ABOUT THE BAND
Carolina GATOR GUMBO, based in Charlotte NC, is a well seasoned Cajun & Creole band bringing festive music from southwest Louisiana to the Carolinas since the early 90's!
This friendly mix of high spirited musicians have sought and studied Cajun/Creole music, dance and culture with masters at various jams, festivals & workshops throughout the southeast. "Leona Had A Party", the band's most recent recording has been met with great reviews:
"...The difference between hot and boiling hot can be one degree. The difference between good music and great music isn't so easy to define. It's hard to know great music, but one thing is certain - you know it when you hear it. It has a way of grabbing you by the collar and forcing you to stop and listen. Carolina Gator Gumbo has pulled off this difficult feat in their new release Leona Threw a Party..." From Gaston Alive by BEN DUNGAN http://theamericana.typepad.com/the_americana_blog/
"...A bit closer to home, Charlotte area favorites, Carolina Gator Gumbo have a new disc called Leona Had a Party. A party this one certainly is! Put this one on, crank up the volume a bit, and you will be transported to Mulate's Dance Hall in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Having been in radio a while, I tend to look for good, crisp production and Leona gets a big A plus---this one sounds great!" From Cuz's Corner by DENNIS FROST
Band members: Dave Conlin-drums, Don Cowan-guitar, Tom Eure-fiddle/mando/vocals, Carole Outwater-bass & vocals, Jean Prewitt-accordion & vocals
Honors:
2003-2004 Arts & Science Council Regional Artist Project
Best Local Acoustic Band, Year 2000, Charlotte's Best Magazine
Creative Loafing's Ultra Extreme Best of Charlotte 2003
Best Place To Learn to Dance, Carolina Gator Gumbo shows!
BAND MEMBERS:
Jean Prewitt: Button Accordion, Vocals
Don Cowan: Guitar
Carole Outwater: Bass, Vocals, Autoharp
Tom Eure: Fiddle, Mandolin, Dobro, Vocals
Dave Conlin: Drums, Rubboard, Triangle
MORE ABOUT BAND MEMBERS:
Jean's energy and rapport with an audience make her a natural for taking center stage for the band. Jean plays Cajun button accordion and is the band’s lead vocalist. She loves the Cajun & Creole culture, music, dance & food; she is an active power in passing on the music and traditions to people wherever she goes. Jean & husband, Don Cowan, have been visiting Louisiana for many years broadening experiences & understanding of the Cajun & Creole cultures. She has studied with many masters in their homes, jams and more formally at the Augusta Heritage Center and Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage week in Louisiana. Jean will tell you in a heartbeat she “loves this music”!
Don, guitar player, is a driving force and anchor for the band’s rhythm. As charter member of the Charlotte Folk Society, Don’s involvement with music goes back many years and includes Old-time, Blues as well as Cajun & Creole music. His expertise with various styles of Cajun & Creole rhythms is widely recognized and has been developed while riding on Cajun Mardi Gras wagons, on stage and in living rooms playing with masters of the music. Don has attended formal studies with masters such as Christine Balfa, Ann Savoy, Kevin Berzas at the Augusta Heritage Center & workshops in Louisiana learning the culture. Very handy for wife Jean, he’s studied accordion repair with master builder Larry Miller. Don has also spent many hours with Jackie Miller in the kitchen...boy can he cook a mean gumbo!
Carole, part of the rhythm team, provides those pulsing low tones as the bass player for the band. She occasionally adds autoharp and vocals to the mix. Carole has been an active member of the Charlotte Folk Society since 1984.
Like Jean and Don, Carole cites the Augusta Heritage Center in West Virginia as her training ground for the Cajun and Creole music. She’s studied autoharp, bass, Cajun and Creole music and culture at Augusta. In the Cajun and Creole musical genre, Carole names a wide range of influences . . . Mark and Ann Savoy, Al Berard, Jesse Lege, Larry and Jackie Miller and their family members, Canray Fontenot, Bois Sec Ardoin, and non-Cajun friend, Lois Hornbostel, who is also deeply immersed in the genre.
Carole, an award winning autoharp player on the regional and national level, enjoys teaching a variety of workshops, but particularly on Cajun and Creole music with the autoharp. In recent years, she has led workshops at The Augusta Heritage Center, Mt. View Arkansas Folk Center, John C. Campbell Folk School, Mt. Laurel Autoharp Festival, UK Fall Autoharp Day in England, North Georgia Dulcimer and Autoharp Spring Festival, Georgia Unicoi State Park Workshops and at Fiddler’s Grove, NC.
Look for Carole on her recent recording, Faces, available at www.cdbaby.com/outwater and Autoharp Legacy, produced by Ron Wall, Mark Howard and Bryan Bowers, available directly from Carole or by visiting www. Autoharpquarterly.com/legacy
704-365-2745
Tom, joined the band as fiddle player in the fall of 2006. This multi-instrumentalist and Americana singer/songwriter, got his start in the music business in 1991 while living in the mountains of NC. During his time there Tom played solo folk shows, hosted open mics, fronted bands ranging from psychedelic to pop rock, and played bluegrass and old tyme music with friends on his off days. He has released four solo CD's and has worked as producer for several Charlotte area bands releases.
The Cajun and Creole sound has proven to be a natural fit with Tom's fiddlin' style but he credits fiddler Beth Brown Al Rawi with helping him "find his way". It's been said that Tom adds a nice "swagger" to the bands sound. Tom always says Carolina Gator Gumbo's music "sounds like a party", and he's having a blast playing it!
Dave brings percussive flavor to the team of rhythm makers in the band. Dave can beat out rhythms on almost any drum you put before him, however in the band’s work, he primarily uses bass and snare drums. Dave’s rubboard playing catches everyone’s eye! Dave began by playing in the band in late 1990’s when his interest in Cajun music was catching fire.
A musical family surrounded Dave and his music studies began early. He learned to play the drums while in the second grade and continued in marching band in school. He developed an early love for the nonverbal communication that happens between musicians. Dave’s skills strengthened considerably on various West African drums in study with Bolokada Conde, Tiani Tarr, Koto Ngum, and the Charlotte Community Drummers. Dave also plays mandolin and bass.
After many years of being a major part of the heart and soul of the band Beth has taken a leave to raise her youngin's! Congratulations to Beth and Raed on the birth of their twins!