From Led Zep to zydeco: Festival offers musical variety

Staff Report
The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival will again offer a variety of music for a variety of tastes, from homegrown Cajun and zydeco to a Led Zeppelin tribute band. The 2016 edition of the festival will be Sept. 1-5 in Morgan City.
Here’s a look at the performers who will appear on Friday and Saturday. The Sunday and Monday performers will appear in Friday’s Daily Review.
FRIDAY
Cliff Hillebran &
The Anytime Band
(5-6:30 p.m.)
With many fairs, festivals and dances under their belts, The Anytime Band understands what gets the crowd moving and involved. These guys have shared the stage with some of the great swamp pop legends and it shows in their musical repertoire.
They take pride in their French and swamp pop heritage and make sure they keep the swamp pop classics alive and well, while also putting new and original swamp pop music out there such as local favorites “Brand New Me” and “Don’t Say Goodbye.”
Kyle Wilson
(7-8:30 p.m.)
Kyle Wilson is a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Alexander City, Alabama.
Wilson comes from a long line of talented musicians deeply rooted in the southern sounds of music. He has written songs and toured with many national and regional acts. In 2013, Wilson released his first EPK titled “Let The Time Pass.” This was his first major project as a solo artist. “Coast Is Clear” and the title track “Let The Time Pass” both continue to gain radio air play nationwide.
In fall 2015, Wilson teamed up with Warpaint Records and Entertainment with plans to write and record his first full-length album. Wilson’s freshman album “Look At Me Now” was released in April 2016. He is currently touring the United States promoting the new single “If I Had A Heart.”
Zoso
(9-11 p.m.)
The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience formed in 1995 to perform the most accurate and captivating Led Zeppelin live show since the real thing. For Zoso, it’s much more than just being a tribute. It’s about touching a golden era in music.
Zoso embodies Page, Plant, Bonham and Jones in their spirit, tightly wound talent and authenticity.
Each band member has been carefully selected to portray both the appearance and playing styles of their Led Zeppelin counterparts. In 18 successful years of touring, they have perfected their art. As one of the longest tenured Zeppelin tributes, Zoso’s 2400 live shows around the world, including a slot at Bonnaroo in 2003, have established them as the most traveled and successful band in the market.
Zoso’s live shows are not about simply playing the right notes, they are about aura and feeling, harkening back to the unique atmosphere Led Zeppelin created. It’s in the way they play: Each band member’s mastery of authentic vintage instruments coupled with spot-on vocals, guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards, their compelling stage persona and distinct Led Zeppelin sound, with astounding visual imagery recreates the music, magic, and mystery of a Zeppelin concert.
SATURDAY
Cajun Zydeco Dancers
(11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.)
You see the fun that our dance students are having: Now it’s time for you to become part of that fun. Let us teach you the dances: Cajun Two-Steps, Cajun Jitterbug, Zydeco, and Whiskey River Jitterbug.
Geno Delafose
(1:30-3:30 p.m.)
Geno Delafose is a zydeco accordionist and singer. He is one of the younger generations of the genre who has created the sound known as the nouveau zydeco. His sound is deeply rooted in traditional Creole music with strong influences from Cajun music and also country and western. His father is the famous zydeco accordion player John Delafose.
Delafose was born and raised in Eunice. At age 8, he joined his father’s band, the Eunice Playboys, as a rubboard player and continued to play with the band until his father’s death in 1994. He also appeared on several of the bands recordings. He switched to the accordion in the early ’90s and started to play as an opening act for his father.
In 1994, he debuted with album French Rockin’ Boogie on Rounder Records. The name of this album also became the name of his band with whom he still plays with today. He released two more albums from the label before signing with Time Square label to release “Everybody’s Dancin’” in 2003. He has also appeared on the compilation album “Creole Bred: A Tribute to Creole & Zydeco” released in 2004 on Vanguard Records.
He has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album category for his “Le Cowboy Creole” album (2007). He lives in Duralde, near Eunice, where he operates his Double D Ranch raising cattle and horses. He also holds fan appreciation parties annually.
The Beau Young Band
(4-6 p.m.)
The Beau Young Band is a variety band with a party attitude: old rock ‘n’ roll, country, zydeco and anything in between.
Beau Young has two solo albums, “Life Lessons” and “Small Town.” Both albums feature all original songs written by Young.
“Life Lessons” is a soulful journey through Young’s life, featuring songs inspired by his Marine Corps career, divorce, and hometown influences.
“Small Town” is more upbeat, featuring some dance and zydeco music with a few ballads.
The Beau Young Band is currently in the studio recording a brand new album, featuring remastered originals off of the “Life Lessons” CD, fan favorite covers, and a few new original songs.
Category 6
(6:30-8:30 p.m.)
Category 6’s live performance is an extreme combination of high-energy stage antics, amazing visuals (including the bright neon glow cast off by huge black lights), and an amazing song list that leaves the crowd breathless and screaming for more! With a song list that captures the ’80s to today, there isn’t a crowd that this band cannot win over.
Cowboy Mouth
(9-11 p.m.)
For over two decades, Cowboy Mouth has dished up its unique style of rock & roll gumbo, mixing a rowdy spirit reflective of the band’s hometown — New Orleans — with the fierce firepower of a group that lives on the road. These Louisiana natives have played more than 2,500 concerts and launched their signature song, “Jenny Says,” into the upper half of the Billboard rock charts. Above all else, they earned a well-deserved rep as a raucous, redemptive, live music experience.