Lake Charles’ Own Sean Ardoin and Rusty Metoyer Appear On Queen Sugar TONIGHT!
Tonight, Lake Charles' own Zydeco artists, Sean Ardoin and Rusty Metoyer , will appear on one of the hottest shows on TV right now, Queen Sugar! Both are current, extremely talented Zydeco artists, who've recorded countless albums, and travel the world to share our Louisiana sound on a regular basis. Zydeco is in their DNA, as they both share a family tree of artists who've passed on the gift of music to them.
Back when cities across the country were doing their own version of Pharrell Williams' Happy, Sean decided to do it for Louisiana. We got together with Sean, and helped film a music video for his version, which featured a fly Zydeco twist! Of course, the song wasn't featured on an album or anything. It was done for fun. The way he put it together was ingenious, and the video came out darn good, too. Plus, it turned out to be a great way to promote tourism for our beautiful city of Lake Charles, Louisiana.Check it out below!
Check it out below!
Queen Sugar is in its second season, and is based on a book with the same name, written by Natalie Baszile. The TV series was created, directed, and executive produced by Ava DuVernay, and the one and only Oprah Winfrey.
With Sean and Rusty on the show, they're putting our little city on the map! Actually, it's much more than that. They're getting a good opportunity to put the newest form of Zydeco music on the map, as well!. For the first time, millions of people will hear the current sound of Zydeco. I know that sounds kinda funny, but Zydeco music has changed a whole lot over the years. Unless people are from here, frequent visitors to the state, or simply accustomed to listening to Zydeco, they haven't really been exposed to some of the younger Zydeco artists.
We'll always have admiration, respect, and honor the legends of Zydeco. Forefathers like BooZoo Chavis, Rockin' Sydney, Amedee Ardoin, Clifton Chenier, Beau Jocque, Geno Delafose, and countless others laid the foundation most of the world is accustomed to hearing. They paved the way for today's artists, and will forever be noted for creating Louisiana's authentic sound: a Zydeco sound familiar to most of the world, like the wonderful song, Gonna Take You There. It was performed by the iconic Terrance Simien and Jim Cummings (voice of Ray the firefly in Disney's Princess and The Frog.)
The truth is, Zydeco DOES sound like that, but the music form has evolved greatly. The younger artists like Keith Frank, Lil Nate, J Paul Jr., Chris Ardoin (Sean's brother), Brian Jack, and more, have brought the famous accordion-driven genre to another level. And yes, the ladies play, too! Shout out to my girl, Rosie Ledet!
Please understand, all of these artists are absolute legends in their own right. When I say newer, I don't mean they just got here. Most of them have been in the game for two or more decades. These guys are running things on the Zydeco train, with 10 or more albums under their belts and all. What I am saying is that, since their music has come to the forefront, they've created a newer sound. They've tweaked what was already good, and made it even better!
Sean Ardoin and Rusty Metoyer certainly represent this fantastic culture, as well. The newer generation of artists have infused the traditional Zydeco sound, with a slick mixture of Hip Hop, R&B, Soul, Funk and Southern Soul. The sound is unlike any other music played or heard in the world. Like their forefathers in music, these guys and gals are innovators, true musicians, and vocalists. So any day is a good day, when Zydeco can be shared with the world.
This is what you'll hear tonight, and exactly what millions of viewers will be exposed to for the first time. Tonight, Sean, Rusty and Lance Nelson (also a Lake Charles native) will appear in a scene staged at the Brown Sugar Festival. Just to set things up, they are one of the festival's bands. In addition, they'll be performing Sean's song "Pullin", which by the way, can be found on his last album, Live At The Chicken Run.
People, this is a big deal! Don't miss their big debut on award-winning contemporary drama, Queen Sugar tonight, Wednesday, October 18, 2017, at 9 p.m. CST on Oprah's OWN Network!
FYI, you don't have to watch it home alone. Come on out to the "Queen Sugar Watch Party", and join Sean and Rusty as they celebrate this historic Lake Charles occasion!
Peep the flyer below for the details.
Congrats, guys! Sean said of tonight's debut, “This will be the first time that zydeco music proper has been able to be represented on a national, current tv show in its authentic form.”
We are very proud of you all!