Robert Baird

During the day at South by Southwest, whenst the music vampires (better known as registrants) emerge from their tequila scented lairs to brave the sunshine and find fresh migas to feed upon, there are what is known as “day parties.” This is code for FREE, mostly beer and rotgut spirits. And of course there is music. In the history of SXSW, no one has consistently thrown better parties than the good folks from LOO-siana and this year’s bash by the City of Lafayette was no exception. C.C. Adcock was a terrific headliner veering between rock ‘n’roll, swamp pop, and flecks of about every other American traditional music you can think of. The theme of this party was Lafayette’s rich Zydeco music heritage, and to honor that they showed a short film featuring cock fighting (referred to as “roosters) and a live performance in the 70s by the great Clifton Chenier. What do those two things have in common? They occurred under the same roof, at the same time, in the same club in Louisiana. When we arrived at what is perhaps Austin’s greatest club, The Continental, the band Zydeco Radio was playing fast and filling the dance floor.