Cajun accordionist Kevin Naquin plays Feb. 25
The Big Easy in Buffalo series announced it will celebrate Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday, Feb. 13, with a Louisiana zydeco master and one of Buffalo's top bands: the legendary CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band, with special guests The Twang Gang.
Tickets for the show at Sportsmen's Tavern in Buffalo are $12 advance, or $15 at the door. It's the series' 11th annual Mardi Gras Jam.
Then, on Sunday, Feb. 25, The Big Easy in Buffalo presents Cajun band Kevin Naquin & The Ossun Playboys for an afternoon show, also at the Sportsmen's Tavern, for $10 at the door.
"The Big Easy in Buffalo is proud to bring some authentic and amazing Louisiana music to town, and to get CJ Chenier - one of the 'first family' of zydeco - here on Mardi Gras Day is an incredibly special opportunity," series founder and creative director Tod A. Kniazuk said. "Then we have the chance to bring one of Cajun music's hottest bands to Buffalo for the first time; don't sleep on this one as Kevin creates a nonstop dance party!"
The Big Easy in Buffalo is a program of Arts Services Initiative of WNY, which brings New Orleans and Louisiana music and culture to the Western New York region several times a year for live performance and interaction with local musicians, students and the community.
Chenier, Creole-born and raised in an indigenous American culture with a distinct language, cuisine and music, delivers a soulful vocal and accordion. The Grammy-nominated musician and recording artist has performed alongside many internationally recognized artists, including his Grammy-winning father, Clifton Chenier "The King of Zydeco," Paul Simon, Joe Sample and Ray Parker Jr., The Gin Blossoms, and John Mayall.
The Twang Gang is a group of Buffalo Music Hall of Fame members who get together every Tuesday evening at The Sportsmen's Tavern. Their sole purpose is to jam and have fun, getting people from the audience up to sing or play with them.
Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys perform Cajun music the way it's supposed to be played, keeping true to their traditional heritage, yet pushing the limits of groove with a mature experimentation that's guaranteed to keep audiences dancing.
Since 2007, The Big Easy in Buffalo has brought all genres of Louisiana music to the area.
