Flanfire

Election night - What to do? Easy. My friend Laura and I headed down to Brodie Lane to the Evangeline Cafe to catch the delightful Bonnie Whitmore and good pal Seth Hulbert (sis Brennen had flown back to Minnesota to vote at home) and chow down on some Lake Charles style Cajun food. Bonnie's singing partner Jamie Blythe is on vacation in California. It was our first time at the cafe - and I tested the shrimp etoufee, which was pretty good, but not as good as the fabulous etoufee served at the Piccadilly Cafeterias (nearest ones are in Houston). But the pistolettes - AHHHH!!!!! Tres bien! Ditto the ancient recipe bread pudding, which was simple (raisins inside, pecans outside, but mainly just good pudding!). Best of all, Evangeline serves both Dixie and Abita beer and Community Coffee. We will be back to taste other dishes. When you show up, give a nod to owner Curtis Clarke.

Those who have not had the pleasure of hearing Miss Whitmore (sister of fiddle-playing Eleanor and daughter of folksinger Alex; her mom Marti is an opera singer, for the record) are really missing something special. Tonight her set list included covers of Stacey Earle, Susan Gibson, Gillian Welch, Alison Krause, Jenny Reynolds, Kim Ritchie and others plus a bunch of her own compositions, many of which (of both) are on her brand new CD, "Picking Up Pieces." The folky format gave Seth lots of chances to showcase his own guitar playing talent - to considerable applause for the duo, who need to be performing on larger, more lucrative stages (perhaps as Bonnie and Blythe - which adds Jamie's strong songs and great harmonies).

The evening was still early, and Toni Price was at the Continental Club, and Warren Hood had told me on Sunday that both he and Willie Pipkin were playing (with Matt Giles) with Toni. It had been a while since I got out on a Tuesday to see Toni (who was in great form tonight), and I had been told that the crowds were down thanks to the five dollar cover. Balderdash! The encore for the evening was an old Stanley Brothers song with Toni and Warren both taking verses and Warren playing fiddle like his father used to do. Matt's Gibson always sounds good, but it was Willie who was tearing up the fretboard with chops galore. If you have not been to Hippie Hour in a while, get there next opportunity. It's the second generation (with Willie and Warren instead of Champ and Rich Brotherton) - and the energy is as wonderful as ever.

Top bet for Wednesday - an early (7:30 pm) show with folksinger Andrew Walker (the very recently transplanted Canadian) opening for fellow Canuck Kim DesChamps and his latest band.