053101 News Archive
In early March, Sonny hit the road with BeauSoleil for their 25th anniversary "2001: A Cajun Space Odyssey" tour. Together, the reunited ensemble rolled through Memphis, Atlanta and up the East Coast all the way to Bangor, Maine.
In mid-March, Sonny and the band lent their talents to a fundraiser double-bill with Jerry Douglas & Friends. Proceeds from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette gig benefited the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Memorial Endowed Fund for Traditional Music a cause near and dear to Sonny, as he and Tommy were great friends.
After that, it was on to The Broken Spoke in Austin for a Saturday night showcase at the annual South by Southwest Music and Media Conference. From there, Sonny headed to recording sessions with John Hiatt in Nashville, where work was completed on the long-awaited Hiatt & The Goners reunion disc, currently set for release in late August.
The trail led from there to Cologne, Germany, for TV and radio shows with Carl Carlton & The Songdogs, then on to Bremen for a solo gig and promotional work in support of the "Levee Town" CD.
In April, Sonny joined Boozoo Chavis & The Magic Sounds in the studio for work on their forthcoming release on Rounder Records. All of us are very sorry to report that turned out to be Boozoo's final recording session.
Sonny's debut at Mid City Lanes' Rock'n'Bowl in New Orleans followed, as did gigs with Hiatt & The Goners in Portland, Ore. and Seattle, Wa. Then, before the spring Gulf Coast festivals hit, Sonny led a workshop at the inaugural Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week, a week-long music and culture camp held in rural St. Martin Parish on the edge of the Atchafalaya Basin.
Sets at The Houston International Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Festival International de Louisiane, Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, Lafayette's Grant Street Dancehall and New Orleans' Mama's Blues soon followed. At Jazz Fest, Sonny and his band graced the House of Blues stage, and he also joined BeauSoleil (along with Richard Thompson), Lil' Band O' Gold and The Magic Sounds during their sets at the Fairgrounds (check out the photo gallery for shots of some of the action). At FIL, Sonny was part of All The King's Men, a Clifton Chenier tribute featuring fellow Red Hot Louisiana Band alums Buckwheat Zydeco, C.J. Chenier, Robert Peters, John Hart, Lil' Buck Sinegal and Harry Hypolite.
May brought work on Shelby Lynne's new disc, which is being produced by Glen Ballard. Later in the month, Sonny helped produce a new "double shuffle" version of "See You Later, Alligator" for Louisiana songwriting legend Bobby Charles. Bandmates Dave Ranson and Mike Burch played bass and drums, tracking "Alligator" and a new ballad with Phil Chandler on keys and Sam Broussard on guitar. On the live front, Sonny joined Mark Knopfler onstage for several tunes during his May 24 gig at The Saenger in New Orleans.
On the horizon, look for lots of Sonny dates in June and July. "It'll be great to get out and play the songs and get back to New York City, Chicago and back to Canada -- we haven't played there since 1995," Sonny says.
In August, Sonny will join Hiatt & The Goners for a tour with blues legends B.B. King and Buddy Guy.
A variety of additions to SonnyLandreth.com are also planned. "It's been really fun putting this together. Look for more good stuff here as we roll along," Sonny says. "The site offers a much more direct connection for all of us, and another way of hooking up besides just the gigs."
Previously unreleased full-length demos and other rare recordings will be featured in the Lagniappe section, along with tips on tunings. Several other ideas are also being bounced around. "I'm excited about expanding the basic format we have to include new songs, new material and 'behind-the-scenes' info," Sonny says. "The site was put together by my home team: 'Levee Town' designer Megan Barra, web developer Scott Long of Longevity Design, and writer Todd Mouton, and I look forward to seeing what we'll come up with next."
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