It seems that when a band is ready to push for a bigger audience, the music tends to embrace a broader footprint than what was played when building a local following.
But in the case of Roddie Romero & the Hub City All-Stars, their national coming out party involves cranking up what they’ve been doing for 20 years. From the image rich lyrics of their original numbers to the loving interpretations of Allen Toussaint and Bobby Charles covers, Gulfstream holds a mirror up to just about everything Roddie Romero and his writing partner Eric Adcock hold dear about their native land, Acadiana.
With media images of a flooded Lafayette, Louisiana making it the latest poster child of global weirding, it’s heartwarming to hear such a solid set of music that conveys so much love for their surroundings, their culture, their language, history and music.
“We’ve been called an immersive Louisiana experience,” remarks Adcock in the press release announcing Gulfstream’s release. But their music is part of an evolving contemporary sound that weaves in its musical past without rote repetition.
On my show last week, Roddie explained it this way: “The music scene in Lafayette is forever going forward. . . You’re holding on to your culture and where you’re from but you’re always moving forward. . . This is a beautiful, beautiful time to be where we’re from.”
And listening to Gulfstream will take you there.
Here’s the full show last week and here’s the excerpt of the Roddie Romero interview which starts and ends with two songs from Gulfstream.
Sweeney's Gumbo YaYa 
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