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49-902: The members of Givers have previously performed in zydeco , jazz and Cajun groups. Following a touring stint with the Dirty Projectors and their debut 2009 EP, the band recorded their debut album and signed to Glassnote Records . The band's debut studio album, In Light , was released in June 2011 to favorable critical reviews. Givers was formed in 2008 in Lafayette , Louisiana by Tiffany Lamson, Taylor Guarisco, Kirby Campbell, Josh LeBlanc, William Henderson, and Nick Stephan. The band members knew one another from high school in Lafayette, where "there's two or three clubs that everybody plays at and supports each other." Guarisco had toured with

98-670: A zydeco band, while the other future members dabbled in Cajun and jazz music. Lamson grew up with gospel music as her parents were pastors, and she sang in their church band. The band's earliest origins date to when Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. Lamson had just started her freshman year at the University of New Orleans . Guarisco and Lamson were rooming together when the storm hit, leaving them with roughly 15 feet of water in their apartment. With school on hold and nowhere to live,

147-520: A band name; Guarisco picked a Lucky Dragons song called "Givers." The band recorded their debut EP in Campbell's bedroom, and released it online for free in 2009. After the newly christened Givers performed at Baton Rouge 's stalwart music hall Spanish Moon, booking agent Aaron Scruggs gave the band what would become one of the "major accidents that became very fruitful occurrences," according to Guarisco. For their Baton Rouge show, Dirty Projectors had

196-896: A colony. Arriving in New Orleans on seven ships, the settlers quickly moved into the bayous and swamps. There, the French culture permeated those of the Spanish and Native American Indians, who had long populated the area. In 1720, German Catholics founded the second permanent European settlements in St. John the Baptist Parish , part of what became known as the German Coast . Later in the 18th century, more German and Irish immigrants also settled in this area. Europeans imported or acquired African slaves as workers, and they soon outnumbered

245-818: A complete other zone from the rest of music. They blew my mind," Young wrote. The band performed at several music festivals in 2012, including Coachella , Lollapalooza , and the New Orleans Jazz Fest. They also performed with New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band as part of their 50th Anniversary at Carnegie Hall in January 2012. Following three years of touring, the band took a brief break. The group suffered from an identity crisis; Guarisco admitted to "a few months of losing perspective on what we thought we were." They regrouped to work on their second album, New Kingdom , which saw release in November 2015. It

294-458: A good comparison and a bad comparison is not really the artist they mention, it's in the way that their face looks when they say it," said Guarisco. Zydeco Zydeco ( / ˈ z aɪ d ɪ ˌ k oʊ , - d iː -/ ZY -dih-koh, -⁠dee- ; French : zarico ) is a music genre that was created in rural Southwest Louisiana by Afro-Americans of Creole heritage. It blends blues and rhythm and blues with music indigenous to

343-772: A growing class, often descended from French white men and Black African or mixed-race women. They had the right to own land, something which few blacks or people of color in the American South had at that time. The disruption of the Louisiana Creole community began when the United States made the Louisiana Purchase and Americans started settling in the state, particularly migrating from the Southeast. The new settlers typically recognized only

392-606: A rare opening slot, and Scruggs gave it to Givers, who had been performing only part-time since their 2008 formation. Dirty Projectors was one of Guarisco's favorite bands. Frontman Dave Longstreth subsequently invited the band along as support for an East Coast tour. The band recorded their debut album in January 2010 at the "magical, swampy [and] historical" Dockside Studios in Maurice , Louisiana , which had previously hosted acts such as B.B. King , Derek Trucks , Mavis Staples and Dr. John . The group cooped up in guest rooms along

441-410: A standard spelling. Its use was also accepted by musician Clifton Chenier (who had earlier recorded "Zodico Stomp" in 1955) in his recording "Zydeco Sont Pas Salés" . Chenier later claimed credit for having coined this spelling Another possible root word for zydeco is a West African term for " musicking ". Recent studies based on early Louisiana recordings made by Alan and John Lomax suggest that

490-547: Is a record label that was launched by American music executive Daniel Glass in 2007. With a lineup of primarily indie rock and alternative rock artists, the New York-based independent label has an enviable roster, including Grammy Award winning acts Phoenix , Mumford & Sons , Childish Gambino and Silvana Estrada , and standouts AURORA , Chvrches , Grouplove , Tors , bby , Jade Bird , Patrick Martin , Talia Rae, Gracey , Two Door Cinema Club . The label

539-404: Is distributed by The Orchard as of 2022 . and partnered with How Good for Australian representation in 2024. Glassnote also has a strong Australian connection, having released recordings from the likes of Flight Facilities , The Teskey Brothers and The Temper Trap . In 2009, the label released French indie rock band Phoenix 's fourth album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix , which was awarded

