Jaik Faulk: Modern Times, Crooked Songs
September 11, 2023 - November 6, 2023 Norco College
Exhibition Statement
Lately I've been learning Cajun Guitar.
I grew up with this music and I know it innately, in my bones. When living outside of Louisiana I would often be caught offguard by tears and emotion when hearing Cajun music. I'm not sure where the deep connection came from but when I decided to move back home in 2014 I knew I wanted to hear it, dance to it and before death, learn to play it.....even if only badly.
My studies have given me an understanding of not only the structure and musical theory of this folk music but it has also given me a greater understanding of my own cultural history and the roots of the things I see and encounter at home.
Cajun music is a social music, it's meant for dancing it’s meant for an experience in the moment, in person.
I try to catch a Cajun Jam weekly if not more frequently, I won't bore you with all the details but much of the time is spent telling stories of musicians, of the songs being played, of the stories adjacent to the musicians and songs. We Cajuns love a good story. This being in contrast to a Bluegrass Jam which evidently participants roll from song to song with hardly a break, I guess it's hot in South Louisiana and we just love to visit.
Here are some points of note:
Cajun music is almost always either a waltz or two-step.
Cajun music is limited by the key of the accordion present in the mix, if no accordion is present things open up a little and the fiddle is the lead instrument.
Usually you're dealing with songs in the key of C or G (C accordion) or in the key of D (D accordion).
Fiddles love a song in D.
“Crooked timing” in songs is a feature (not a bug) of Cajun music. The term references a note/beat at the end of a measure that is placed & played such that it becomes part of the next measure/phrase and hence gives a "crooked" feel to the music. It is not in every song but creeps up quite often and is jarring for unfamiliar musicians. This feel goes counter to much pop music which is "square", country music too is "square", symmetrical even... kinda normal.
Embedded in these paintings is a similar "crooked" approach to visual language, they stem from a pared down approach to my practice and presented a world of possibility in their simplicity.
