FAQ - Feedback & Frequently Asked Questions:

Any issues or concerns that you have please email me or talk to me at the dance as the feedback is needed in order to make the night the best as it can be :)

1. How & when did the Zydeco night start ?

2. Where can I get the music that is played on the Tuesday events ?

3. Where does the $5 for the cover charge to go ?

4. How are Tio Leo's Tuesdays events related to the Bon Temps club events ?

5. What donations have gone to the Club ?

6. Why are CD's given away each week ?

7. Its getting crowded, any plans to deal with that issue ?

8. Why isn't more Cajun music played ?

 

 

1. How & when did the Zydeco night start ?
It started around August of 1999 at a bar called O'Connells and an idea of doing a weekly Zydeco CD dance in a more mainstream public place like a bar, playing more of the Zydeco music I loved dancing to and seeing if I could teach the Zydeco dance easily.

The Bon Temps social club helped me with a ton of support by getting me addicted to the music and dance in the first place, letting me use their equipment after I blew up my own speaker.
They advertised the event on their web site, I bounced thoughts off them to get their input along the way plus they helped support the night by hosting the event when I was out of town which happened many times.

The dance floor at O'Connells got to small so I did a little research and found Tio Leo's which was a bigger dance floor, they had their own sound equipment and let me install some video equipment etc.. so we moved over their from O'Connells and yahoo !!

2. Where can I get the music that is played on the Tuesday events ?
I would recommend Floyds Records in Ville Platt Louisiana.

For a list of what CD's are recommended go to this link

4. Where does the $5 cover go to ?
It goes to a lot !! While I don't "live" off the money from Tuesday nights it does help to pay some of the bills like a roof over my head, insurance (medical, auto, instructor), taxes, gas, new Zydeco CD's ($150/ this yr), blank CD's to burn, New CD's to give away each night ($600/yr), buying videos, making copies for flyers and newsletters, giving to the Bon Temps, advertisements in papers when needed.

The cover charge also pays for my time... The time to do Tuesdays has grown a lot since it started and to give you an idea of where its at currently ....

- The Time to research and buy new music
- Create & burn new mixes of music each week
- Organize what is going to be taught for the lesson
- Update and print flyers and newsletters to give away
- Load the equipment & drive to Tio Leo's
- Setup & test the sound & video
- Do the lesson & DJ the night
- Tear down the equipment and haul it back
- Update the web site with any additional info
- Research and update new info for the newsletter
- Research, breakdown and document new dance steps
- Create and send in advertisements
- And that's just some of time required to put it on.

5. How is Tio Leo's Tuesdays event related to the Bon Temps club events ?
The Tio Leo's event isn't a Bon Temps club event although it is hosted by a Bon Temps club member and there are many folks on any given night that maybe members.

The Bon Temps is a club in San Diego that supports Louisiana music and dance and they have their own events they hold including a 2nd Saturday dance with a live band. If you would like to know a little more about the club including membership info please check out their web site at... http://dances.com/casd/bonstemps/

6. What donations have gone to the club ?
Currently when the Bon Temps club hosts Tio Leo's night, after expenses the host donates the rest to the club to help cover costs of traveling bands etc..

7. Why are New CD's given away each week ?
This was started a while back as a way for the music to get into the hands of the new folks who were not familiar with some of the major artists in the Zydeco world and to help money get back to the artists.

Also Tio Leo's pays BMI and ASCAP (music companys that supports thousands of artists) licence fees which allows them to play artists music instead of contacting each artist and getting permission. Anyone who hosts a public CD dance legally needs to pay license fees to these organizations to play their artists music.

The CD give away ensures that at least 50 CD's a year are being purchased which also gets a higher percentage of the money back to the artists compared to license fees from BMI or ASCAP

8. Its getting crowded, any plans to deal with that issue ?
Yes, I would like to have added a bigger wood floor but the owners poo-poo'd that Idea so I will start moving all the tables west of the dance floor off the floor so we should get another 200 square feet or so. If we out grow this place and the owners won't put up the extra funds for a larger floor then it maybe time to look for a new spot.

9. Why isn't more Cajun music played ?
I kind of play the style of music from what you would hear if you walked into a Zydeco bar in Layfayette Louisiana and the lineup was Keith Frank, Beau Jocque, Step Rideau and other great names in the Zydeco world that will Never ever all play together. I also try and mix in a few great Cajun style tunes as well because everyone loves moving to these !

When I first started getting addicted to the music and dance I didn't know who some of the big names in Zydeco were like Keith Frank or Beau Jocque. I learned the Zydeco dance to Cajun music like DL Menard & Steve Riley. And the Zydeco dance does work with Cajun style music.