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588-629: The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ). Creoles continued to press for education and advancement while negotiating the new society. Zydeco's rural beginnings and the prevailing economic conditions at its inception are reflected in the song titles, lyrics, and bluesy vocals. The music arose as a synthesis of traditional Creole music , some Cajun music influences, and African-American traditions, including R&B , blues , jazz , and gospel . It

637-536: The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2010. Phoenix went on to release Bankrupt! which won the 2014 Victoires de la Musique Rock Album of the Year. The band also released Ti Amo in 2017 and Alpha Zulu in 2022. In February 2011, Mumford & Sons ' Sigh No More became the label's highest charting album, peaking at #2. That same month, Mumford & Sons' single " The Cave " became

686-491: The Louisiana Creoles , such as la la and juré . Musicians use the French accordion and a Creole washboard instrument called the frottoir . Zydeco music is typically played in an uptempo, syncopated manner with a strong rhythmic core, and often incorporates elements of blues , rock and roll , soul music , R&B , Cajun , and early Creole music . Zydeco music is centered on the accordion , which leads

735-655: The Second Great Migration , many French-speaking and Louisiana Creole-speaking Créoles from the area around Marksville and Opelousas, Louisiana left a poor and prejudiced state for better economic opportunities in Texas. Their numbers were surpassed by the many southern Blacks, including people of color, who migrated to California, Oregon and Washington states, where the buildup of defense industries provided more access to good jobs. They still had to deal with some discrimination but found more opportunities than in

784-472: The 1950s–1970s, such as Little Joe and Freddie Fender , were known for their zydeco roots and inspiration. They helped popularize the style in South Texas within mainstream country music . In 1978, Clifton Chenier saw how popular Zydeco was becoming on the road and overseas. He persuaded a young creole/lala accordionist named Fernest Arceneaux to pick up the accordion again. Arceneaux had given up

833-416: The 1990s, adding striking production and elements of funk, hip-hop and rap . Young performers such as Chris Ardoin , Keith Frank , Corey Arceneaux (great nephew of Fernest Arceneaux ), and Zydeco Force tied the sound to the bass drum rhythm to accentuate or syncopate the backbeat even more. This style is sometimes called "double clutching". Hundreds of zydeco bands continue the music traditions across

882-621: The 2017 Grammy Awards . In 2024 at the 66th annual Grammy Awards Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. (son of the late Buckwheat Zydeco) and the Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band took home the Grammy Award for best regional roots album. While zydeco is a genre that has become synonymous with the cultural and musical identity of Louisiana, it is an important part of the musical landscape of the United States. This southern Black music tradition has received wide recognition throughout

931-817: The 2022 Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist with Angela Alvarez at the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards In 2021, Glassnote announced the creation of Connection Music Publishing to be led by Jackie Post. In the April 28, 2011, issue of Rolling Stone , Glassnote was named Best Indie Label. Two albums released by the label have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of at least one million units: Sigh No More and Babel , both by Mumford & Sons . Sigh No More , which has been certified triple-platinum for sales of three million copies,

980-542: The Sam Brothers, Terrance Simien , Chubby Carrier , and many others were breathing new life into the music. Zydeco superstar Buckwheat Zydeco , already well into his career, signed his deal with Island Records in the mid-1980s. Combined with the national popularity of Creole and Cajun food, and the popular feature film The Big Easy , set in New Orleans, zydeco music had a revival. New artists were cultivated,

1029-555: The U.S. and in Europe, Japan, the UK and Australia. A precocious 7-year-old zydeco accordionist, Guyland Leday, was featured in a 2006 HBO documentary about music and young people. In 2007, zydeco was recognized with a separate category in the Grammy awards, the Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album category. But with changes in popularity, in 2011 the Grammy awards eliminated

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1078-462: The accordion in the 1960s to play the guitar. Shortly after, he began to tour internationally as Fernest and the Thunders. In the mid-1980s, Rockin' Sidney brought international attention to zydeco music with his hit tune " My Toot Toot ". Clifton Chenier, Rockin' Sidney, and Queen Ida all garnered Grammy awards during this pivotal period, opening the door to emerging artists who would continue

1127-426: The album, on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon . In Light was immensely successful for the young group. Every song from In Light was licensed for usage in film and television, on programs such as Glee , and on video games such as FIFA 12 . The band attracted the praise of veteran musician Neil Young , who referred to the band in his 2012 memoir Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream : "It sounded like they were in

1176-822: The band's latest release, the Movin' On extended play . Movin' On compiles songs the band recorded with producer Dave Cobb —best-known for his work with Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton —at the famed RCA Studio A in Nashville . It was also co-produced by Eric Heigle, and partially tracked at his New Orleans studio space. The sound of Givers has been described as a combination of world music and indie rock. The music of Givers suggest modern exponents of Afro-pop , and their music has been called " island pop ". The group were influenced by Dirty Projectors , as well as Talking Heads . The group has been compared to Vampire Weekend , Neon Indian , and Local Natives . "What negates

