Louisiana Music for a New Generation
In Southwest Louisiana, a young man tries to educate a new generation about the music that marks the region. Israel Chiasson, known as Zydeco Izreal on social media, grew up his entire life in Lafayette parish surrounded by the Creole culture that was passed down to him by his family and other musicians. In October 2024, he started his Instagram account and started recording the local Creole and Cajun musicians. He had one goal: learn directly from those people who had lived the history and share their stories with a bigger audience, a new generation.
For Israel, the culture is not hidden but the stories are not easily accessible for everyone. According to him, the stories are preserved in books, archives, and oral traditions, but it’s the accessibility that is always in question. However, Israel tries to fill this gap and give the key to this generation. He told us, “I've noticed is that younger people who follow my social media pages are genuinely interested when I share stories about early Creole fiddlers, accordionists, and musicians. Many grew up listening to modern-day Nouveau Zydeco, and for some, that's all they've known.” For him, it’s important to recount and share the history so that people know the complete story.
Zydeco has changed since its birth. In the past, musicians used the accordion, washboard, and drums like Anderson Moss, but Israel says today is not the same. Musicians are integrating auto-tune, synthesizers, 808s, and other modern influences. Yet, this musical genre remains as one of the oldest musical traditions in the United States which was born in house dances of the 1800s. To continue this tradition, Israel began a Zydeco jam at NUNU’s in Arnaudville, a place where his parents used to bring him as a child. According to him, “These gatherings are important because they provide opportunities for musicians of all ages and skill levels to come together, learn from one another, and keep our traditions alive.” An opinion he shares with others such as Colby Angelle who hosts a Creole table and Lala in Lafayette.
Israel doesn’t just want to preserve the music; he also wants to preserve the language in the music. A trend we are witnessing with other musicians such as Corey Ledet and Jermaine from the South. He said, "When I begin recording my own music, I want to preserve the language in every song, honor the musicians who came before us, and help people both in Louisiana and around the world gain a deeper understanding of our culture and history.” Recently, he started a new band called Le Nouveau Zydeco with Brayden Janice. Together, the group is aiming to recreate and celebrate the sound that echoed in every house across South Louisiana from the 1800s and 1900s.
Well for Israel, his work is not finished. He wants to continue to reach new people and access a larger audience to share and recount the history of our culture so that it’ll be preserved and for it to continue to progress in the future. To follow all that does, subscribe to his Instagram and Facebook @zydecoizrealofficial and his Tiktok @zydeco.izreal.
