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Above: Blues stage
headliners Leon Russell, Booker T., Eric Burdon
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The
27th annual Simi
Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival will rock
once again at Memorial Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and
29, at Rancho Santa Susanna Community Park, 5005 Los Angeles Ave.,
in Simi Valley. The event features two full stages (and two dance
floors) for each of its musical genres. Music will proceed non-stop
each day from 12 noon until 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults
(13 and over) and children 12 and younger are free. Discount single
day tickets of $20 and two-day passes for $35, are available only
online at <http://www.simicajun.org>.
Parking is ample and free. Fast-moving California Hwy. 118 (Ronald
Reagan Freeway) can be taken to the Stearns Street exit; the
festival is four blocks south.
This year, the blues stage
features headliners Booker T, legendary keyboardist for Stax
hitmakers Booker T & the MGs; Eric Burdon & the Animals;
Leon Russell; and the Rebirth Brass Band;as well as
L.A. blueswoman Barbara Morrison; Alvon Johnson; Guy
Martin; Kelly’s Lot and returning from last year by
popular demand, Reverend Tall Tree. Once again Dwayne
Dopsie performs at both the blues stage and the Cajun and
Zydeco stage, “King of Cajun” Jo-El Sonnier brings his
Acadian spirit to Simi.
On the Cajun and Zydeco
stage, Cajun hitmaker Doug Kershaw joins forces with
Steve Riley, and Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers
once again perform at both the Cajun/Zydeco and blues stages.
Grammy Award winners Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band
bring genuine Louisiana-styled Zydeco.Also appearing are Mark
St. Mary, Bonne Musique Zydeco and the Bayou Brothers.
The annual Mardi Gras
Parade will take place both days at 4 p.m.
About the headliners:
Booker T.: Booker is a Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame inductee,
Musicians Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
recipient and arguably the most famous Hammond B3 player in
history. As lead of the legendary Booker T and the MG’s, this
pillar of soul music collaborated with Otis Redding, Albert King,
Eddie Floyd and Sam and Dave during his tenure at the renowned Stax
Records Label. His 2009 solo release on Anti Records, “Potato Hole”
won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album in 2010. Booker
followed with “The Road From Memphis”, a soulful return to the
classic Memphis sound recorded with The Roots and released in 2011
with Anti- Records.
Eric Burdon & the Animals: Eric Burdon has one of the most powerful and
distinctive voices in rock and roll. Hailed by Rolling Stone as one
of the 100 Greatest Voices of All Time, Burdon has released nearly
50 records in those 50 years, as front man of The Animals and WAR
and simply as Eric Burdon. Through the changing sounds and genres,
what remains constant is his courage as an artist to explore new
sounds, diving into new territory with his unrivaled and unique
voice. Eric Burdon has shared the stage with legends such as Chuck
Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Witherspoon, Otis Redding and Bruce
Springsteen, and has recently been cited by cutting edge musicians
like Patti Smith and Iggy Pop as one of their personal top ten
musicians.
Leon Russell: In his distinguished and unique 50-year
career, Leon Russell has played on, arranged, written and/or
produced some of the best records in popular music. As a
session musician, arranger, producer, singer, songwriter, pianist,
guitarist, record company owner, bandleader, and touring musician,
he has collaborated with hundreds of artists, but is best known for
his own hits, including “Tight Rope,” “Song For You,” “Delta Lady,”
“Lady Blue,” “Roller Derby” and his cover of Bob Dylan’s “A Hard
Rain’s a-Gonna Fall.”
Barbara Morrison: Over the years, Detroit-born L.A. blues legend
Barbara Morrison has performed with a virtual who's who of the jazz
and blues worlds: Gerald Wilson, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles,
James Moody, Ron Carter, Etta James, Esther Phillips, David T.
Walker, Jimmy Smith, Johnny Otis, Dr. John, Kenny Burrell, Terence
Blanchard, Joe Sample, Cedar Walton,Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams,
Tony Bennett, and Keb' Mo. Morrison has also guest-starred with the
Count Basie Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra and Doc
Severinsen's Big Band. "I Wanna Be Loved" written by
Barbara Morrison and Michael Cormier is a musical theatre
production about the life and times of Dinah Washington, Queen of
the Blues.
Rebirth Brass Band: Whether seen on HBO’s Tremé or at their
legendary Tuesday night gig at The Maple Leaf, Grammy-winning
Rebirth Brass Band is a true New Orleans institution. Formed in
1983 by the Frazier brothers, the band has evolved from playing the
streets of the French Quarter to playing festivals and stages all
over the world.
Doug Kershaw with Steve Riley: Take one monumental figure from the history of
Cajun music. Combine in equal portions with the reigning master of
contemporary Cajun music. Blend in a couple of 90-year-old
accordions and a couple of 250-year-old fiddles. Let sit in an
elaborate shack out on the Cajun prairie for five days. Flavor with
four original tunes, eight traditional tunes, apportioning roughly
an equal number of vocals for each musician. Title the
collaboration album, simply, Doug Kershaw and Steve Riley Face
to Face. Sit back and prepare to be transported.
