Featured photo: A promotional image of the band Feufollet, used courtesy of Feufollet.net.
The live music schedule for the 2017 Mudbug Madness Festival has been published online, and – as usual – it delivers a really outstanding mix of legendary figures in Cajun and zydeco music as well as a well-curated selection of younger bands who embody the future of these musical genres. The four-day festival will be held at Festival Plaza in downtown Shreveport, May 25-28, 2017, with three stages of live entertainment and lots of food and craft vendors. Check out the website for complete info or RSVP to the official Facebook event.
With headliner performances from BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet (May 25), Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys (May 26) and Wayne Toups (May 28), several of the biggest names in modern Cajun music are represented. There’s also plenty of quality zydeco on the schedule including veterans Nathan and the Zydeco ChaChas (May 26), C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band (May 27) and Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band (May 25). Other acts slated to perform include the Cajun trio T-Monde (May 28), Americana/Cajun act Feufollet (May 27) and insanely energetic 24-year-old fiddle phenom Amanda Shaw (May 25). This would be one heck of a roster of Louisiana music anywhere in the world – New Orleans, Lafayette or anywhere else.
If I were to recommend one act to folks who are looking for something a little different, I’d likely suggest catching that Feufollet performance at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 27. Feufollet take Cajun music and honky-tonk as a starting point but go somewhere modern-sounding with their influences, ending up with a sound that could be compared to Third Man Records singer Margo Price in its quieter moments, but definitely still packs the dance floor.
If you’re planning to visit Shreveport-Bossier for the 2017 Mudbug Madness Festival, check out Shreveport-Bossier.org for information on local hotels, restaurants and attractions or call (800) 551-8682 to request a free copy of the Official Visitors’ Guide to Shreveport-Bossier by mail.
