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Blind Swine ONLINE with Dennis Stroughmatt
July 10, 2020 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
The Western Illinois Museum is pleased to quietly announce on Friday, July 10th The Blind Swine will be ONLINE! Macomb’s best-kept secret, The Blind Swine Speakeasy is moving into the 21st century via Facebook and YouTube for a lively evening of music, a little history, and as always, a few surprises. No password required, but a suggested donation of $5 can be made online to offset the cost of the program. You’ll have to find your own hooch for this one and we recommend our local “beverage” sellers -they’re the bee’s knees. Pick up your choice of beverage to enjoy in the comfort and safety of your own home and meet us online from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
The musical guest for the first Blind Swine Online is Illinois Humanities Roads Scholar Dennis Stroughmatt who will present a program titled, “In French Fiddle Tunes and Tall Tales: The Story of Creole Fiddle in Illinois.” He will join museum curator, Sue Scott from his home in Southern Illinois live online for conversation, and will take questions from those joining online.
The evening will include two sets of music that will take guests on a journey beginning in 1699 with the building of villages like Cahokia and Kaskaskia along the Mississippi River. French colonists from Western France and Quebec would merge with the native populations of modern-day Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana to create a Creole culture that is unique from Louisiana and Canada. As this early Illinois population grew through the 18th century and changed the Illinois landscape to one with a distinctly French flavor, it would eventually leave its legacy through town names and landmarks, as well as songs, language, stories, food, and even the first lieutenant governor of Illinois, Pierre Menard. The journey continues in the second set with fiddle tunes and songs from the early 1900s, which take on a more old-time Country flavor and would have been heard in the 1920s. The evening will be a fascinating trip through Illinois from both a historical and cultural perspective, highlighting the enduring French identity through ancient French folktales, haunting ballads, and foot-stomping fiddle tunes.
The live stream will be available on the Western Illinois Museum’s Facebook and YouTube page starting at 5:30 pm. For more information contact the museum at info@wimuseum.org, call 309.837.2750, or text 309.8372613.
Funding for the programs is made possible by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars program. Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly [through the Illinois Arts Council Agency], as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by speakers, program participants, or audiences do not necessarily reflect those of the NEH, Illinois Humanities, our partnering organizations, or our funders.
About Dennis Stroughmatt
From the Wabash River region of southeastern Illinois, Dennis Stroughmatt was taught to play fiddle by a mixture of tradition bearing stylists including southeast Missouri French Creole fiddlers Roy Boyer and Charlie Pashia in the tradition of their fathers. The southern Illinois Western Swing fiddle legend Wade Ray also influenced him. He became an adopted son of the French Midwest Creoles who settled near St. Louis and Cahokia by playing at weekly house parties or “bouillons” and later made journeys that have included studies in Louisiana, Quebec, and Tennessee. Dennis finds himself in a unique position as one who can speak knowledgeably and play in a variety of French Creole as well as Old-time Western musical styles. With a master’s in history from SIU-Carbondale and a Certificate of French Quebecois Studies from The University of Quebec, Dennis is not only a musician but a passionate educator who entertains and teaches his audiences at the same time. Speaking engagements, residencies, and performances include The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, The Library of Congress, The Kennedy Center, The Missouri Folklore Society, and Festival Acadian in Lafayette, LA.
Websites:
http://www.creolefiddle.com
http://www.honkytonkfiddle.com