1225-561: The band, and Josh LeBlanc was a jazz trumpeter before learning the bass. The unnamed band hopped on the last-minute slot after another local band dropped off the bill, and improvised the entire set. They were phoned by the pub and invited back, and they continued to perform improvised sets. "That was how some of those songs were created, that total free-form state where we just played and recorded and then excerpted and rearranged," Guarisco later said. The band scoured their record libraries looking for interesting song titles they could narrow down for

1274-597: The banks of the Vermilion Bayou in Maurice, and spent 20 days recording the album. In contrast to their debut EP, which was recorded in Campbell's bedroom and sporadically recorded with a list of limitations, they viewed Dockside as a virtual utopia in contrast. As they were completely separated from city life—"You can't hear cars, there's no light pollution," said Guarisco—they never found themselves distracted, simply waking up to record until "[we] were dead tired" in

1323-552: The beans). The first zydeco vest frottoir was designed by Clifton Chenier in 1946 while he and his brother Cleveland were working at an oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas . Chenier commissioned the instrument from Willie Landry, a welder-fabricator who worked at the same refinery. Landry's original frottoir is held in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution . Tejano music performers of

1372-513: The binary system of race that prevailed in the slave societies common where they had come from. The American states had made laws based on the assumption of second-class status for most people of visible African descent, because of its strong association with the caste of slavery. When the Civil War ended, and the black slaves were freed across the South, Louisiana Creoles who had been free before

1421-655: The category and folded the genre into its new "Best Regional Roots Album" category. 21st century zydeco artists include but not limited to Lil' Nate (son of Nathan Williams), Leon Chavis, Rusty Metoyer. Andre Thierry has kept the tradition alive on the West Coast, while Corey Arceneaux among other artist perform on the East Coast. Dwayne Dopsie (son of Rockin' Dopsie ) and his band, the Zydeco Hellraisers, were nominated for best Regional Roots Album in

1470-646: The country. Because of the migration of the French-speaking blacks and multiracial Creoles, the mixing of Cajun and Creole musicians, and the warm embrace of people from outside these cultures, there are multiple hotbeds of zydeco and festivals for it throughout the US and in Europe: Louisiana, Texas, Oregon, California, and Europe, as far north as Scandinavia. Glassnote Records Glassnote Records (also known as Glassnote Entertainment Group LLC )

1519-458: The duo returned home and began making music together and performing at open mic nights. While Lafayette was "suitably anonymous" before the disaster, nearly 30,000 people moved to the city following the tragedy, resulting an "explosion in culture." Givers came together in 2008, when Lamson and Guarisco recruited Kirby Campbell, Will Henderson and Josh LeBlanc for a two-hour slot at a Lafayette pub. Lamson and Guarisco had never sung prior to joining

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1568-482: The fringes of the American mainstream. He signed with Specialty Records , the same label that first recorded Little Richard and Sam Cooke for wide audiences. Chenier, considered the architect of contemporary zydeco, became the first major zydeco artist. His early hits included "Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés" ("The Snap Beans Ain't Salty" — a reference to the singer being too poor to afford salt pork to season

1617-468: The label released its first hip hop album, Camp . On December 10, 2013, the label released his second studio album Because the Internet . On December 2, 2016, the label released his third studio album, Awaken, My Love! . The album received critical acclaim including being one of Clash (magazine) 's album of the year and became certified Platinum on September 27, 2018. On February 13, 2014, it

1666-700: The label's second Top 40 chart placement on the Billboard Hot 100 , peaking at #27 (the first being " Fall for You " by Secondhand Serenade in 2008). The September 2012 release of the band's second album, Babel , gave the label its first ever #1 album on the Billboard 200 and the label's first album to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year . Childish Gambino , the music project of actor and comedian Donald Glover , signed with Glassnote Records in September 2011. Shortly after on November 15, 2011,

1715-496: The late night. Each song from the band's debut EP was re-recorded and revamped. Ra Ra Riot also discovered the band and booked the band for its 2010 tour. The band's performance at the 2010 Austin City Limits festival led to a record deal with Glassnote, who had executives in the audience. Label founder Daniel Glass had run a mile from his train to the venue to catch the performance, and was "mesmerized," later explaining "It

1764-428: The legally segregated South. In California blacks from Louisiana and other Southern states could vote and began to participate in political life. Today, there are many Cajun and zydeco festivals throughout the US. Zydeco music pioneer Clifton Chenier , "The King of Zydeco", made zydeco popular on regional radio stations with his bluesy style and keyboard accordion. In the mid-1950s, Chenier's popularity brought zydeco to

