Big crowd at Blast from the Bayou

Blame it on the spectacular weather, the great lineup, and the cancellation of the Cajun and Zydeco fest usually held next week in Moodus, and you'll find some formula for very crowded dance floors at the annual Bash from the Bayou at Strawberry Park in Preston. It didn't matter if it was the revival Cajun of Feufollet, the Missouri Creole of Dennis Stroughmatt, or the great dancing zydeco of Houston's Brian Jack and the Zydeco Gamblers, the floor was packed from start to finish.

Zydeco in the rain

I'm sitting in my car tapping into the campground wifi as the rain pours down. In the background, a zydeco bass thumps through my windshield. The dancers are dancing on sopping floors beneath a tent, and all the musicians from Louisiana are shivering in a late New England Spring. Sun is promised for tomorrow.

Blast from the Bayou, day 2

The annual Cajun and Zydeco festival at Strawberry Park in Preston officially opened yesterday, but some of the bigger name bands first appeared today.

The day began with Dennis Stroughmatt, a fiddler from Southern Illinois, and his band providing a more than fair approximation of Louisiana music. Travis Matte, and the Kingpins, who fill large concert halls back home in Louisiana, proved that they are not some passing phase of white zyedeco music. Then the wonderfully rough-around-the-edges Pine Leaf Boys took the stage, followed by an amazing set by Geno Delafose and French Rockin Boogie, and a similarly appealing set by Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. The festival continues tomorrow and Sunday.