Diary of a Zog
2007 Fat Tuesday and beyond
Starting on Fat Tuesday of 2007 the Dr. Zog religion of Zydecology started preaching every Tuesday evening at The Old Alligator Grill in Austin, Tx. With a brand new line up for the band in 2007 there seems to be no stopping the Zydeco this year. Onlookers at the Swamp Romp, Pecan Street Festival, Bat Fest, Funk Fest and The MS 150 Bikathon were helpless against the infections throb of the Zydeco fever.
01-30-05 Terlingua
The Dr. Zog Band performed at the Starlight Theatre in the Big Bend region of Terlingua, Texas, a small town with only a few hundred residents.
In nearby Lajitas, Tx. the town Mayor is a beer drinking goat named Clay Henry. The folks out here are not real big on enforcing rules and the Mayor couldn't give a damn either. As long as he has cold beer and a goat loving, non-cabrito eating community.
In Big Bend the vast expanse of mountains, limestone cliffs, arroyos and big sky are a real eye-opener from the band's tour bus window. We drove a long way to bring our swampy sound to this arid area and discovered that behind those giant rocks exists a subculture of friendly, rugged individualistic Texans who found their pie in the sky of Terlingua.
The Starlight is an old adobe building with a unique mural for the stage backdrop depicting cowboys standing next to a warm glowing campfire. The band seemed to join the painted cowboys on stage, jammin' zydeco and our own brand of tropical world beat. Dozens of folks sat below, peeling crawfish served out of a large stainless steel pot. The crawfish jamboree in Terlingua was heating up and the folks were excited to have a taste of Louisiana ambiance imported into their world of mountainous rugged terrain.
For the next 3-and-a-half hours everyone was transported from their environment into a different atmosphere of Mardi Gras second-line rhythms and beats from around the globe. The smiles from couples dancing were warm and comforting to the band. The people in the audience had come from all walks and rocks of life: river guides whose daily life consisted of bringing tourists and adventurers on raft rides into the deep canyons of the Rio Grande river; ranchers whose cattle dot the brushy landscape where wild mustangs still run freely; partygoers from the city whose escape to this land of wide expanse opened their eyes to the freedom of anonymity in the mountains; waitresses whose day of toil had come to an end and whose spirits were filled with the joy of being entertained; Mexican immigrants who had found their way to a new life in the USA; people with only nicknames who had walked out of past experiences to start over in this hidden land; impassioned artists who found freedom in the varying textures a landscape painted with valleys, arroyos, and high mesas of Glen Rose limestone speckled with ryolite sparkling in the sun.
The face of this land lay weathered on many of the sun-parched faces of some who had spent their entire life looking out into a world where the weather and terrain could be fierce and magnificent. The rock torn boots of a cowboy scootin' across the dance floor with his bag of country dancing moves blended with the beats from all across the world. A happy lot of people who if asked about Terlingua would tell you that they have found their slice of paradise in the mountains of Big Bend.
The band performed past midnight to a dance floor swerving with happy folks. After the show the band walked out backstage onto a limestone road and stared at the infinite expanse of stars and galaxies. Breathing in the clean mountain air and taking in the starry sky. What a great way to end a show.
02-08-05 Fat Tuesday @ The Alligator Grill
Tonight was a good ole South Austin Mardi Gras jamboree at the Alligator Grill. The club had over 2000 in attendance throughout the night and this was one of our tightest three-hour zydeco performances to date. The folks in South Austin really know how to get down.
The ambiance of the Alligator Grill was perfect for a Fat Tuesday celebration. As you pulled into the parking lot there were five large steel pots of boiling crawfish filling the air with the aroma of a party. We were greeted at the door with Mardi Gras beads by the fabulous wait staff who were dressed in Mardi Gras costumes-festive jesters and waitresses in fishnets and plumes. The club inside has a ten-foot alligator hanging upside down from the ceiling, an accordion case with an alligator's head poking out of it, beads draped across the walls, purple, gold and green balloons floating in the air. These folks at the Alligator know how to kick the spirit of a Mardi Gras into high gear.
Many folks in the audience also came dressed in Mardi Gras regalia and were as much a part of the show as the bands and all the other good stuff that was happening. The Hurricane rum drinks packed a punch and induced a funky sway among many of the folks who were in the moment that care forgot. A tall country-looking fellow with a cowboy hat started off the first conga-line of the night. About 50 folks joined in, forming a line that went from the front of the stage to the back of the club. Everyone had their hands on one another's shoulders and swayed from side to side to that funky zydeco beat.
At one point in the night I looked out into the sea of partygoers and thought, "This is one of the best-unified groups of folk in Austin that I have seen really embrace the spirit of Mardi Gras." Joe King Carassco came on after the Dr. Zog Zydeco Band and kicked the party up another notch. Joe's great band consisted of drummer Chico, bassist Wayne, accordionist Marciello. Joe donned his crazy red king crown and jumped up and down singing Mardi Gras tunes with a Mexico flare. Baby Lets Go to Mardi Gras Whoooo!
So now you know where the party is in Austin every year on Mardi Gras. The word of mouth about the Alligator Grill's Mardi Gras has spread throughout South Austin and the good chain of events keep making this party one that you should put down on your calendar. Happy Mardi Gras! Happy Fat Tuesday!