Zydeco, according to a trusty source, translates in English to mean “snap bean.”  The cajun-creole dish shares the same liveliness, tartness and spiciness of its musical counterpart which evolved from forms of Louisiana creole music in the early 19th century.

A bayou swamp, consistent with the Louisiana theme we have going here, refers to the slow moving, marshy waters prevalent in the Gulf Coast region of the U.S.

Now on to the man himself…Chubby is the “Carrier” of a family zydeco legacy.  He’s the third generation of zydeco artists with such famous relatives as Roy Carrier (father), Warren Carrier (grandfather), and cousins Bebe and Calvin Carrier who are presently considered legends in zydeco history. This video had me dancin’ in my chair:

His band members Earl Sally, A.J. Bellow, Randy Ellis, Randolph Kelly are all Louisiana natives who “Can’t Get Enough of That Zydeco Stuff. ” With song titles like “Boogie Woogie Zydeco,” “Who Stole The Hot Sauce?” and “Ain’t No Party Like a Chubby Party” you know it’s going to be a swampadelic time at 9 p.m. Friday near the main stage.

Check our their  website for more bio info, news, music, reviews etc.

Read Ryan’s story below:

I haven’t missed a single Blues Fest since my family moved here from Orlando, when I was 5 years old (So maybe I was 6 once the first Festival took place? don’t recall). So now I’m 25, and it’s just become a huge affair, bringing in friends and family from as far away as Western New York (a pilgrimage they eagerly await to escape the cold each Spring). It’s become a huge tradition for everyone to gather- roughly half of our group consisting of my dads friends that fly in every year without fail from NY and South Florida, and the other half being mainly from our local friends and family. We’ve had the same 10-ish rooms locked down at the Best Western each year for many years now, and its just become this fantastic occasion for the 40-50 that gather annually without fail.

So from that, to have to pick a “favorite memory”, becomes quite the daunting task. Some of my most cherished moments have been in past few years in particular, having my group of friends in attendance grow, and increasingly intermingling with our parents/older generations. I’d say the best memory of all would be 4 years ago, a few of us had our 21st birthdays within a short span leading up to the festival, so everyone was just very celebratory (see: a bit drunk, perhaps?) and really just had the time of our lives. The weather was fantastic all weekend, and I was surrounded by the best folks that life has to offer, who spanned every aspect/period of my life. The Saturday of that weekend will definitely live on as my favorite memory to date. Being in your hometown, by the beach, with great tunes, and accompanied by your closest friends and family- something I wouldn’t trade for…. anything!

Those smiles don’t lie….

See ya in a couple weeks!

Ryan

Is it the biceps, the “sturdy smoky voice” or the electricity of his live performances that tends to drive the ladies into a frenzy? Perhaps a combination of these winning qualities? You’ll have FOUR chances to find out the weekend of STB!

Dwight will be leading every night of the afterfest jams (Fri, Sat. & Sun) at Mojo’s Kitchen on 1500 Beach Blvd. His festival performances are scheduled for Sunday at 4:00 p.m. on the main stage and 5:30 p.m. on the west stage.

Check out the rest of the festival schedule here or preview one of his live performances below:

Like fellow festival performer Conrad Oberg, Slim started out on the piano and picked up guitar later. Unfortunately in Slim’s case, his transition to guitar was the response to a cotton gin accident that left him without his pinky finger. According to his full bio, he made his first guitar out of bailing wire from a broom, which he nailed to a wall.

The Teardrops consist of Jon McDonald on guitar/vocals; Melvin Smilth -
bass; Vern Taylor – drums and David Sims – drums. Though born in Mississippi, Slim will be joining us from Chicago. But here’s proof he still enjoys a visit to his home state even if he has to walk, hitchhike or ride a bike to get there:

When you see Magic Slim & the Teardrops Sunday, April 11 on the main stage, Slim will be assessing you and the rest of the crowd to figure out what songs to play. He doesn’t plan a set ahead of time but rather relies on his intuition about what the crowd wants to hear. If you’re dancing, he’ll keep you dancing. As the final performers, they’ll make sure you leave Springing the Blues out of breath, lying on the floor and in need for more.

For the rest of the festival performance schedule, click here.

Ever try to learn an instrument? My brief stint with guitar when I was 15 resulted in an abandoned Schecter, in the end contributing to nothing but my brother’s skater punk-inspired basement decor.

Ever try to learn an instrument without vision or instruction? That’s what two-year-old Conrad Oberg did after premature birth left him legally blind. Now at age 15, Oberg is adding another line to his impressive musical resume with his third year performing at Springing the Blues.

Oberg’s bio is profoundly inspiring, and his music is a testament to his true talent and relentless resolve. Last summer he opened for the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock Festival with his version of the Jimi Hendrix style “Star Spangled Banner.” Oberg was voted most talented teen musician in the country by 12 million Cartoon Network viewers and was selected by Nikon Corporation to score the film accompanying their newest high-end camera release.

This year you have two chances to see Oberg perform! Come out to the main stage at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, April 10 and again at 7 p.m. on the west stage. For the entire performance schedule, click here.

What began as a middle school club at Evergreen Community Charter School turned into North Carolina’s freshest young band delivering “lip smacking, dance inspiring, mood altering grooves with strong soulful vocals that will lead you on a journey from a slow shuffle to booty grooving madness.”-Black Mountain Music Scene

While young in age (band members’ ages range from 14-19), the group’s talent is undeniable. They were a huge hit with the audience at last year’s Springing the Blues festival and that’s hardly the beginning.