1813-449: The music took a more innovative direction, and zydeco increased in mainstream popularity. Active zydeco musicians such as C.J. Chenier (son of Clifton Chenier), Chubby Carrier (son of Roy Carrier), Geno Delafose (son of John Delafose), Terrance Simien, Nathan Williams and others began touring internationally during the 1980s. Beau Jocque was a monumental songwriter and innovator who infused zydeco with powerful beats and bass lines in

1862-586: The original language, turning what would have been unfamiliar words into a phonetically similar phrase in the regional language. The word "zydeco" can refer to the musical genre, the dance style, or a social gathering at which the music is played. The original French settlers came to Louisiana in the late 1600s, sent by the Regent of France, Philippe d'Orléans , Duke of Orléans , to help settle La Louisiane (the Louisiana Territory they claimed as

1911-513: The rest of the band, and a specialized washboard, called a vest frottoir , as a prominent percussive instrument. Other common instruments in zydeco are the electric guitar, bass, keyboard, and drum set. If there are accompanying lyrics, they are typically sung in English or French. Many zydeco performers create original zydeco compositions, though it is also common for musicians to adapt blues standards, R&B hits, and traditional Cajun tunes into

1960-460: The term, as well as the tradition, may have African origins. The west African languages of tribes affected by the slave trade provide some clues as to the origins of zydeco. In at least a dozen languages from this culture-area of Africa, the syllables "za", "re", and "go" are frequently associated with dancing and/or playing music". It is also possible that "za re go" evolved into les haricots by French-Creole speaking generations unfamiliar with

2009-476: The traditions. Rockin' Dopsie recorded with Paul Simon on his album Graceland and also signed a major label deal during this time. John Delafose was extremely popular regionally. The music made major advances when emerging bands burst exuberantly onto the national scene, fusing new sounds and styles with the music. Boozoo Chavis , Roy Carrier , Zydeco Force , Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas,

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2058-482: The war often assumed positions of leadership during Reconstruction. However, segregationist Democrats in Louisiana classified Creoles as Black, or having the same status as freed slaves. By the end of the 19th century, Louisiana, Mississippi, and other former Confederate states were passing new constitutions and laws to disfranchise most blacks and many poor whites under rules designed to suppress black voting (despite

2107-608: The whites on major sugar cane and other plantations. Through the decades, all the peoples gradually mixed. For 150 years, Louisiana Creoles enjoyed an insular lifestyle, prospering, educating themselves without the government and building their invisible communities under the Code Noir . The French created the Code Noir in 1724 to establish rules for treatment of enslaved Africans. It also established restrictions and rights for gens de couleur libres , free people of color who were

2156-461: The word existed, including "zarico" and "zodico" (in some dialects of French, r has the same pronunciation used by certain dialects of American English for specific instances of d — a voiced alveolar tap [ɾ] ). In 1960, musicologist Mack McCormick used the spelling "zydeco" in the liner notes for a compilation album: A Treasury of Field Recordings . The word was used in reviews, and McCormick began publicizing it around Houston as

2205-532: The zydeco style. The origin of the term "zydeco" is uncertain. One theory is that it derives from the French phrase Les haricots [ne] sont pas salés , which, when spoken in Louisiana French , is pronounced [lez‿a.ɾi.ko sɔ̃ pa saˈle] . This literally translates as "the green beans aren't salted" and is used idiomatically to express hardship. Initially, several different spellings of

2254-452: Was a visceral moment for me. I don't fall in love a lot. The only time this happened to me was when I walked into a brasserie in Paris and I met Phoenix." The band signed to Glassnote Records on February 1, 2011. In 2011, Henderson was replaced by Nick Stephan, and the group released their first full-length album In Light on June 7. On June 13, they performed "Up Up Up", the first single off

2303-681: Was also often just called French music or le musique Creole known as "la-la." Amédé Ardoin , the second and most influential musician of the region to record the Creole music of southwest Louisiana, made his first recordings in 1929. This Creole music served as a foundation for what later became known as zydeco. Originally performed at house dances in the community, the music eventually was also performed in Catholic Church community centers, as Creoles were mostly Catholic, as well as in rural dance halls and nightclubs. During World War II , and

2352-489: Was crafted over eighteen months at various studios in New Orleans, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Guarisco interpreted the sophomore album as more experimental, lacking traditional pop structures found on early efforts. Marcy Donelson from AllMusic found the LP "ebullient" and "thoughtful," while a reviewer for Rolling Stone (Australia) viewed it as "overstuffed", leaving the listener "aurally exhausted." In 2018, Glassnote issued

2401-455: Was revealed that Glassnote had signed a global distribution agreement with Universal Music Group , excluding Australia/New Zealand (Liberator), and South Africa (Just Music). The label was previously distributed by RED Distribution in the US. In 2020, Silvana Estrada became the first Latin American artist to sign with Glassnote Records. In 2022, she released her first solo album, Marchita which received critical acclaim. Estrada won

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