Who are they?
Double Trouble Zydeco Prepares To Release Album
October 13, 2016
by Jordan Arceneaux
The Daily World
St. Landry Parish natives Benjamin and Bervick Guillory have goals to give back to their community in a big way.
The identical twins in their mid-20s, lead singers of the band Double Trouble Zydeco, prepare to take a huge step towards that goal with the release of their first album "Far From Over: Inspired From Our Roots," slated to drop in the next few months.
The brothers, who are from Mallett, were raised with creole and musical roots. They are close relatives of Roy Carrier and Grammy-Award-winning artist Chubby Carrier.
Benjamin Guillory said he began to develop a strong interest in Zydeco music before he entered high school, but there wasn't anyone around he could ask to teach him how to play the accordion.
He said he would get in trouble frequently as a young kid and felt music would be a way to keep him out of trouble.
"One day I got on my knees and prayed and I was like God if you show me how to play this, I'll stay out of trouble and I haven't been in trouble since," he said. "I knew I was decent but it was like what could I do to be different."
It wasn't long after that, that Ben Guillory began to master playing the accordion and the idea he came up with the separate himself from other zydeco artists was to include his twin brother, which was not a hit with Bervick in the beginning.
"That ain't gonna work," Bervick Guillory had told his brother. "I am not that man on the bandstand, that is Keith Frank. That's not gonna work."
However, Benjamin Guillory, said it took several months for his brother to get in board with the music idea and the group began to take off, with the twins leading the way. One pivotal moment in the twins' career came about five years ago at Zydeco Extravaganza, a zydeco festival held annually in Lafayette.
"We made our first big appearance at Zydeco Extravaganza and we met Buckwheat," Benjamin Guillory recalled. "After we performed, he put his arm around us and gave me a hug. He told us 'keep up what y'all doing. Don't let y'all culture go. Keep your roots."
Benjamin Guillory said he and his brother compose and produce their own music and the band's first album is a dedication to Buckwheat, along with other Zydeco greats including Clifton Chenier and Boozoo Chavis.
"We're giving it to you the Zydeco way, but in our flavor," he said. "The album will be a mix of all the greats in one pot of gumbo."
Guillory said there is a new brand of zydeco, involving more R&B and rap, but the group sticks to more of what he called the old school style.
"I wanted to pay my dues in zydeco and pay respects to people who have done it before us," he said. "I wanted to dedicate it (album) to them."
The brothers make up a small portion of the seven-piece band as they both play accordion and sing. Benjamin Guillory said he hopes the group's music can touch others and allow them to give back to the place they love.
"We plan to make it big and give back where we from in terms of food and toy drives," he said. "We want to be the change that we wish to see in the world."
Double Trouble Zydeco Prepares To Release Album
October 13, 2016
by Jordan Arceneaux
The Daily World
 |
St. Landry Parish natives and twin brothers Benjamin and Bervick Guillory head Double Trouble Zydeco band. (Photo: Submitted photo)
|
The identical twins in their mid-20s, lead singers of the band Double Trouble Zydeco, prepare to take a huge step towards that goal with the release of their first album "Far From Over: Inspired From Our Roots," slated to drop in the next few months.
The brothers, who are from Mallett, were raised with creole and musical roots. They are close relatives of Roy Carrier and Grammy-Award-winning artist Chubby Carrier.
Benjamin Guillory said he began to develop a strong interest in Zydeco music before he entered high school, but there wasn't anyone around he could ask to teach him how to play the accordion.
He said he would get in trouble frequently as a young kid and felt music would be a way to keep him out of trouble.
"One day I got on my knees and prayed and I was like God if you show me how to play this, I'll stay out of trouble and I haven't been in trouble since," he said. "I knew I was decent but it was like what could I do to be different."
It wasn't long after that, that Ben Guillory began to master playing the accordion and the idea he came up with the separate himself from other zydeco artists was to include his twin brother, which was not a hit with Bervick in the beginning.
"That ain't gonna work," Bervick Guillory had told his brother. "I am not that man on the bandstand, that is Keith Frank. That's not gonna work."
However, Benjamin Guillory, said it took several months for his brother to get in board with the music idea and the group began to take off, with the twins leading the way. One pivotal moment in the twins' career came about five years ago at Zydeco Extravaganza, a zydeco festival held annually in Lafayette.
Double Trouble Zydeco at Swamp and Roll
in the Black and Gold casino in Duson, Louisiana
"We made our first big appearance at Zydeco Extravaganza and we met Buckwheat," Benjamin Guillory recalled. "After we performed, he put his arm around us and gave me a hug. He told us 'keep up what y'all doing. Don't let y'all culture go. Keep your roots."
Benjamin Guillory said he and his brother compose and produce their own music and the band's first album is a dedication to Buckwheat, along with other Zydeco greats including Clifton Chenier and Boozoo Chavis.
"We're giving it to you the Zydeco way, but in our flavor," he said. "The album will be a mix of all the greats in one pot of gumbo."
Guillory said there is a new brand of zydeco, involving more R&B and rap, but the group sticks to more of what he called the old school style.
"I wanted to pay my dues in zydeco and pay respects to people who have done it before us," he said. "I wanted to dedicate it (album) to them."
The brothers make up a small portion of the seven-piece band as they both play accordion and sing. Benjamin Guillory said he hopes the group's music can touch others and allow them to give back to the place they love.
"We plan to make it big and give back where we from in terms of food and toy drives," he said. "We want to be the change that we wish to see in the world."
#DoubleTroubleZydeco #ZOL #ZydecoOnline #ZydecoNation
0 comments:
Post a Comment