Feature
October
6
Musicians Lend Voices to Wetlands Awareness
by Terry Trahan Jr.
Live music won’t be hard to find in Houma this weekend. The Voice of the Wetlands festival returns to Southdown Plantation’s grounds Oct. 7-9 with a packed lineup of musicians who have joined together to raise awareness for Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands.
Local musician Tab Benoit and a few friends started the festival in 2004 as a way to educate the public on the significance of the wetlands by using talent and a passion for the cause to get locals involved.
“We felt nobody was doing it, especially at a global level,” said Rueben Williams, who sits on the festival’s board. “We wanted to be the first to bring it to a national level.”
Benoit and other Louisiana musicians, including Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Johnny Vidacovich, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Sansone and Waylon Thibodeaux, formed the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars and traveled across the country to play gigs and spread the word about what is happening along Louisiana’s coast.
Now in its eighth year, these musicians and other friends continue to gather every October to do what they love to do for a cause they feel is worth fighting for. Still, Williams said state and national legislators haven’t always been so receptive to the movement. Benoit represented the Voice of the Wetlands on Capitol Hill in 2008, and the group continues to encourage locals to contact their elected officials about wetlands preservation.
But the message doesn’t always seem to get through. That’s why the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars continue plugging in guitars and writing lyrics that people in the affected areas can relate to. The group has recorded several albums that contain songs about life in south Louisiana and what it means to live in such a rich culture.
“Don’t Let the Water Wash Us Away” was written seven months before Hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans in 2005. Six years later, the song’s lyrics crossed continents and spoke to a Japanese audience that experienced the devastating effects of a tsunami earlier this year. The song became a way to connect with others around the world and let them know about the wetlands in Louisiana.
“It’s nice to see that people care about it,” Williams said. “The battle isn’t lost. We’re the first generation that has done something about it.”
As crowds gather on Southdown’s grounds for a few days of live music, each band sets up its equipment on the main stage for a 45-minute gig. The bands play for nothing other than a good time and a good cause.
“We’re activist musicians,” Williams said. “It’s not the normal gig. They will get up and say a few statements about the wetlands.”
And that’s what the festival is all about—having a good time while talking about the issues. Through the years, the lineup has continued to grow, with more bands wanting to perform every year. It’s their way of celebrating the local music scene and lending their voices to a topic that is on the minds of many in the audience. After all, they all live in the area and see what is going on.
“We’ve all been hunting and fishing and enjoying what south Louisiana has to offer for years,” said Kyle Domangue, a vocalist for Voodoo Bayou. “We’ve seen a drastic change. Every place has a culture, but it’s unique here.”
And the music reflects that. The Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars have brought the many sounds of south Louisiana together to create their own genre, and the other musicians that take the stage fall in line with the groove.
On Friday night, Benoit, Osborne, Dave Malone, Camille Boudin, Joe Stark and Josh Garrett will play together for a “guitar fight,” which is just their way of saying a traditional jam session.
“It’s not a competition,” Garrett said. “It’s putting guitars on stage together. We get up there and improv.”
As the guitars wail and speeches are made, the reality is that the wetlands continue to disappear at an alarming rate. But these natural defenders are on the minds of everyone attending the festival, from the crowds to the musicians.
And that’s what Williams is hoping for.
“This is about the feeling you get,” he said. “The people know the music is medicine.”
