Lil' Brian

Dirty Linen

This is an excerpt from the print edition of Dirty Linen #129 (April/May 2007).
The full article is in the magazine, available on newsstands, by subscription, and at the Dirty Linen webstore.

Lil' Brian

Zydeco Unlimited

by Linda J. Morris

Some dreamers may shoot for the moon just to be among the stars. But when Brian Terry gazes at the heavens, his goal is to be one of the stars. And he may get there yet. The music of Lil' Brian and the Zydeco Travelers, especially since the 2000 release of Funky Nation, has been praised as innovative, cutting edge, masterful, sophisticated, and, yes, funky, very funky.

"I guess I'm a little bit of all that, but I would say innovative and creative most of all," Terry said, taking a break at the Hot August Blues Festival in Cockeysville, Maryland, last summer. "I wanna do my own thing, 'cause if you look at the legends of the business, Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Bob Marley, Dr. J, Snoop… these are people who blazed their own paths. These guys created styles that people talked about. Bob Marley's been dead since '81, but he's got a record that's still in the top 20 on the Billboard chart."

However, those who expect the traditional approach may not be ready for Terry's unique interpretation. With zydeco's signature driving rhythm, spunky rubboard, relentless accordion riffs, and Terry's own rich voice, the band delves into traditional Creole mixed with urban soul, R&B -- and hints of hip-hop, rap, and whatever else catches Lil' Brian's ear.

[cover #129]