Gary Comeau & The Voodoo Allstars

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Gary Comeau & The Voodoo Allstars possess a unique and original flair that lays out a soundscape of the jazz, roots, latin & r&b blues from the cultural rich history of New Orleans. From the jazz influence of Louis Armstrong, the New Orleans piano sounds of Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Dr. John & Allen Toussaint to the funky sounds of the Neville Brothers, Gary weaves his own musical gumbo style.

The Voodoo Allstars are:
Gary Comeau - piano, fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, vocal
Tim Hearsey - guitar, vocal
Jerry Cook - sax, washboard, percussion
Rob Becker - bass
Chris Nordquist - drums, washboard, vocal

Gary Comeau  seems to have taken a long and inspiring detour through Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta. Comeau, born and raised in Nova Scotia as a French-Acadian, discovered the New Orleans rocking roots and blues in Alberta, from a Oklahoma musician nonetheless.

“I really didn’t discover that style of music until my early twenties” admits Comeau. “I think it was  being French Canadian that I gravitated to the music in a big time way. It was something that resonated with me.” Having played in bands for years, Comeau was touring in Alberta when they took a break at a truck stop, picked up a Louisiana Cajun music tape and it ended up being the only thing played in the van for the rest of the tour,” said Comeau. “That is when it really stuck with me in a big time way.” But New Orleans music isn’t all they are about. Comeau and the Voodoo Allstars take the rhythm of the Maritime Acadian music, zydeco swamp, bayou blues, swing and whatever else they are feeling when the moment hits to sync with their impressive showmanship on the stage. Comeau sings and plays a handful of different instruments. For him it all started with simply strumming on a guitar with a buddy. “I had a friend that was a good singer/songwriter and what happened is we were both 17 and decided it was springtime and we were going to hop on a train across the country from Nova Scotia. Our parents didn’t even know, my mom found out the night before we were leaving and she figured if she let me go I would come back a month later with my tail between my legs,” said Comeau. It was 14 years before I went back to Nova Scotia.”

“I started playing the fiddle, squeaking and squeaking and all that stuff from a fiddle I bought in downtown Cagary. 

Then came along the mandolin, piano, & accordion

.” Since 1997, Gary has released 4CD’s and Comeau’s song Marianne was featured in the film Double Jeopardy starring Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones. 

Comeau and the Voodoo Allstars are mainstays at the Dream Café in Penticton having playing there well over a dozen times. They love the place so much the band are considering putting together a new album at Blue Frog Studio in Vancouver with a potential for some of the live tracks they have recorded at the Dream Café being included on it. The band leader said the Dream Café is a special place where people come because the music brought in is so varied. He said musicians also come from all across the country just to say they played there because of the audience and atmosphere the venue has built.

“Music is a conversation. There is this interaction between the players and the audience. Every night is different which makes it very fun,” said Comeau. “