ENKINDLER

Eddie Christmas

Original Article from Bluesfestivalguide.com May 1, 2009

Recently, I was able to spend time with GRAMMY® nominated Louisiana Blues musician, Tab Benoit (pronounced Ben-Wah, “like the balls”), he would remark in his stage show. Half comedian, half electric blues guitar genius, this former pilot from Houma, La. is on a mission to save Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, one mesmerizing blues performance at a time.

With skillful percussionist Eddie Christmas and smooth bassist Carl Dufrene laying down the rhythms, Tab uses the groove to launch into places only his battle scared guitar can reach. Often, playing so fiercely that two strings dangle in the aftermath of symphonic sweetness as the remaining four strings ride the edge of each sonic note.

“The guitar is only part of it,” he would remark humbly. It is really about a message. “The music allows us tell our story.” He adds. Blues is the music of the common man. Tab is a common man doing uncommon things.

As President of Voice of the Wetlands (V.O.W), he has been able to testify before congress about the state of the Louisiana Wetlands and gather a loyal group of all –star musicians to champion this cause. Including legends Cyril Neville, Big Chief Monk, Boudreaux, Waylon Thibodeaux, George Porter Jr., and Dr. John. Add Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone on the Mouth Harp or Accordion and you’ve got some Zydeco that is incredible to watch and hear. If Tab’s music doesn’t get your butt moving, it’s probably broken. If his fervor for his culture doesn’t grab your attention, you’re in a coma. Tab Benoit uses his music as a catalyst for a message that is far greater than him and comes directly from his heart. His passion flows through every fret in a way that is rare in today’s music.

I watched Tab play drums in a jam session attended by about only six people until about five in the morning on a night between shows. He plays drums as well as he plays guitar. With a fever of transitional beats and a fusion of Jazz, Cajun blues, and Funk, he and host of others played frantically into the night. I couldn’t leave my chair. I literally, had to” hold it” for two hours. The freedom and tenacity of his jams are legendary and awe inspiring. “Just don’t talk yourself out of it, that’s the answer to how to keep a good beat,” he says as we sit in the cigar lounge offset the stage. “It’s the same as when you suddenly get a great idea, he would explain. You can’t let fear keep you from doing something about life’s challenges.” His truth is simple, profound, and genuine.

Tab would say, “The Alligator can’t pick up a guitar and tell the world what’s going on, but I can. It’s all about getting out and doing something to fix the problem. If you watched seventeen miles of your culture, wildlife, and community disappear, you’d get up and do something too, that or you just don’t care.”

This former pilot from Pontchartrain brings a powerful punch to the conscience of American music and the State of the Louisiana Wetlands. Tab Benoit is a person who is driven by love of community and circumstance into action. Tab remarks, “If you love something, you’ll let everybody know.”

In San Francisco we spent an evening with Tab as he partnered with forthebayou.org to raise funds and awareness about the disappearance of the wetlands. According to Elizabeth Welborn President of forthebayou.org, “Louisiana has so many complex issues, this one has been in the shadows. Many people in New Orleans have lost everything. Some people in Houma are really beginning to lose hope too. Most people don’t know that despite being the second largest provider of oil and gas to the nation, it is also the leading provider of wild caught shrimp, oysters and blue crabs. It is the birthplace of Cajun culture.” Natalie Snider, Science Director for the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, in Baton Rouge, La. says, ”Every thirty minutes, Louisiana loses the equivalent of one football field of wetlands. Eighty percent of America’s lost wetlands are in Louisiana.”

Maybe now that we have a President willing to restore science to its rightful place, there is a chance for us to show the world how communities, culture and wildlife can be preserved and live harmoniously with industry and progress through careful, ecological planning. This is not just a Louisiana issue, this is an American issue. People will say why don’t people just move away from the Mississippi River? What they don’t realize is the river will create more land if not interfered with by more levees. “We must pay attention to nature and return to the balance of nature.” Tab points out. By redirecting the Mississippi River from its natural flow, south Louisiana’s wetlands are being consumed by the strengthening current of the Gulf of Mexico at an alarming rate.

As documented in MacGillivray Freeman’s 2006 IMAX release “Hurricane on the Bayou”, the natural barriers of protection are being washed away. This may be one of the most serious geological problems facing America today. With the New Year underway and a new U.S. President promising to attend to our economy, environment, and people, there is hope on the horizon. There is an open door towards real change. Now is time for action. Tab may be gifted enough to turn the Blues a new shade of Green, but he can’t do it alone. Write congress, share this story with a friend, and please visit www.voiceofthewetlands.com for more information. Find out how you can get involved and for goodness sake, see Tab perform live!

Digital version as it appears in bluesfestivalguide.com 2009

http://tinyurl.com/yfj4e52

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