LUCERNE BLUES FESTIVAL IN SWITZERLAND

I had an amazing experience in Luzern, Switzerland with my Gumbo, Grits, and Gravy collaborators Guy Davis and Anne Harris at the 25th annual Lucerne Blues Festival last month. I had the pleasure of performing at the LBF in 2017 with my father’s band Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience and it meant the world to me to be invited back again. The festival’s presenters are so gracious and kind and take such incredible care of their musicians. It truly is such a joy to be able to work with them. It’s truly like a family.

It was also extra special because I got to jam with my homeboys from Louisiana! Corey Ledet Zydeco- Corey Ledet is one of the greatest contemporary Zydeco accordionists on the planet today! Hands down! His incredible drummer who joined him in Lucerne Jean Paul is also a longtime family friend and former accompanist in my dad’s band- the groove was insane!! Filthy dirty good!!! Jean Paul’s pocket with the bassist’s amazing feel… holdin it down behind Corey as a stellar frontman…. it was undeniably perfect. A wonderful depiction of classic Zydeco music. Corey invited me up on stage to bring a lil noise on the Rubboard too! It was a great honor and so cool to be reunited with hometown guys I had seen in several years since I moved to Memphis in 2009 … and then to be able to reconnect at a beautiful festival with an excited,European attentive listening audience…. all the way across the ocean!!…. Was so wild. And a reminder of what a blessing it is to be able to play music as our career. Such a joy. It was also so brilliant to be able to spend time visiting with fellow Memphian and quote a musicologist: Barbara Newman the President of the Blues Foundation who attended the LBF this year!!