BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY WITH NEW NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY WITH NEW NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
NEW ALBUM, LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN, RECEIVES STELLAR REVIEWS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
NEW ALBUM, LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN, RECEIVES STELLAR REVIEWS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Buckwheat Zydeco, the band USA Today called “zydeco trailblazers,” have been celebrating their 30th anniversary with the May 5, 2009 release of LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN, the album OffBeat declared “the band’s most adventurous disc yet.” American musical icon and bandleader Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural, Jr. has announced a massive North American tour by Buckwheat Zydeco, including stops at Milwaukee’s Summerfest on June 26, the Toronto Jazz Festival on June 28, Celebrate Brooklyn on July 24, The Pocono Blues Festival on July 26 and Colorado’s Copper Country Fest on September 5, among many other dates this summer and fall. Since its release on May 5, LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN has received some of the best reviews of the year for a roots/blues album. Living Blues says, “Buckwheat Zydeco returns with a new release on famed Chicago blues label Alligator Records, and the results are stunning.” Blues Revue continues, saying the album “is as steeped in blues as in the joyous Louisiana soul at the heart of this outstanding, wonderfully diverse set.” Chris Morris, writing in Sonicboomers.com, which named LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN an “Album Of The Week,” called it “a vastly entertaining and appealingly diverse package.”
Scott Simon, on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Saturday – in a nearly 10 minute feature airing shortly after the album’s release – brought Buckwheat Zydeco’s music to millions of listeners across the country. Simon called leader Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural, Jr. “the go-to guy for zydeco music…a master of accordion and organ,” and praised the new CD’s scope from “feel good, get-up-and-dance music to slow R&B grooves and brooding blues.” Simon’s far ranging discussion with Dural was heard by more than five million listeners worldwide, helping to kick-start the 30th anniversary celebration.
The album has remained on the Billboard Blues Chart for five weeks, and has landed in rotation on top tastemaker radio stations nationwide including WXPN in Philadelphia (where Buckwheat Zydeco will tape a World Café performance on July 14, which will be broadcast on over 200 stations), WYEP in Pittsburgh, WYMS in Milwaukee, WWOZ in New ORleans, KRSH in Santa Rosa, CA, and KUT in Austin, TX, with new music airplay from WXRT in Chicago and WFUV in New York City, among many others.
Buckwheat Zydeco recorded LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN at Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana in January and February with Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) producing (as well as leading the horn section). Guest stars including Louisiana slide guitar wizard Sonny Landreth, Gov’t Mule and Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes and Alligator label mate JJ Grey (on their own compositions) and New Orleans phenomenon Tr
ombone Shorty lent their formidable talents. The album boasts five new Buckwheat originals and complete reinventions of songs by Memphis Minnie (When The Levee Breaks, made famous by Led Zeppelin), Bruce Springsteen (Back In Your Arms), Gov’t Mule (Lay Your Burden Down), Captain Beefheart (Too Much Time), Jimmy Cliff (Let Your Yeah Be Yeah) and JJ Grey & Mofro (The Wrong Side). As Living Blues says, “The entire work is a vibrant testament to Buckwheat Zydeco’s spirit, reminding us that Louisiana’s musical heritage has taken all the hurricanes could give. This is an album that can introduce a new generation of music fans to the world of zydeco music and serve as a wonderful reminder about what a great zydeco band can do.”
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MORE PRESS QUOTES:
Great New Orleans stylings, but it's also got a lot of heart and mind behind it. Dural has put together a collection of thoughtful, wide-ranging songs…that come up pulsating with the Buckwheat spirit.
– THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
An album of highlights…a great party.
– POPMATTERS.COM
A zydeco trailblazer with a soulful bayou-steeped set of originals and covers.
–USA TODAY
Buck’s most adventurous disc yet…Buck jams and slices a fat groove…slow-grinding and hypnotic.
–OFFBEAT
Buckwheat Zydeco shines on accordion and vocals, and his tight band is superbly captured by producer Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. Stanley 'Buckwheat' Dural Jr.'s in terrific form on Lay Your Burden Down.
– THE DETROIT FREE PRESS
TOUR SCHEDULE:
6/26/2009
Milwaukee Summerfest
Milwaukee, WI
www.summerfest.com
06/27/09
Urbana IL
Urbana Blues, Brews, BBQ
www.urbanablues.com
06/28/09
TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival
Toronto ONT Canada
www.tojazz.com
06/30/09
The Music Hall
London, ONT Canada
www.londonmusichall.com
07/01/09
Peter’s Place Live
Gravenhurst, Canada
www.petersplayers.com
07/04/09
Floyd Fandango Beer & Wine Fest
Floyd, VA
www.winedownthetrail.com
07/10/09
Visulite Theatre
Charlotte, NC
www.visulite.com
07/11/09
Farthing Auditorium
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC
www.farthing.appstate.edu
07/15/09
Jonathan’s Restaurant
Ogunquit, ME
www.jonathansrestaurant.com
07/17/09
Quebec City International Summer Festival
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
www.infofestival.com
07/18/09
Tremblant International Blues Festival
Quebec, Canada
ww1.tremblant.ca/blues/en/index.asp
07/19/09
Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest
Ottawa, Canada
http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca/en/
07/21/09
Regattabar
Cambridge, MA
http://www.regattabarjazz.com/
07/23/09
Stephen Talkhouse
Amagansett, NY
www.stephentalkhouse.com
07/24/09
Celebrate Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY
http://www.briconline.org/celebrate/
07/25/09
Bearsville Theater
Woodstock, NY
http://www.bearsvilletheater.com/
07/26/2009
Poconos Blues Festival
Lake Harmony, PA
www.jfbb.com/
07/28/09
Snail Pie Lounge
Glenville, PA
www.snailpielounge.com
07/29/2009
Smith’s Old Bar
Atlanta, GA
www.smithsoldebar.com
08/19/2009
Diesel
Pittsburgh, PA
www.dieselpgh.com
08/20/2009
The Grog Shop
Cleveland Heights, OH
www.grogshop.gs
08/21/2009
Botanical Conservatory
Fort Wayne, IN
http://www.botanicalconservatory.org/
08/23/2009
The Rathskeller
Indianapolis, IN
http://www.rathskeller.com/
08/25/2009
Magic Bag
Ferndale, MI
www.themagicbag.com
8/26/2009
Gilly’s
Dayton, OH
www.gillysjazz.com
09/01/2009
Dakota Jazz Club
Minneapolis, MN
www.dakotacooks.com
09/02/2009
Beaumont Club
Kansas City, MO
www.kcclubs.com/beaumont
09/03/2009
Murphy’s Lounge
Omaha, NE
www.murphysomaha.com
09/05/2009
Copper Country (5th Annual Fest)
Copper Mtn, CO
www.coppercountryfest.com
09/12/2009
Lincoln Theater
Yountville, CA
www.lincolntheater.com
09/26/2009
PEI Jazz and Blues Festival
Prince Edward Island, Canada
www.jazzandblues.ca
10/17/2009 – 10/24/2009
Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
San Diego, CA
www.bluescruise.com
3/10/2010 -3/11/2010
Country Music Festival 2010
Zurich, Switzerland
Many more new dates to come ... please check www.alligator.com, www.buckwheatzydeco.com or www.concertedefforts.com/artists_buck_itin.html for complete, updated tour dates and more information.
