Wednesday, 25 May, 2011 12:26
by Chris Jay
It's been a good year for Cajun and Zydeco music fans in Shreveport-Bossier. Sam's Town Live! has hosted multiple visits by the likes of Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and the phenomenal Jo-el Sonnier, and now the 28th annual Mudbug Madness festival has arrived, bringing with it tons of great live performers. As with any festival, it's hard to pick favorites, but here are a few videos from some performers I'm excited about seeing:
Lil' Nate & The Zydeco Bigtimers
Thursday, May 26, 4:30 p.m.
On record, these guys are a hybrid of hip-hop, R&B, and Zydeco - check out their Myspace page and you're likely to encounter hip-hop remixes and autotuned vocals. Live they seem more likely to stick to tradition. I'm a big fan of several songs, especially "Dead Wrong." For fans of contemporary R&B or hip-hop, this will be an unusual treat - I mean, the guy has an album called Zydeco Ballin'.
Wayne Toups & ZydeCajun
Thursday, May 26, 8:15 p.m.
This guy's a legend. One of the most commercially successful Cajun singer/songwriters, Wayne Toups has recorded albums for Polygram and Mercury Records, has appeared in a Super Bowl broadcast (in 1990), had several songs featured in major motion pictures (including Steel Magnolias), and more. His tunes are fast-paced and more accessible than some Cajun music, with most lyrics sung in English. The obviously dated clip above is taken from Les Blank's film seminal Cajun music film J'Etais Au Bal.
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers
Sunday, May 29, 8 p.m.
Lafayette, LA native and son of Zydeco pioneer Rockin' Dopsie, Dwayne has played the accordion since age 7. He's a notoriously rowdy and out-of-control player, prone to flashy solos that demonstrate his virtuosic control of the instrument. Live, he's known for breaking out bizarrely awesome rock covers that substitute the accordion for the guitar, such as Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe," seen in the video above.
Click here for the full line-up of Mudbug Madness performers.