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2007: On The Line
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Recorded in Toronto at Fearless Films Engineered by Paul Talbott Mastered at the Lacquer Channel by James Paul Personnel
Guest Musicians
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2) Chère ici, Chère là bas [download mp3] 3) Arrête Pas la Musique [download mp3] 4) Courville's Breakdown 5) Tes Parents Veulent Plus Me Voir 6) Same Old You 7) Corrina Corrina 8) The Frankenstein 9) La Valse de Tout l'Monde 10) Hip et Taiau 11) Katrina 12) Baby, Va t'en pas 13) Sans Nom 14) Valse Criminelle 15) Paper in my Shoe 16) Prends Courage |
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lyrics on the songs please go to to our lyrics
page |
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designed by Soozi Schlanger & Dina Torrans Art Design. |
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Review of On The Line in WHOLENOTETiina Kiik, Wholenote, Vol. 13, No. 3, Nov 1 - Dec 7 2007 On the Line Swamperella is one of Toronto's favourite Cajun live dance bands, renowned for its toe-tapping and spontaneous performances. This enviable energy has been successfully captured on their third CD release, "On the Line". Even though almost half of the tracks are the band's arrangements of traditional Cajun compositions, covers such as B. Chavis' Paper in My Shoe elevate the band's status to “authentic” purveyors of the Zydeco style. Band members Soozi Schlanger (vocals, lead fiddle, washboard), Peter Jellard (vocals, button accordions, fiddle), Conny Nowe (acoustic and electric guitars), Rachel Melas (acoustic and electric bass) and Dave Pontello (drums and triangle) really do love what they are playing. The result is a well-rehearsed tight band with a firm grip on a musical style which is not the easiest to master. The biggest surprises are two original songs. Schlanger's vocals on her heart wrenching song Same Old You are unforgettable. Button accordionist Peter Jellard's instrumental Frankenstein is a rhythmical and melodic marvel for the instrument with a superb backing by the rest of the band. Co-produced by Swamperella and studio genius John Switzer, the sound quality is first rate. It is also good to hear Switzer play bass as a special guest along with Burke Carroll on lap steel and dobro. My only disappointment was the fact that I could not locate the song lyrics that the liner notes stated could be found on the band's website! The cold weather is coming. Warm yourself up by putting on your dancing shoes and getting “On the Line” with Swamperella.
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Review of On The Line in NOWJason Keller, NOW, November 8 - 14, 2007, Vol. 27, No. 10 It's hard to believe Swamperella singer Soozi Schlanger is a latecomer to Cajun music. The Toronto native discovered her passion at middle age, but sings the genre like she's got gumbo in her blood. On their third effort, the Gladstone Hotel fixtures keep it party-centric with the jiggy waltz of Bayou Pon and the quick-stepping Zydeco boogie of Chère Ici, Chère Là Bas, where accordionist Peter Jellard takes over energetically on vocals. However, at 16 songs, On The Line inevitably becomes background music – somewhere after song 11, a plaintive instrumental ode to the Katrina tragedy.
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Review of On The Line in L'EXPRESS(Translated) Dominique Denis, Journal L'Express, September 2007 ...Indeed, it’s true that it’s on the stage, when the spotlights go on and the couples hit the dance floor, that you get the full Swamperella effect. So it would be foolish to expect a studio album to fully reflect this synergy. And yet, ON THE LINE is the product of a well-oiled machine, well-oiled over many years of honing its craft, fluidly steering between Cajun and Zydeco, thus reflecting the dual nature-white and black- of their adopted heritage. While Corrina Corrina, propelled by a beat that owes more to New Orleans than to the Bayou, sets up for a fiery fiddle solo by Soozi Schlanger , the delightfully primitive Prenez Courage, a tribute to Cleoma Breaux, is an affectionate wink to the Acadian origins of much of the traditional repertoire of Louisiana.And if the group probes this repertoire to extract delightful nuggets (Valse Criminelle), these sit naturally next to Cajunizations of country songs (Arrete pas la Musique is borrowed from George Jones), Swamperella enriches this heritage with their own creations, such as the delightful Same Old You, with its scent of sadness floating somewhere between the Grand Olde Opry and a roadhouse somewhere in the back country of Louisiana.
