Still the hometown zydeco audience is fickle, and a band capable of drawing 2000 people to a Saturday evening dance or Sunday trail ride may find the crowd defecting to another band only a few months later.  In this highly-competitive scene, the current trend leans toward bands who play riff-based music on the diatonic or "French" accordion, with obvious roots in the sound pioneered by Boozoo Chavis.  While the excitement surrounding such talented and charismatic artists as Beau Jocque and Keith Frank has given birth to one of the most vibrant local music scenes found anywhere, there is another side to zydeco.

Through zydeco's changing trends and sounds, Nathan Williams and his airtight band, the Zydeco Cha Chas, have only gotten better, building on the formidable legacy of zydeco king Clifton Chenier.  Like Clifton (and unlike most South Louisiana accordionists today, Nathan plays both sides of the larger piano accordion.  Listen to a song like "Hey Bebe" and you'll quickly see how he's capable of rocking the house with just drummer Gerard St. Julien, Jr. and rub board player Mark Williams in support.  he writes wonderful new songs, often based on the collective wisdom of his extended family.  "Slow Horses and Fast Women" or "Everything On the Hog" stem directly from conversations which might have been overheard at brother Sid's grocery store.  And when it comes to tearing it up on stage, Nathan and company deliver the kind of energy that leaves dancers exhausted and always happy, whether at his hometown gig at El Sid O's in Lafayette or on concert stages from Istanbul to Tokyo.

Born in St. Martinville, Nathan was raised in a community in which everyday conversation was conducted in Creole, a language separate and distinct from Louisiana French (and which may have its origins in the large number of Haitian immigrants who came to South Louisiana in the mid-1800s)..  Whether listening to Nathan speaking with his mother even in English, or singing one of the many Creole-language songs on this album, you hear a cadence which sets Nathan's brand of zydeco apart.  It's the same cadence you can hear in Clifton Chenier's old records, more like Creole blues than other Southwest Louisiana music.

For this reason, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas are simultaneously the most modern and the most traditional of zydeco bands working today.  Nathan is an accomplished musician and his ears have led him to incorporate elements of blues, reggae and rock in his songs.  He's also a playful lyricist.  Older brother Dennis Paul Williams is well-versed in modern jazz harmony, and his rhythm guitar parts are constantly surprising.  yet, the soul of Nathan's music is as ancient and deep as the Creole language.

Nathan has wanted to make a high-quality live album for some time, for if we've managed to develop new songs and capture good performances of them in the studio, no studio performance can compare with the groove this band can generate live.  When we talked about the best possible venue, there really wasn't much of a choice, as John Blancher's Rock 'n' Bowl New Orleans' Mid-City Bowling Lanes has become one of the most exciting zydeco dancehalls on the circuit (and a mecca for visitors from around the world), even if it's three hours removed from the heart of Creole country.  As always, Nathan packed the house, and the excitement you hear is palpable.

Highlights include the recently-penned "Tante Rosa," a tribute to Nathan's aunt, who won't let anything stop her from attending a zydeco trail ride (a dance which follows a horseback excursion through the countryside), and Nathan's interpretation of Clifton's "Josephine ce pas ma femme (Josephine is not my wife)." Bassist Wayne Burns and drummer St. Julien lock into a groove that made the floor at the Rock 'n' Bowl bounce even more than usual, while Allen "Cat Roy" Broussard's sax riffs and Nathan's accordion take off like a jet.

For those who think  zydeco is moving too far from its roots, or that the modern sound has little room for variety it's time to appreciate the remarkable music of Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas.  In the flavor-of-the-month world of zydeco today, Nathan is a steady rock who can always be counted on for great songs, exciting music and good times.  As he's been heard to say, "Always wonder where you're going, but never forget where you came from"