L'Esprit Creole requested the audience participate in a French-Catholic tradition of the Twelfth Night. They played the song that kicks off the King's Ball called "Chevalier de la Table Ronde," in English "Knights of the Round Table." Everyone pretended to have a glass and raised it in the air. When asked by the king in the song if the drink was good, they responded "Oui, Oui." When asked if someone could take their drink, they dropped their glass and responded "No, No."
Dennis Stroughmatt and Doug Hawe play the song "Grandmere se Plainte" in in English, "Grandma Complains." It is a "pretty" song where grandmother was always complaining about being cold and hungry. To stop the complaining, grandfather goes out hunting and never returns because he is eaten by a wolf. As the story goes, she is still hungry and still complaining.
Third-generation Montanan bassist Bob Knebel laid down the beat. He has played with Stoughmatt on previous tours in Idaho and Washington.
SEELEY LAKE – Dennis Stroughmatt and L'Esprit Creole engaged the audience with their fast fingers, traditional stories and introduction to the Illinois French language and culture at their concert Sunday, Oct. 8 at Seeley-Swan High School. While many of the vocals were in Illinois French, they translated the storyline between songs.
One of the common themes that guitarist Doug Hawe warned the audience was, "the pretty, beautiful, slow songs is most likely about death and destruction." Stroughmatt added, "The prettier the song, the worse it is for the people in the song." This became the running joke through the performance when they would announce a "pretty" song.
This was not the only venue for L'Esprit Creole. They also did informances for the local students and lit up the stage at Trixi's Bar in Ovando Saturday Night.
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