FRED'S LOUNGE - Personal Project
APRIL 27, 2019
Every Saturday the sounds of an accordion warming up and perhaps a fiddle being tuned, echo in the streets of downtown Mamou, Louisiana, population 3,242. They're not practicing or rehearsing for a performance later that evening. No, they're gearing up for a live morning performance of authentic Cajun music to an eager standing-room-only crowd made up of locals as well as visitors from around the globe.
The music is intoxicating, as are the Bloody Marys, whiskey, and cold beer that freely flow to the toe-tapping and dancing folks that seem to return time and time again.
And it all happens only one day a week, on a Saturday morning, at a dive bar called Fred's Lounge. The live music kicks off at 9:00 a.m. and is simulcast on KVPI AM to a local audience of radio listeners and to a worldwide audience of fans as it streams online. The radio announcer that is present doesn't say much between songs, but when he does, he speaks it in Cajun, and then repeats in English.
Fred is no longer around, but his spirit lives on and comes alive every Saturday morning.
I've been to Fred's many times. On this visit I made new friends from Mamou and also a nice couple from Belgium. Yes, they traveled across the big pond to come to Louisiana to soak up the music, food, and rich culture unequaled anywhere else on the planet.
By 2:00 p.m. it was all over. And, as always, I can't wait to go back to Fred's. Truly a grand time.
The photos that make up this set were all shot with the just-released Leica Q2. Small and quiet, the 47 megapixel full-frame Q2 was a joy to shoot with. It's ease of use and ability to shoot one-handed meant I could have the camera in my right hand and a cold beer in my left, and never miss a beat.