Saturday night, Oct 17, VT's own YANKEE CHANK is gonna hold down the stage for an evening of good time Cajun & Creole dance music, at the October installment of the Louisiana Saturday Night dance party, at Sharon Boccelli's most delicious emporium, Boccelli's on the Canal, in ever beautiful downtown Bellows Falls VT. If you like Cajun music and dance, you don't want to miss this one! If you're not sure about the dancing, but you like a good party, you'll surely want to come out as well, because this is gonna be a great dance, and a great party. And, by the end of the evening, you'll all be dancing like Cajuns too, because Linda & I are gonna be teaching people & helping 'em out ALL NIGHT LONG!

I'd like to say a few words here in respect to Bob Naess, the leader of Yankee Chank. In the first place, all the guys in Yankee Chank (Cannon Labrie on accordian, Mark Sustic on bass, Jim Burns on guitar) have been playing and studying Cajun music for a long time, I'd guess 10-20 years on average. The band itself has been together, in this very incarnation, for over 10 years (since Jan 1996, I believe). But Bob Naess has been playing Cajun music with love & passion for a really, REALLY long time...... I'm talking about, since the early '70s, when I was still listening to, like, YES and LED ZEPPELIN. Now, by the time I first heard Bob play, with Dr Bubba & our good friend Rose Sinclair in the OK BAYOU BAND--I'm gonna say it was around 1984 or '85--I knew right away that these guys knew and loved Cajun music, and that what they were playing was the REAL DEAL. And, for the last 25 years that I've known Bob, I can say that he has remained TRUE to the music. A great fiddler (old time & Cajun) with a great big heart, and an abiding love of Cajun & Creole music. And that goes for the whole band. I'm here to tell you that Yankee Chank is TRIED & TRUE. Kinda like a good bowl of seafood gumbo. Who's gonna turn their nose up at that? Eh, who dat?

So, I hope you'll all come out in force to support Yankee Chank & Louisiana Saturday Night. Don't wait till next month, because Yankee Chank won't be here. In fact, I should mention, that this will be our LAST LA Sat Night Dance Party of the year at Boccelli's! That's right, we will not be having this event at Boccelli's through the winter this year. (We may make an exception around Mardi Gras, but that remains to be seen.) The series on the whole has been successful, and we hope to bring it back to Boccelli's next Spring.
 

Cajun music dance parties at Boccelli's

Lil Orphans have been presenting their special blend of traditional &
original Cajun music in a driving contemporary dance hall style for
over 10 years, reflecting the full variety of Cajun music today, and
incorporating New Orleans R&B, blues, zydeco, jazz, and a whole
panoply of pan- African and Caribbean music.
 

Prior  events in Boccelli's  Louisiana Saturday Night Series included:

On  May 16, the Cajun Express band will feature New Orleans native Pete Simoneaux on fiddle
& vocals, Linda Simoneaux on the diatonic button accordian & vocals,
Dan Kasnitz on electric bass, Jonathan Reinhardt on electric guitar,
Julian Gerstin on percussion, & Jeremy Holch on drums. Special guests
are likely. (A cameo appearance by the Lil Orphans Big Band cannot be
ruled out!)
 
 

 Saturday, June 27: Lil Orphans Special Blend
Linda Simoneaux on accordian
Pete Simoneaux - fiddle
Jon Reinhart - electric guitar
Richie Mayer - drums
Julian Gerstin - percussion
 

Saturday July 25: Planet Zydeco

These events will run from around 7 pm to 10 pm.
$10.-admission

Dance instruction will be offered at the beginning of all events.

Boccelli's is open for dinner  until 9pm; beer, wine and deserts until 10pm. Come early for a dinner in the cafe, or you can be served in the hall!