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the mighty mississippi roll past atchafalaya, don’t know where to go …

that’s the 10 coming into baton rouge. i could hop back on and be at the santa monica pier in about 21 hours. i could also take a right on this river and be in st. louis in 9. this intersection is a triangulation of my life so far. a true crossroads.

i watched the sun set over the mississippi last night. it’s my new ocean …

(forgive the low res phone photos)

baton rouge is a tiny little town. the downtown is quaint without really trying to be. there are cute little places and vacant places. sleepy, but not unconscious.

here’s the shaw art museum. there’s a sushi restaurant on the roof. i may try that tonight.

i was downtown less than an hour when i ended up on the upstairs porch of a place called Boudreaux & Thibodeaux. some folks about my age were playing some of the best music i’ve ever heard.

brandon moreau and the silver dollar band. plains style cajun, i later found out. killing it. i recorded some on my phone but can’t seem to get it off of there and on to here, so here’s brandon’s myspace page. you gotta hear this guy … everything’s in french.

they were the free happy hour band, and there weren’t too many people there. there was the obligatory drunk good ole boy and his lady tearing up the dance floor in front of the band and yelling out requests. at first, you kind of wince. this could get ugly. the guy was wearing a shirt that said, ‘why should i be rich when i’m already good looking?’ when he denied a photo shoot with the miller lite girls because ‘y’all too pretty,’ i knew he was alright. i soon discovered he spoke french, too. actually, everyone on the patio spoke french. at least some. except for buddy’s girlfriend. he told the band, ‘don’t worry about speaking french to her, she can’t even speak english.’

i guess i’m gonna have to learn some french.

the band blew my mind with cajun, creole, local info. after their set. evidently, i gotta get out of baton rouge to hear the real stuff. some place called called la poussier (god help me on the spelling, i can’t even understand what these people are saying half the time) in some town between here and lafayette has a guy who’s been playing for 35 years and is retiring in august. he’s evidently the shit. i gotta go find that place and check it out. there are also a few spots in lafayette i gotta check out. (tim o, i kept thinking about you last night. the story telling and history and everything is so right up your alley. you might be cajun … )

brandon’s step-mother is an english professor at lsu. i’m actually trying to add her class on louisiana folklore. he thinks dropping his name might help. small world.

i gotta get out of this hotel room.

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