| Bayou Brew; the band behind Jesse Lége, gives Jesse an incredible rhythm and a bottom line that make his music so danceable. Incredibly talented musicians all, with diverse musical interests, Bayou Brew provides their own unique interpretation of Cajun and Creole classics. |
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One need only listen for a minute to hear the Louisiana influences of the Brew. Their music is deeply rooted in tradtional Cajun styles but with a rhythm and beat demanded by patrons in dance halls in Louisiana and Texas. |
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| Darren Wallace - Fiddle |
A native of Lafayette, LA, Darren started playing fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and bass fiddle at the age of 15. Soon after, he began to seek out the older musicians in the area to study their style. This lead him to master fiddlers, Lionel LeLeux and Varise Conner, as well as many other great Cajun musicians from which Darren absorbed their music, as well as Western Swing, C&W, and Bluegrass and eventually developed his own unique style of playing.
Over the years, Darren has shared the stage with many of the legends of Cajun and Zydeco music, some of which include Dewey Balfa, Canray Fontenot, Bois Sec Ardoin Eddy Lejune, Rockin Dopsey, and Merlin Fontenot. He spent a number of years as the house fiddler for Randol’s Restaurant playing with a different accordion player every night, five nights a week.
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During this time Darren also played in other bands with the Michot Brothers and Mark “de Basile” Mire.
As a long standing member of the band File’, Darren toured extensively through out the US, Canada, Central America, South America, and Europe. As a member of File’, Darren recorded two CD for Flying Fish Records, File’ Cajun Dance Band and Two Left Feet.
He has performed at many of the major music festivals including, Festival Acadians, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Philly Folk Festival, Strawberry Park, Cajun and Bluegrass Festival In Escoheag, RI, The Big Easy Festival in Escoheag, RI, The Mystic Seaport Festival, and Newport Folk Festival.
Darren currently lives in the northwestern part of CT where he works as the Engineering Manager/Production Manager for a major guitar manufacturer.
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| Erica Weiss - Rhythm Guitar |
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Erica Weiss first fell in love with Cajun music through the dancing that is at the heart of the musical tradition. After learning at dance camps from Cajun instructors, and then traveling to Southwest Louisiana, she became a dance teacher herself to an ever-growing number of Northern enthusiasts.
Soon after, she began learning and playing the music too, first with Grand Bois and now also with Jesse Lege & Bayou Brew. In addition to Cajun music, Erica plays Appalachian old-time mountain music, and also calls square and contra dances She currently plays guitar, fiddle, and sings with old-time bands Rhythm Method String Band, the Killer Bees, and Lightning in the East.
She is frequently heard at dances up and down the east coast, as well as at Fiddlers’ Conventions where she has placed in many band contests and has backed up many winning fiddlers and banjo players.
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A proficient instructor, Erica has taught workshops in Cajun and Old-Time Band, Balkan singing, Cajun and Zydeco dance, and contra, square, and folk dance at camps and festivals including Pinewoods, Chesapeake Dance, Lincoln Center, the Dance Flurry, Old-Timer Music Camp North, Ashokan, and others.
When she is not playing with her bands, traveling, or giving workshops, Erica teaches private music lessons around her current home town of Cambridge MA where she is popular with students ranging from very young children to adults of all ages.
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| Evelyn Schneider - Bass |
Born in Reykjavík, Iceland, Evelyn Schneider has lived in the Hudson Valley since Kindergarten, excepting one year in Bescançon, France, where she taught English at the Université de Franche Comté.
She picked up the flute at age ten, performing with the high school band and NYSMA, and picked up acoustical guitar and electric bass in her early teens. Evie currently plays bass with Jesse Lége and Bayou Brew.
She occasionally backs up Pam Wiggins (Folk/Rock) on bass and performs in reunions with her all-female group from the sixties, The Queens (Rock). Her bass track is recorded on Jo Salas’s CD, Circus Decisions, and on Jesse Lége and Joel Savoy, Live at Glen Echo (soon to be released from Valcour Records).
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| Performing with Jesse Lége and Bayou Brew, Evie has played at Festival Acadiens (LA), The Strawberry Park Cajun Festival (CN), The Liberty Theater (LA, televised), The Blue Moon (LA), The Cajun Barn (England), The Hideaway and Grant Park (Chicago), Connolly's and The Riverside Accordion Festival (NYC), and at a variety of dance halls in the New England and Louisiana areas. She occasionally plays bass with Cleoma's Ghost. She also teaches literature and writing to seniors and sophomore honor students at Goshen High School, has a Ph.D. in English from New York University, and hosts some awesome jams at The Purple House, where she resides with Jesse Lége, in Gardiner, NY. |
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| Gary Graeff |
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After 36 years playing music in Lafayette, Louisiana, Gary Graeff moved to Ithaca, New York, to expand his music world. Gary has performed a wide range of musical styles--cajun, zydeco, rock, pop, soul, and jazz fusion--on guitar, drums, bass, keyboards, and vocals. With the Lafayette-based Rufus band, Gary recorded the regional hit song, “Opelousas Sostan.”
The upstate New York music scene affords Gary the opportunity to travel the northeast, playing drums with Jesse Lége and guitar with Li'l Anne and Hot Cayenne (zydeco). He also plays with numerous Ithaca-area bands, such as Hee Haw Nightmare, The Small Kings, The All American Hell Drivers, and the Jaimie Pyles Orchestra. When not playing music, Gary keeps busy rock climbing and riding his Harley, enjoying the beautiful upstate New York area.
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