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2004: Black Cat Boogie |
Recorded at Rogue Studios Engineered by James Paul and Stew Crookes Personnel
Guest Musicians
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2) Braille pas, Jolis Petits Yeux Bleus [ sample] [song] 3) Hé Mom 4) Single Row Zydeco 5) Waltz for One 6) Reel du Homard 7) Bee de la Manche 8) La Valse de Grande Mamou 9) Black Cat Boogie 10) Waltz of Too Many Goodbyes 11) Ton Papa me Jette Dehors 12) Reel Cajun / One Step des McGees 13) Je T'aime Encore 14) Midnight Playboy Special 15) La Malheureuse 16) Hotel Gladstone Two Step / Watermelon Reel 17) Les Barres de la Prison |
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| For lyrics and more information on the songs please go to to our lyrics page | |||||||
Cover designed by Soozi Schlanger & Dina Torrans Art Design. Thanks to the Black Cat Fireworks Company |
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Review of Black Cat Boogie in GOLDMINEHank Davis, Goldmine, September 30, 2005 Vol 31, No 20, issue 657I really love Swamperella. I reviewed their first CD enthusiastically back in 2001 and wondered quietly whether it all might have been a fluke. Turns out it wasn't. Swamperella, the Toronto Cajun band, have just produced their second CD, Black Cat Boogie, and I’m falling in love with their music all over again. This band delights and surprises - they are not your typical Cajun band. For on, three of the four members are women. They also take the Cajun tradition very seriously. None of these musicians are from Louisiana, but they've made a real effort to understand its musical heritage. But Swamperella aren't a bunch of boring academics whose music is better suited to a PBS documentary than a dance floor. In fact, the band regularly performs at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, on of Queen Street's most exciting live venues. Their regular gigs often include Louisiana cuisine and Cajun dancing, complete with lessons for the uninitiated. They are geared to good times, but you can learn something if you don't treat their music like wallpaper. And, by the way, the Cajuns were right: the triangle is a wonderful percussion instrument. There are lots of Cajun bands out there whose music often degenerates into Zydeco, which is often an excuse to play electric blues and boogie. This is far from what you get with Swamperella. The 17 tracks on Black Cat provide plenty of opportunity to dance, but they also remind you that Cajun music is often melodic and beautiful. Although Swamperella's audience is often English speaking, 11 of the tracks on this CD are titled or performed in French. The disc kicks off with the joyous and infectious "La Crep A Nazare," which positively sizzles. Fiddle player Soozi Schlanger, who pours her Cajun soul into the vocals, offers a wonderful reading on "Braille Pas, Jolis Petits Yeux Bleux," a song as bluesy as it is beautiful. Even regular dance tunes, such as "He Mom," manage to be gorgeous and memorable. To their credit, the band members transform even the most routine boogie tracks such as "Single Row Zydeco" into memorable fare with a minor chord here, a rhythmic hook there. On "Waltz For One" - one of the seven original compositions - Schlanger reverts to English and presents a lovely country-styled opus about loneliness. For variety, Swamperella cress the border into Texas and come back with a touch of Western swing on the title track. The least distinguished tracks are confined wisely to the final third of the disc. These performances are perfectly suited to the dance floor but lack the striking features that make the opening tracks so powerful. Special notice goes to the CD's closer, the amazing "Les Barres De La Prison." Ad some surface noise and it would be right at home on an anthology of Cajun music from 1932. The performance is dissonant and downright eerie in the most compelling ways. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's here for fans of authentic Cajun music - even if you have to wait for track 17 to hear it. Once again I find myself recommending a self-produced album by a local Canadian band. At the risk of being accused of heresy, too much Cajun music today has become a simple kick-ass boogie with an accordion thrown in for good measure. Swamperella are so much more than that. Visit their Web site (w/ww.swamperella.com) and support their attempts to bring real Cajun music to a wider audience. |
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Produced by David Travers-Smith
Guest Musicians
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1. Bosco Stomp |
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email: to inquire about Swamperella CD's in quantity, or: snail mail: Send a postal money order for $22 payable to " Conny Nowé ", to:
online: CD available from Festival Records - look for us in their online catalogue online, or call Festival toll-free: 1 (800) 633-8282 |
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