DJ Mike Show #182 – 1/16/2021: Interviews with Corey Ledet and The Braam Brothers!

DJ Mike Lidskin spent ten years at a National Public Radio station in Chicago, returned to California in 1997 and created Twirl Radio, and now hosts 30 hours of programming a month at Woody Radio. His two shows, “The Show With No Name” and “The Saturday Thing”, feature the finest independent music and artists from the rock era. Mike’s on a mission to not “just spin rock music, but to educate listeners about this vital art form.” Indeed, he doesn’t just announce the songs, but gives histories about some of the artists, the albums, and the songs themselves.

You can catch the DJ Mike Shows live on Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. PST and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. PST at Woody Radio, http://www.woodyradio.com.

THIS WEEK’S GUESTS:
This was one of those shows I’d been looking forward to for quite a while. The first interview doubleheader of 2021, and I got to chat with a bona fide Zydeco star, and a pair of brothers I’d known and been a fan of for years, but had never before spoken with.

First up was Corey Ledet, a grammy-nominated Zydeco musician from South Louisiana. He had just released his 14th album, “Corey Ledet Zydeco”, the day prior, so the conversation was timely. His album is amazing. It’s upbeat and joyous. I’ve always felt an affinity towards Zydeco. As a rock fan, something about the genre always felt comfortable and familiar. Corey told me that rock and roll has always been a part of Zydeco.

More than most musicians, the music is truly part of his heritage. His grandfather, Buchanan Ledet, was quite literally the first Zydeco drummer, having played in Clifton Chenier’s band. So he became a student of all things Zydeco, and all things Creole. He’s been playing in bands since he was a kid, and has traveled and played all over the world.

The self-titled album was mostly conceived in the studio setting, which is why it sounds so live and immediate. Vocally, Corey reminds me of David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, or of Robert Cray. (Think of either’s version of “I Got Loaded”.) About three-quarters of the way in, Corey announces that since the pandemic started, out of an abundance of caution, he has to finish the record himself, without his band, and the engineer safely socially distanced on the other side of the studio. That breaking of the fourth wall serves as a marker of the times we live in, to future listeners. The album is a rocking, cheerful gift to help us get through these times.

This is Corey’s first album on what’s rapidly become one of my favorite record labels, Nouveau Electric, run by Louis Michot. So many great Louisiana musicians on that imprint, from a wide variety of genres, have been on my shows over the past cuople of years. And as Corey said, when teaming up with Louis, “I’m home now.” Indeed. More info at https://nouveauelectricrecords.limitedrun.com/products/687591-corey-ledet-zydeco and at http://coreyledet.com/

Later on, I got to meet The Braam Brothers–Tom and Scott Braam. I’ve been a fan of the Chicago-based group for over a decade. Gidget introduced me to Braam Brother Mike back in the day. You might say he was my “gateway Braam”. He sent me a Christmas song of theirs, “Sad Christmas”, which I played a lot on my radio show. After the holidays were over, he asked if I “want to hear the rest of their music?”. And I’ve been following them ever since.

The album we focused on in the chat is their next one, “Landscapes”, due out around Valentine’s Day or so. Tom and Scott both sing, write, and play guitar. They’re incredibly prolific, so a lot of songs were recorded, but only 12 made the album. It’s a 50/50 mix of each of their songs. The album is a quiet, slow scorcher. It burns intensely. It’s personal. It’s got some of its roots in folk, but make no mistake–these guys know their way around electric guitars, and it can rock hard at times. With musical influences such as Joe Strummer, John Lennon, and Neil Young, it all makes sense.

Tom and Scott are part of each other’s family “bubble”, so they spent a lot of time working on these songs together. This record was written before the global pandemic hit, but recorded after it started, so thematically, the quarantining really isn’t part of it. But they’re already working on their next album, even before this one is fully released, and that one will address the closed-down world we currently inhabit.

We had a rather silly, fun chat. I’ll be the first to admit, we rambled a bit, and I kind of encouraged it. I’d known them for so long, but only online, and now that I had the chance to talk with them, I really didn’t want it to end. Stay up to date with The Braam Brothers at https://www.facebook.com/Braambrothers.

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