A Seat of My Pants Production
Posts tagged Hear Mt. Pleasant
Little Red & the Renegades & the Love of Louisiana Music in the Greater DC Area
441 days
LITTLE RED AND THE RENEGADES
Little Red & the Renegades hold an important position as far as the greater Washington DC area's love for the music of Southwest Louisiana and New Orleans. They were one of the first (if not the first) in the area to perform it for us.
The background history of the Renegades takes us to Syracuse NY where longtime friends Tom Corradino (Little Red) and guitarist Harry Rado were founders of the band Bad Medicine in 1968. After a good run the band broke up in 1975. Harry moved to DC and Tom followed his love for Louisiana music down to New Orleans. While there he basked in as many Professor Longhair and Clifton Chenier performances he could attend. He had first heard Zydeco in 1967 on the Clifton Chenier Arhoolie LP that inspired him greatly and thus became one of the first non-Creoles in the country to perform Zydeco. After his stint in New Orleans he moved to DC and looked up his friend Harry Rado. He did a stint playing accordion with Tex Rubinowitz and His Bad Boys and piano with a Haitian band, Las Pachas before joining with Harry to form Little Red & the Renegades in 1982. At 42 years and counting this makes their pairing one of the longest continuous music collaborations you will find. First editions of the Renegades included saxophonist Derek Huston before he joined the Uptown Rhythm Kings. Derek introduced them to fellow Langley HS classmates saxophonist Chris Watling and trumpeter Alan MacEwan who became Renegades before they were Grandsons. The current lineup includes bassist Dave Petersen working with the band since the late 80’s, Jon Danforth who has worked with the band for 15 years, and steel drum player Carol Arthur who joined up 5 years ago. When he plays Haydee’s Restaurant it becomes my one regular chance to work out on the fratoire (rub board). I picked up my chops working with the late Zydeco legend Roy Carrier.
Little Red and the Renegades and Haydee’s Restaurant in Mt. Pleasant DC
Tom was a long time resident of Mt Pleasant and in 2008 started a once a month gig. It is the second Friday of every month and Friday March 9th marks the next performance.
A Little Red and the Renegades night is pretty evenly split between the piano stylings of New Orleans and Zydeco of SW Louisiana. There is NO COVER! so come on out and pass a good time.
Little Red and the Renegades at Haydee’s Restaurant
3102 Mount Pleasant St, NW
Washington DC
(202) 483-9199
Friday March 9
9pm to 1am
The Long Awaited Update on Live Music in Mt. Pleasant. WE WON!
0768 days
Those of you that have followed me over the years have heard much of the history regarding the voluntary agreement process that restricted (in fact banning it outright) the ability of the restaurants on Mt Pleasant St to host live music. Though the issue predated my involvement, I became fully engaged in 2003 testifying before the City Council and then trying to open dialogue with the group that authored the VA. I didn’t get very far but did begin to create a greater awareness of the issue in Mt Pleasant. In the fall of 2004 I ran for a seat (and won) on the ANC (Advisory Neighborhood Commission) to prevent the president of that group from getting in unopposed. The ANC over the next 2 years and beyond continued to push for change in the process that dealt with this, passing resolution after resolution calling for an opening up of the process.
When my term ended in 2006 I along with Claudia Schlosberg, David Sachdev, Natalie Avery, Janelle Triebits, Phil Lepanto, Eugene Stephanus, Andrea Blatchford, Amber Gallup (dang I’m forgetting a couple names) formed a new group of neighborhood residents named Hear Mt Pleasant who’s first purpose was to work on changing the situation. Three restaurants, Don Juan’s, Don Jaime's and Haydee’s stepped up to challenge their old VAs and with the support of HMP began their fight to overturn them. What ensued was a years long legal battle in the chambers of the ABRA board and the yeoman’s efforts of Rick Massumi, Claudia and Rob Waldeck donating pro bono legal time to work this fight.
Last year the foundations of the old VAs began to crumble. This year THEY WERE OVERTURNED! WE WON!
On Tuesday evening 4/26 at 6:00, We will be holding the first of two Mt Pleasant celebrations. The first at Don Juan’s Restaurant will be a family night with puppeteers and local legend Lilo Gonzales, a neighborhood treasure. The 2nd will be at Haydee’s on May 12.
For more information, plug in Hear Mount Pleasant next time you log in on Face Book.
