Lost Bayou Ramblers:

The Lost Bayou Ramblers are the keepers of the flame, champions of Cajun music's cultural past. Growing up in Acadiana, Louis (fiddle and vocals) and Andre (accordion) Michot were immersed in roots Cajun music from birth, primarily since their father and uncles were already touring the world playing traditional songs as the band Les Freres Michot. After a decade of "initiation" on triangle, guitar, and bass, Andre and Louis felt they were prepared to take on the lead instruments - accordion and violin - and pick up the torch as the next generation in the evolution of their musical heritage.

When the brothers matched up with Chris DeShazo's bass-stomp centered drumming, Alan LeFleur's heavy-thumping upright bass and Cavan Carruth's hard-chocking rhythm guitar, the band began to play their "deep swamp beat" around Acadiana and eventually all over the United States. Since starting out in 1999, they have added dozens of original songs to compliment their vast Cajun repertoire of hundreds of early accordion dancehall tunes, pre-century fiddle tunes, and Cajun swing. It all mixes together to form a definitive sound - capturing the "roots" spirit of their culture's unique music while initiating a renewed cultural identity and pride among their generation.

The Lost Bayou Ramblers have toured through much of the United States, including performances at the International Country Music Conference in Nashville, the National Folk Festival, the Lowell Folk Festival, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens' Chile Pepper Fiesta, and the New Orleans Jazz Fest and historic Preservation Hall. The Ramblers have performed internationally in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and their most recent releases, the Grammy Nominated Live:a la Blue Moon (Swallow Records) and Vermilionaire (Bayou Perdu Records) are receiving critical acclaim across North America and Europe. www.lostbayouramblers.com/

Cedric Watson:

One of the most noted young talents to emerge in Cajun or Creole music in the past few years, Cedric Watson is a fiddler, vocalist, accordionist and songwriter of seemingly unlimited potential. Born in 1983, Cedric grew up in San Felipe, Texas surrounded by the sounds of Blues, Old Soul, Country and Zydeco. Unlike his hip-hop focused peers, Cedric was drawn to the old-style French songs of Southwest Louisiana and the greater Houston area. He soon made his way to Lafayette, La., where he was enthusiastically accepted into the musical community and immediately recognized as an important participant in the continuity of Creole music.

Cedric has played with some of the great family names in Creole music, including Dexter Ardoin and the Creole Ramblers and Jeffrey Broussard and the Creole Cowboys. With the Pine Leaf Boys, Cedric expanded his repertoire of Cajun songs while adding his Creole and Zydeco foundation to the band's true-to-the-roots Southwest Louisiana sound. Cedric continues to explore the roots of Louisiana's Creole music with his own band, Bijoux Creole. Playing a variety of old-school zydeco styles, original material and Creole traditionals, the polyrhythmic and syncopated sounds of Africa and the Caribbean are unmistakable in this ensemble of talented musicians.

Cedric revives the old Creole fiddling styles of Canray Fontenot and Bebe Carrier, injecting a healthy dose of his own personality and ingenuity, and bringing them to an ever-broadening audience. He has played across the United States as well as in France, Nova Scotia, Haiti and Spain, and would like next to go to West Africa and other parts of the French Caribbean. He has a keen interest in connecting Louisiana Creole music back to its homelands. Cedric's creative style and obvious joy in playing make him an engaging and exciting performer. Moving with ease between fiddle and accordion, his natural playfulness on stage makes him fun to watch. www.cedricwatson.com/