Cha Wa features legendary Mardi Gras Indian singers Irving "Honey" Banister & J'Wan Boudreaux, Kerry "Boom Boom" Vessell on Bass Drum & Joe Gelini on Drums.
Cha Wa merges the sounds of Mardi Gras Indians chanting on the streets of New Orleans with the meditative drone of early blues.
The band's name comes from a slang phrase used by Mardi Gras Indian gangs in New Orleans. If you have ever walked the legendary street corner of Second & Dryades on Mardi Gras Day, you may have heard the call of the spy boys confidently yelling "Cha Wa" meaning "we're coming for 'ya!"
"Cha Wa (Mardi Gras Indian/Funk) It’s a sound that could only come out of New Orleans: the music Mardi Gras Indians mixed with blues. Led by Mardi Gras Indian Eric “Yedi” Boudreaux, Cha Wa is a must-see group for fans of the special music that is born in the Crescent City." - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. (Facebook)
Cha Wa merges the sounds of Mardi Gras Indians chanting on the streets of New Orleans with the meditative drone of early blues.
The band's name comes from a slang phrase used by Mardi Gras Indian gangs in New Orleans. If you have ever walked the legendary street corner of Second & Dryades on Mardi Gras Day, you may have heard the call of the spy boys confidently yelling "Cha Wa" meaning "we're coming for 'ya!"
"Cha Wa (Mardi Gras Indian/Funk) It’s a sound that could only come out of New Orleans: the music Mardi Gras Indians mixed with blues. Led by Mardi Gras Indian Eric “Yedi” Boudreaux, Cha Wa is a must-see group for fans of the special music that is born in the Crescent City." - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. (Facebook)
