| The Band | Schedule | Montreal House Gigs | Bookings/Contact us |
When you come to see the phenomenon known as "BobCajun", come prepared for a thoroughly "Canajun" experience. It's samedi soir in ol' Peterborough, and the locals pull in on their snowmobiles for their monthly fix of bayou breath. The emanating chaleur of the Montreal House beckons the party-goers through the door, and once inside they find the pool table shoved aside, the floor cleared for dancing. Eee-yiii! After a half hour of dance instruction by experts Tom and Myra (always up on the latest steps), the lights go down, and once again, a languorous evening settles upon the bayou. The fiddle scrapes like a cricket, the accordion wheezes like a frog, the bass begs whumping out a two step, and the singing starts, something wild and crazy and free and...en francais (close to it anyway). For the next few hours, it's not Canada, it's not Peterborough, it's not the old Montreal House-and yet it is, because this is the N'awleans of the North, headquarters of Central Ontario's foremost Cajun and Zydeco Band, "BobCajun".
Bob Cajun rose in the year 2002 out of the ashes of Y2Cajun, a very popular local outfit that zydeco-ed in the new millennium and then burned up like the fireworks that followed. Taking a more considered and crafty approach than its predecessor, BobCajun is an intriguing group that makes no apology for its political and geographical place on the world map. Brazenly plucking the American Eagle of some its finest plumage, the members of BobCajun impishly flaunt their booty like the thieving rascals that they are. What people find in a performance by BobCajun is not the typical fawning obeisance to a near-static and foreign cultural tradition, but a kind of finders/keepers exultation that gives this old music not just warmth, but that vital element of nose-thumbing sass. While evocative of a warmer climate and a simpler time, the music is not shackled by the burden of its origin- not, at least, after these Canajun renegades have wrenched it loose. This is what makes the music of BobCajun so eminently suited to hip Canadian- it is enjoyable for the elegant pleasure of its hearing, while even sweeter in the knowledge that it has been "liberated" (in the way Huck Finn would "liberate" a chicken) from the Mighty Bumptious Oaf south of the border.
le groupe:
For all its collective sin and sophistication, BobCajun is made up of four very polite and pleasant young people who are entirely law abiding and a credit to their respective parents. Eager to please, and happy to play or talk music for hours, the Bobs are: Alonso Peterborough (Peter Andrée): the enigmatic though enlightened dictator of BobCajun, joueur de l'accordione. Responsible for "correctness of spirit". Alternately the keeper of the flame, and l'arsoniste of the group.
Fleur de Bayou (Tina Therrien): 'tit fer (triangle), guitar & vocals. La belle chanteuse, with a primeval wail that will curdle the blood, and a sob that will swell the heart. Frattoir, 'tit fer and gitarre are but melted beeswax in her hands.
Hector LaFramboise (aka Curtis Driedger): the quintessential Canajun, mangling the French tongue to near-destruction. Plays a slippery fiddle. Nattily dressed, delicately coiffed and elegantly spoken, but crazy as a loon.
Crusty Bordo (Jim Gleason) : the token hard workin' family man of the group, but don't let the fatherly image fool you, he is easily the most dangerous and sinister of the lot. Will sing the birds down from the trees, then bite their heads off. Thumps away at the stand up bass
What they've been up to:
Upcoming Gigs:
Location: 282 Aylmer Street, Peterborough
Dance lesson with Tom & Myra: 8:30 pm
Live music with BobCajun: 9:30 pm
$5 cover charge
Email us for more information
Bookings
If a good time for all is the order of the day, BobCajun is the group to call. Weddings, parties, conventions, festivals and funerals- the Bobs play 'em all. Make your event one that people will praise for years to comeÉ
You can contact either Peter or Tina for more information about BobCajun:
Phone: 705-749-2676) (Peter) or 705-652-3626 (Tina)
pandree@nexicom.net (Peter)
or strawbus@auracom.com (Tina)
Mailing address: Tina Therrien, P.O. Box 61, Warsaw, Ont. K0L 3A0
To be added to the mailing list for BobCajun, please contact Peter at: pandree@nexicom.net