AT4:00
onaSaturdayafternoon, thecars
start turning ontoEmbarcadero
Way.Thestreet inPaloAlto,Calif.,
has all the charm you’d expect
from a Silicon Valley business
park: squatocebuildings, shrub-
lined sidewalks, thehigh-pitched
droneof awater-treatment plant.
But aswe get out of our vehicles,
it’s immediatelyclear thatnoneof
us is heading towork. The side-
walk is a parade of cowboy hats
andmatchingboots,flouncyskirts
for dancing and festiveHawaiian
shirts.Wepullcoolersandgrocery
bags fromour trunksand look for
a small sign trimmedwithMardi
Grasbeads. It hasanarrowanda
singlehand-letteredword:
zydeco
.
Wewalkdowna footpath. The soundof an
accordion grows louder. Zydeco is an in-
fectious dancemusic that comes from the
CreolecultureofSouthLouisiana.It’sfilled
withFrench,AfricanandHaitian rhythms,
and it’ssprinkledwithAmericanbluesand
R&B.Wefollowthesound,andsoonanother
instrumentreachesourears:thecorrugated
metal rubboardwornas avest andknown
asthe
frottoir
.
Thenournoseskickintoaction.Wesmell
aslowcookerbubblingwithseafoodgumbo,
asroux-yandhotas if itcamestraight from
Louisiana’s bayous. Salmon sizzles on an
outdoorgrill.Wearriveatthesourceofthis
happy commotion: a woodworking shop
deckedoutwithstreamersintheMardiGras
colors of green, yellow andpurple. Once a
month, the craftsmanwhoowns this shop,
JohnSeltzer, clears out a dance floor and
hosts oneof thehottest parties in theBay
Area’s thriving zydeco scene. Everyone is
welcome; just bring food or drink and re-
membertotiptheband.
And, Lord, what a band this is. Andre
Thierry, theaccordionplayerandfrontman,
is 32 and shy, a green-eyed virtuosowith
52
FEBRUARY 01, 2012
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
