Although Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, the annual celebration of Louisiana French culture, takes place at Girard Park Friday, October 9, through Sunday, October 11, festivities will begin earlier in the week and continue into live music venues each night. This edition of Lafayette Weekly will highlight these shows.
On Wednesday evening, the Sidecar will host Bal de Maison featuring the Pine Leaf Boys, with special guests Horace Trahan and Freddy Pate. The event will benefit the Courtney Granger Memorial Award, which funds music education programs for aspiring young musicians. Thursday sees the premiere of Dry Bones, a documentary series that follows local and international artists as they uncover and reimagine songs from the archives at the Center for Louisiana Studies. All 10 episodes will be shown at the Acadiana Center for the Arts starting at 2 p.m., along with live performances and discussions featuring artists involved in the series, including Swedish accordionist Thor Ahlgren, Steve Riley, Kelli Jones & Megan Constantin, and others.
Corey Ledet and Black Magic will bring their brand of Creole and zydeco to Feed n’ Seed Friday night while Dustin Dale Gaspard and the Lost Bayou Ramblers will take over the Blue Moon for their post-festival party. Bonsoir Catin and accordionist Cameron Dupuy are set to play Rock n’ Bowl on Saturday, with Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band performing the same stage the following night. Diamond J and the Ruby Red Raindrops make their Blue Moon Saloon debut on Sunday at the same time Cajun quintet Chère Elise plays the Hideaway on Lee.
If French waltzes and zydeco shuffles aren’t really your thing, here are some other shows to catch this week: country legends Brooks & Dunn at the Cajundome Thursday night; The Ruins presents New Orleans alternative rock outfit Cowboy Mouth on Friday; Baby Bats and the Millie Grace Band will be at Artmosphere Saturday night; and, finally, Acath, Drive Doctor Drive, and Attack Dog play the Loose Caboose Sunday.
This extended Lafayette Weekly Playlist includes the long list of musicians playing around the Hub City this week before, during, and after Festivals Acadiens et Créoles. You’ll hear tracks by the late Courtney Granger, country hitmakers Brooks & Dunn, and rock ’n’ soul singer Diamond J. Zydeco from Keith Frank, Corey Ledet, and Horace Trahan is included alongside French songs by Kelli Jones and Megan Constantin, Steve Riley, Bonsoir Catin, Jourdan Thibodeaux, and more!
