The Big Easy in Buffalo celebrates Mardi Gras with pair of concerts

Shows featuring New Orleans, Buffalo bands on tap

Press Release

The Big Easy in Buffalo announced two Mardi Gras concerts to wrap up its 19th season of connecting Western New York and Louisiana through music. They are:

•LeeRon Zydeco and The Buffalo Touch – “Mardi Graski 5” – Sunday, Feb. 15, at Potts Banquet Hall (1 p.m. doors, 2 p.m. start; tickets: $10/15) – Buffalo’s zydeco master LeeRon Zydeco, and Grammy-nominated polka band The Buffalo Touch, will each perform a set, then join each other for a unique jam bringing two very different musical styles together. Kidd Kyle (The Brass Machine) and Captain Tom (Cpt. Tom & The Hooligans) will join both bands to add to the musical mayhem, and the dance floor will be open.

•CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band, Banjo Juice Jazz Band – the 19th annual “Mardi Gras Jam” – Friday, Feb. 20, at Sportsmens Tavern (6 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. start; $20/25). Direct from Louisiana, Chenier brings a family tradition of blistering zydeco to Buffalo. Opening the show is local favorites Banjo Juice Jazz Band, a collective of first-call musicians brought together by Folkfaces’ Tyler Westcott.

In addition to these public shows, The Big Easy in Buffalo will bring local NOLA-style band The Brass Machine into schools in Buffalo and Kenmore to celebrate Mardi Gras culture with students.

More information on the shows and links to purchase tickets are at www.thebigeasyinbuffalo.org and www.facebook.com/TheBigEasyInBuffalo. Free tickets to both concerts are available to Arts Access passholders by emailing thebigeasyinbuffalo@gmail.com.

“When you think about New Orleans music, you think about Mardi Gras; so, we’re celebrating the season and putting a Buffalo spin on it,” The Big Easy in Buffalo founder and director Tod Kniazuk said. “We’re gearing up for season 20 later this year, but first its carnival time!”

Since 2007, The Big Easy in Buffalo has brought New Orleans and Louisiana music and culture to the Western New York region several times a year for free and low-cost live performance, as well as music education and mentoring for local musicians, students, and the community.

Through The Big Easy in Buffalo, thousands of students, dozens of local bands, and countless audience members in Western New York have been exposed to this unique American culture.