Dwayne Dopsie: America’s Hottest Accordion winner Dwayne (Dopsie)
Rubin, plays a unique, high energy style of zydeco. Dwayne hails
from one of the most influential Zydeco families in the world.
While inspired by tradition, he has developed his own high-energy
style that defies existing stereotypes and blazes a refreshingly
distinct path for 21st century Zydeco music. This singer/songwriter
and accordionist has performed all over the world since debuting
his band, Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, at age 19.
Jo-El Sonnier: His music steeped in passion and relentless
dedication, Sonnier has been the undisputed King of Cajun for the
past 25 years and occupies a significant place in the rich artistic
landscape of this country. Born in Louisiana to poor, French
speaking sharecroppers. He began to play the accordion at three
years of age. By the middle ‘80s, Jo-El had a Grammy nominated
recording to his credit with Cajun Life. In 2015 he
was awarded the Grammy for The Healing Song which he wrote with his
Nashville friends Billy Henderson and AJ Masters and recorded with
a veritable who’s who of Cajun and Zydeco music.
Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band: often referred to as The World’s Premier Zydeco
Showman, Chubby Carrier was born in Churchpoint, Louisiana and is
the third generation of zydeco artists so it was only natural that
he began his musical career at the age of 12 by playing drums with
his father’s band. At 15 he took up the accordion and by age 17 he
was playing with Terrance Siemien with whom he toured the world for
2 1/2 years. In 1989 he formed his own band. And in 2011 the band
won the Grammy Award for the Best Zydeco or Cajun Album. Carrier
and band have recorded ten CDs over the past 22 years while also
touring the world.
Once again the blues stage
is booked by Martin Fleischmann and his company, Rum &
Humble. For more than 20 years Rum & Humble has played a key
role in presenting some of the world’s most celebrated musical
talent (Radiohead, Manu Chao, and the Rolling Stones, to name a
few) to Los Angeles audiences, in venues ranging from the Echoplex
to the Orpheum Theatre to the Hollywood Bowl. The company has
co-produced the Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Concert Series since
2011. In addition, Rum & Humble has collaborated closely
and creatively with artists such as Jackson Browne and Paul
Oakenfold as well as with a varied roster of corporate and
non-profit clients ranging from KJAZZ Radio to the Conga Room
nightclub to the National Geographic Society.
The festival has received
national press accolades: “Everywhere you turned, there was
something exciting happening. Put this on your 2013 festival
calendar,” wrote Blue Revue editor Art Tipaldi, who made the
trek from New England. The Blues Blast writer enthused, “I
attend many venues and festivals throughout the year but the ones
that seem to impress me the most are the ones that serve the
community in some way. I highly recommend you put this on your
calendar for next Memorial Day weekend.” And the music industry
trade journal Hits added, “As the last strains of [Candye]
Kane’s set rang in our ears, we left the grounds fully sated by
music, food, drink and, as the saying goes, bon temps.”
The festival boasts dozens
of food booths featuring a variety of fare: authentic Cajun
creations and Southern BBQ as well as multi-cultural cuisine. More
than 100 craft booths and retailers will be scattered throughout
the festival grounds.
Support of the
not-for-profit Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival has
benefited dozens of local community, national and international
organizations, a list of which may be found at < http://www.simicajun.org/who-benefits/>.
The Simi Valley Cajun
& Blues Music Festival is a presentation of the Rotary Club of
Simi Sunrise.
SATURDAY MAY 28th
(Schedule subject to change)
BLUES STAGE
12:15 p.m. Guy Martin
1:35 p.m. Barbara Morrison
3:00 p.m. Rebirth Brass Band
4:45 pm. Eric Burdon & The Animals
6:20 p.m. Dwayne Dopsie
CAJUN/ZYDECO STAGE
12:25 p.m. Bayou Brothers
1:55 p.m. Dwayne Dopsie
3:25 p.m. Doug Kershaw with Steve Riley
4:35 p.m. Mardi Gras Parade
4:55 p.m. Chubby Carrier
6:25 p.m. Mark St. Mary
SUNDAY MAY 29th
BLUES STAGE
12:15 p.m. Kelly’s Lot
1:35 p.m. Alvon Johnson
3:00 p.m. Booker T
4:45 p.m. Leon Russell
6:20 p.m. Reverend Tall Tree
CAUN/ZYDECO STAGE
12:25 p.m. Bonne Musique Zydeco
1:50 p.m. Jo-El Sonnier
3:15 p.m. Chubby Carrier
4:20 p.m. Mardi Gras Parade
4:40 p.m. Doug Kershaw with Steve Riley
6:05 p.m. Dwayne Dopsie
Below: Cajun/Zydeco headliners Jo-El Sonnier,
Doug Kershaw & Steve Riley, Dwayne Dopsie
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