La Fête de Marquette 2015 highlights

photo by Katie Jean

Cher Anne (Director of Alliance Francaise de Milwaukee):

As promised, here's my report on La Fête de Marquette, held in Madison (Wisconsin/USA) from July 10th through 13th.  It's a fundraiser for the WilMar Neighborhood Association, by the way.  This music & food festival is set in a park carved out of the railroad corridor & post-industrial wasteland of the near east side.  There was a Ferris wheel & a prize-filled roulette wheel ($10 a spin) for additional entertainment.  The people-watching was fantastic.

A French flag hung above the stage, alongside the Texas state flag, the Wisconsin state flag & a fourth one that I didn't recognize.  Maybe Quebec's provincial flag?  I didn't attend the opening Thursday night.  Two bands played on the Main Stage:  The Lost Bayou Ramblers (folk-sounding) & The Revivalists.  Meanwhile, a Willy Street Co-op members meeting was held in the tent.

On Friday night New Orleans native Ivan Neville played with his funk band Dumpstaphunk.  When I lived in the Crescent City (1980s), I met Ivan's cool uncles Aaron & Charlie Neville & his sweet cousin Charmaine Neville - all of whom are also musicians (The Neville Brothers, etc.).  Johnny Chimes (cool name,non?) played La Bistro Tent Stage.  Again I didn't attend, but I heard Dumpstaphunk from my backyard a few blocks away.  We grilled out with a visiting friend, a Swiss native who now lives in Hawaii.

Saturday's line-up was appealing, but I only attended briefly at night, when it was cooler.  Robin Pluer, Mrs. Fun and The Cajun Strangers played the tent stage - I heard the latter & they played good dance music with Cajun-French lyrics.  Jeffrey Broussard & the Creole Cowboys played on the main stage, followed by Feufollet, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Gentlemen and the great Louisiana bluesman Sonny Landreth.  I ate some pasta Bolognese & pad thai & drank good local beer, as good beer fans are wont to do.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon I worked the WORT-FM (community radio) booth, selling t-shirts & CDs, taking inventory & handing out listener questionnaires from noon till 2:00.  Performers included the Ótimo Madison Brazilian Dance troupe,BelO, LoJo, Paris Combo & the headliner:  the irrepressible zydeco bandleader CJ Chenier & the Redhot Louisiana Band.

How was the Bastille Days festival in Milwaukee?  I've loved watching Robin Pluer sing Edith Piaf songs there in the past.  Not to mention eating those delicious apple tarts!

Truly,

Joe Crawford Mrazek

a/k/a Muse of the Weird