J une 14, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
(The |Jo rtlan ò (Pbscruer
EriTERTAIPiMEPiT
Buckwheat Zydeco
Group Dishes Up Politically Charged Humor
Buckwheat Zydeco
"My music started out as familv
entertainm ent." Stanley " B u c k
wheat Dural. Jr says, "and it gives
a feelin' that the whole family' can
enjoy one thing at the same time
That what I see when I'm on stage,
iookin out to the audience — every -
body havin' a good time at the same
time “
Singing comedians Summer
Angels. Some are Not. are
dishing up political and social
humor with ‘tts Their Party and
We 'll Cry If We Want To, ‘
through Saturday at the
Northwest Service Center.
That said. Buckwheat Zvdeco
comes forth w ith hisrockm ' est record
to date - Five Card Stud, his first
album o f new rr
, early three
years, reaffirming his position as one
o f the great contemporary musical
artists. The ebullient Lo u isia n a
squeezebox boogie that highlighted
such previous Island efforts as the
Grammy-nominated On A Night Like
K crrij Neal
Celebrates New
Release I r PortlaRd
G uitarist vocalist harmonica
player Kenny Neal w ill bring his
searing brand o f red hot blues to
Portland H e 'll be featuring songs
from his new alligator album.
Hoodoo Moon (A l 4825 ). Concert
information is as follows;
S aturday, June 1 7 th
Key Largo
3 1 N. W. First S t.
Portland
$ 7 .0 0 - 9 : 3 0 p.m .
A torture victim found dumped in East Timor
This. Taking It Home, and Where
There s Smoke There's Fire is still in
heady supply, but singer-accordion
ist-keyboardist Buckwheat spices his
flavorful musical gumbo with rock
n roll, country. R & B and even
gospel seasonings here
Fi v e Card Stud was produced by
Steve Berlin o f Los Lobos: the L A.
b an d 's sin g e r-g u ita rist D a v id
H id a lg o (w ho produced U here
There's Smoke There's Fire) sits in
on two numbers, the original "Make
It easy On Yo u rse lf' and a spirited
cover o f Bruce Ch ann el's “ Hey
B ab y."
Country titan W i Hie Nelson con
tributes his distinctive voice and gui
tar to “ Man U ith the Blues." a song
which dales back to 1959 and was
nelson’s first recorded single. Says
Buckwheat. ‘W illie ’s a legend.
Working with him, it was just like
we've known one another all our
lives H e’s just that type o f person. It
was real easy, low-key.”
Another sparkling guest is Ma
vis Staples, star o f the pop-gospel
hitmakers the Staple Singers, who
duets with Buckwheat on ‘‘T h is
Train "Buckw heatsaysofthistrack,
“ I've never done a spiritual. It’s an
R & B spiritual, but it s a spiritual. I
seem to take different directions ev
ery time I do a record - take it to a
different level.” The album also in
cludes "Bayou G irl,” a never-before
released track penned by Van
morrison.
Those many directions are the
product o f a life spent exploring a
diversity o f American musical styles.
Buckwheat was bom in Louisiana in
1947 and began playing keyboards
at the age o f nine Steeped in the
heav iest sty les o f black music, (“ I
was really down deep into R & B .
funk, a lot o f james Brown, every
thing"). he backed such southern soul
luminaries as Barbara Lynn and Joe
Tex, and headed his ow n band. B uck
wheat and the Hitchhikers, through
the m id-’70s
Buckwheat's choice o f music
led to some early conflict with his
iate father Stanlet. S r . who remained
a devotee o f Zydeco - the rhythmic,
accordion fueled dance music o f the
black French-speaking creoles o f
Southwestern Louisiana -- and was a
close friend o f Clifton Chenier, the
late "K in g o f Zydeco.”
—
Film Presented On East
Timor Atrocities
Portland's Cinem a 21 theater
will preseni the award winning docu
mentary Death of a.Nation: The Tim or
Conspiracy on Thursday June 22 at
7:30 p m
The one night engagement is a
benefit for the East Tim or Action
Network o f Portland
The powerful film tells, the bru
tal story o f Indonesia's 1975 inva
sion and continuing occupation of
East Tim or.
Mobilnet
Ervin Rushing Party At
Madrona Winery
An exc it ing even ing o f music and entertainment w ill high I ight a record
release party for Portland artist Ervin Rushing
The event w ill be held June 24 at the Madrona H ill Vineyard and
Winery. 2412 N M ississippi, beginning at 8 p m with performances in full
swing later in the evening
Rushing is a rhythm and blues musician who has entertained with U -
Krew and opened for several national name groups. H is new recording is
Malaco Recording A rtis t
Queen O f The Blues”
32nd
& E.
Burnside
231-8926
23rd
& NW
Johnson
248-0163
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21st
*74e
- S'
615 SE ALDER ST / 232-2759
SATURDAY SFPTEMRIR 2
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 1
r
IflvP
c o » jM U V /
For 6 Years By
in Support of
Portland Parks
and Recreation
or
era
Sir J O f MU9C FOR tW W KX OF 0NC
Presented by: AA M C Inc.
COW EAMT M O ITAV LATT tw o
TRIDAY AUGUST IR
All shows are general admission
Beach^ blankets" m d
TIC K ETS: $ 2 0
tat A W CX)
AT FASTVQI X ' t ȣTS MCLUONG MUSC ML x / m m m a rare
SATURDAY AUGUST 12
Music
Millennium
A
SHOW MAN
ages available on site No cameras audio or video recording
Advance tickets at all ci Joe s/Ticketmaster locations
Subject to service charge Charge by phone 224-4400
I VI N l