play the Rhythm and Roots festival in Rhode Island, which is the premier Cajun and zydeco festival.”

If you are new to this music, the difference between Cajun and zydeco music can be confusing. I learned the difference from interviewing the late, great Buckwheat Zydeco, who said it was frustrating when people referred to the zydeco music he played as Cajun music.

There are similarities between the two in that they are both American roots music born from the same area of southwest Louisiana. Cajun music originated with the Acadian settlers who were exiled from Nova Scotia and populated in southwestern Louisiana during the late 18th century. This music bears a close resemblance to French and other European folk music while zydeco was originated by African-American sharecroppers, enslaved people, and farmers of the area during the mid-19th century. Zydeco is rooted in African and Caribbean music and Creole culture. Zydeco is closer to the blues, Afro-Caribbean music and rhythm and blues. Zydeco music is a more rhythmic and up-tempo music while Cajun is a more melodic music and features many waltzes.

The major difference between these two similar genres is the instrumentation. Zydeco’s leading instruments are the multi-row button accordion and the rubboard, a percussion instrument worn on the chest and played with spoons. In comparison, Cajun music revolves around the fiddle and the single-button accordion.

This description is a rather simplified one, so if you are curious about this unique music, your best bet is to attend the Winter Zydeco and Cajun festival and hear the differences for yourself.

Pattavina purposely chose to have both styles represented at this event so that dancers could experience different types of dancing.

“They are two different dance styles,” Pattavina said. “You can’t dance Cajun two-step to zydeco music. Zydeco has its own feel. However, you can do a zydeco step to Cajun music, but you can’t reverse it. So this is going to be another nice opportunity for people to learn three different dance styles: a two-step, a waltz and Zydeco.”

Doors open at 1 p.m. on Sunday. There will be a Cajun two-step and waltz lesson beginning at 1:15 p.m. sharp. Back O’ Town Cajun Band performs at 1:45 p.m., followed by a zydeco dance lesson at 2:30 p.m. and Planet Zydeco will take the stage at 3 p.m. Doors close at 5 p.m.

Whether you are a seasoned dancer or a newcomer, this will be a fun afternoon of dancing. Or is you prefer just sit back and soak up this enjoyable music, you’re welcome to attend as a listener.

“The festival is in the afternoon so we want to encourage families to come out. We really want this to be a community building event around dance,” Pattavina said.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Dance lessons are included with the purchase of a ticket. Children under 18 are admitted for free. Advance tickets can be purchased at hawksandreed.com or by calling 413-774-0150.

Moon Hollow Quartet at Hitchcock Brewing Company

This is a quiet time of year. Some of our local breweries closed last week for a mini winter vacation. Hitchcock Brewing Company in Bernardston was one of these, but they resumed their regular brewery hours yesterday.

If you aren’t superstitious, you can head to Hitchcock this Friday the 13th and catch a show with Moon Hollow Quartet. This quartet from Brattleboro features members from Bella’s Bartok and DiTrani Brothers and plays Americana, folk and rock.

This is an early show. Music begins at 6 p.m. No cover charge, but tips for the musicians are always appreciated.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.

]]>