Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Gras Roots

Scholars believe the word “zydeco” stems from the African term “zaico laga laga,” or “to dance.” And that certainly suits Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience’s take on the Bayou State’s signature sound. Accordion in hand, Simien does his eighth-generation Louisiana Creole roots proud by weaving Afro-Caribbean world music and reggae into both party-band tunes and ballads. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel puts it, “Give him a piece of soul food he can sink his teeth into and he sounds a little like Sam Cooke with hot sauce in his veins!” Drape your neck in shiny strings of beads as the Grammy winner and his longstanding band bring their annual Mardi Gras tour through the region this week.