Musical soiree with Don Vappie, David Doucet, Greg, Liz, Peg, Mark and others

Laissez les bons temps rouler: encore une fois.

Danger below! Sadly, the links aren't working and we had to remove a goofy videoclip.

Once again we were lucky enough to be invited to an evening of music and food, courtesy of our friends Mark and Peggy. Because we couldn’t go in November and December, we are now on the alternate list; we’re hoping there will be a spot for us next month.

This series was the brainchild of Mark and Peggy, who missed the music at the Café Mandalay, which closed after Katrina. They had the idea of inviting musicians to play at people’s homes, with the guests splitting the cost and bringing a potluck dish.

I wrote about the one we attended in October, but this time we took pictures. We asked everyone if it was OK if we posted here and all said yes. Not everyone is as shy as Dr. Frugal Scholar and Mr. Dr. Frugal Scholar.

Peg is an artist, designer, and master gardener. You can see her work here.

The soiree was at the home of Liz and Greg Arceneaux. Liz is a midwife, who also works with her husband. Greg is a cabinetmaker who makes beautiful pieces, including some from cypress. He works in the Creole and Acadian tradition of furniture making. To accommodate all the people who showed up, Liz and Greg brought home all the chairs from the showroom. They are beautiful and comfortable. You can see some pieces here.

The music was amazing! Playing together were Don Vappie and David Doucet. Don plays Creole jazz while David Doucet is perhaps best known for his work as a guitarist with BeauSoleil.

And the food! Since this is Louisiana, there was an abundance of shrimp dishes, including shrimp with eggplant, a favorite of Dr. FS. The desserts were also fabulous. In addition to New Orleans style king cake (this is carnival season), we had French king cake and flan.

The last two were provided by Beatrice and Scott, who used to live down the street from us. Beatrice is a bona fide French person. They are partners with our friend Brigitte (also a bona fide French person) in the business SpeakEasy Café, which offers language lessons and yummy food.

We knew a few of the people there, like Greg C., who is a naval architect (do you need a boat designed?). Most, including the hosts, were new acquaintances.

Even though frugality was not the point of the evening, all this was $13.00 per attendee (there were 23 people there) to pay the musicians, plus a dish for the potluck. Dr. FS will reveal her potluck contribution at a later date.

Here are some pics of the festivities, including a video clip of the music. The video clip is of a goofy sing-along moment: Eh la-bas! For those who have never heard beautiful French Cajun or other Louisiana music, a wonderful discovery awaits you.

Greg, Don Vappie, and Mark


Greg Arceneaux, David Doucet, Don Vappie, Beatrice after the fete.


Don Vappie and David Doucet figuring things out before playing.