Lakou Mizik: Haitian Roots Gumbo at The Falcon

By Journalist Ms. Jones

MARLBORO – A group of Haitian singers and musicians known as Lakou Mizik performed at The Falcon in Marlboro on Wednesday, August 16. They were finishing up their North American Tour before returning to Haiti. They have been playing together for six years.

“After the earthquake in Haiti in 2011 there was no joy, no life with everyone… We all thought it was the end of the world because in Haiti, it’s the first time we’ve seen something like that.

They made a camp for everybody that had a breaking house… Nobody was smiling, so we started to play music with a guitar and a conga to see if people could have joy back… We didn’t know what to play because there is old generation, there is new generation, and… kids… We mixed old traditional songs with church songs with voodoo songs… it’s like a bouyon, a mix of everything cultural that we had,” said Steve Valcourt, lead singer and guitar player.

Despite what you hear, Lakou Mizik says not to be afraid of voodoo.

“Voodoo means living with the spirit, meaning the faith element. The air, the water, the earth, and the fire. You are the fifth element… Voodoo is the culture of Haiti. That is the power to live with everything that lives,” said Valcourt.

“Wa Di Yo” is their latest CD. It stands for go and tell them, after you hear the CD you can tell people about the Haitian culture.

Rootbrew opened up the evening. Their music style is world soul, a mix of world beat and soul. There’s a little rock and reggae in the music. They also have influences of African music.

But, they are not just about having fun, they are very conscious.

“Recently we recorded three protest songs… We are going to… make them into an EP that is… politically relevant… There’s a song called ‘She Marches On’ that’s about the Women’s March and… women’s rights, marches, and movements throughout history… there’s a song called ‘Let Them In’… that’s about the current immigration ban situation and ‘Rising Up,’” said Meg Riebesell, lead singer of Rootbrew.

The admission was free. There was a donation box at the door for customers to donate or they could add a donation on to their food or drink check.

“We always do it by donations. Our mission here is support living artists. So, we ask people to contribute what they can… I have been doing it this way for seventeen years,” said Tony Falco, owner of the Falcon.