Mardi Gras may have just passed, but our love for Louisiana hasn't faded. Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience are bringing their roots, funk, and reggae flavored version of this classic Louisiana music to Bamboo Room this weekend.
"Zydeco music is the music of the creole people," he says, "The creole people have been in Louisiana for over three hundred years. We have our own music, our own food, and it's a music that has two lead instruments." These are the accordion and the rubboard. Simien is himself an eighth generation Creole. He heads up a six-piece band which he's played with for 31 years. They've performed all over the globe.
Hailing from southwestern Louisiana, Simien taught himself to play the accordion as a 13-year old when his father bought him the instrument for his birthday. He also sings. "This music is popular in the area where I grew up." He says, "They have zydeco dances at these dance halls and I fell in love with the music." The unique genre exploded around the world in the eighties, Simien says, and now people have zydeco bands all over the world. "It's a dance music," Simien confirms.
The Zydeco Experience takes to the road often and has every year since 1985. His wife and daughter sometimes join him on tour, but they wisely pick the cushiest gigs like those in Australia or Europe. "When it's the hard road gigs, they choose to stay at home."
They've played the Bamboo Room quite a few times. He's looking forward to coming back to South Florida to see friends who he has met playing festivals and shows down here. "They've become more than friends, more like family."
Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience will play on Saturday, February 25, at Bamboo Room (25 So. J Street,
Lake Worth) at 9p.m. Visit www.bamboorm.com.
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