On Monday, this teenage band blogged from the 2010 Memphis Internatinal Blues Youth Showcase Competition three days after their performance at the B.B. King Blues Club. And earlier this year, lead singer Jesse Barry impressed judges through several rounds of American Idol’s ninth season. Check out her golden ticket interview and tricky tongue maneuvers here.

Don’t miss them at noon on the west stage and again at 2:00 on the main stage!

“Alphonso has a unique soulful vocal and saxophone sound, which you will discover listening to his new CD “Mississippi Influences”. His music covers styles that you have grown to love, including a mixture of jazzy blues christain country pop rock sounds. There is something about this music that will make you want to meditate, sing, and dance.”-Mississippi Influences review on CDBaby

Dr. Alphonso Sanders is coming down from Mississippi to perform with Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry on Saturday at 2:45 on the main stage and 5:30 on the west stage. He’s been involved in music education for over 25 years as an educator, clinician, adjudicator and performer. He is presently the chair of fine arts and director of the BB King Recording Studio at Mississippi Valley State University. His job involves educating people about blues culture through workshops and lectures.

Dr. Sanders has also performed at many prominent festivals including:

The North Sea Jazz Festival
Den Hague, Netherlands;

the Montreux Jazz Festival,
Montreux, Switzerland;

Lucerne Blues Festival,
Lucerne, Switzerland;

the Mobile Jazz Festival; Many of the Delta Blues Festivals and the 1996 Summer Olympic entertainment festivities at Central Park, Atlanta, GA. We’re excited to have him at Springing the Blues this year!

In January, the Blues Foundation’s 26th International Blues Challenge gave second place honors to Alphonso Sanders and Bill “Howl-n-Madd” Perry doing their Blues Workshop “The School of Jook and Jam Blues.” Check out a video of that performance below:

As a Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Sanders studied abroad in China visiting 12 major cities, exploring the culture of Chinese music and visual arts.  His recent recording project is titled “Mississippi Influences”.

Dr. Sanders was a member of the David Lee Durham band, which won the First Indianola Blues Challenge of the Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola. He is also featured on David Lee Durham’s CD “Struggling and Straining.”

Check out his latest album, his Myspace and album reviews, and then come hear him at this year’s Springing the Blues festival!

Where do you draw your inspiration to make the poster unique from previous years?
It’s really easy to draw inspiration for an oceanfront music festival Each year the visual idea comes to mind during the event for the next year.

I want to create a visual mood to represent the spirit of the festival…sand between your toes, minimal clothing, seabreeze, sunshine, great food and bevies, then, of course, there’s the blues crankin’ through your soul. Something special for each of the senses.

The event is special, the client even more so. I look forward to this event and project every year. It is very close to me.

Besides the monetary contribution to our economy, the Springing the Blues event is the community’s ideal opportunity to come together with a common interest in music and culture, and share in the gift of sand, sea, surf and sun.

They’re sold at the event, 50 are signed, the balance of posters are unsigned, prices determined via Sam Veal (festival director).

Gonna be real special One clue, poster art utilizes Copper/Gold Foil. Come to the event and check it out.

All my family (3 kids, wife, mom, sisters, neices and nephews, in-laws, and friends– we typically roll up to the event like Sandford & Sons…2 and 3 to a bike.)

Mispronouncing this group name is tempting and I’m here to save you from making the same mistake I did. This “Toots”  isn’t any form of onomatopoeia derived from the bean-inspired musical fruit song and it has nothing to do with various forms of traffic-induced self expression. “Toots” in this case rhymes with “puts.”

Toots Lorraine and the Traffic were such crowd pleasers last year that we invited them back to perform again for the 2010 festival.

Grab a beer that Friday after work and head over to see them on the main stage at 7:30.  While you’re under the influence of your favorite social lubricant, Toots Lorraine and the Traffic will be under the influence of artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Jordan and BB King. If you miss the 7:30 performance, they’ll be on again at 9:00 on the west stage.

Preview their music and see more band pics on their Myspace here!

Can you tell me about the “History of the Blues” exhibit?

It’s going be a celebration of the 20 years of the Springing the Blues festival. We’re going to have all 20 posters, mostly done by David Lee. We’re also having video highlights of the last 20 years. They’ve been videotaping the festival since it started, so we’re going to go through and pick out highlights. The videos will be running on small screens throughout the exhibit. The purpose of the exhibit is to educate people about the origin of the blues, the history of the blues and the origin of the performers.

What is your role in putting together this exhibit?

I’m the curator of exhibit—I work with the museum and have experience putting together these sort of things. Two years ago I put together “History of Surfing” and it went over GREAT. We raised a lot of money for the museum and the community loved it.

What are the dates of the exhibit?

We don’t have specific dates set yet, but it’s going to open a few days before the festival and last until a few days after the festival.

How far is the museum form the festival?

The museum is only about two blocks from the festival, so people can easily drop in between performances and stay in walking distance in the same area.

Why do you feel this exhibit is important to the community?

Blues music is historical and cultural-probably more educationally cultural than a lot of festivals, so it’s a good way to educate the community. It will help people appreciate all aspects of the festival and raise money for the museum.

Museum Info:

Museum Hours

Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Parking

Free parking is available on Pablo Avenue between Third and Fifth Streets.

The Beaches Museum & History Center is located at 380 Pablo Avenue in
Jacksonville Beach, Florida, one block west of the intersection of A1A
and Beach Blvd.

Admission Fees
Adults: $5
Senior Citizens (65+): $4

Children 6 – 17: $3
Children 5 & under: FREE

Members: FREE

Admission includes entry to the Museum and guided tour of Pablo Historical Park.

For more information visit http://www.beachesareahistoricalsociety.com/index.htm