Louis Michot + Marcella Simien

Description

Join us for a one-of-a-kind night of cajun creole and swamp soul with a double-bill show co-presented by two-time Grammy® -winning fiddler and singer Louis Michot and swamp-soul luminary Marcella Simien! **ABOUT LOUIS MICHOT:** Louis Michot is best known as the fiddle player and lead-singer for the Grammy award winning Lost Bayou Ramblers, but his passion for Louisiana French, local folklore, and sustainability on the sinking Louisiana coastline are what fuels his inspiration as a musician. With two Grammy awards, 6 film scores, more than 100 published songs, and over 20 LPs under his belt, his music career continues to push the boundaries of the Louisiana French music traditions. Louis’ first solo album, Rêve du Troubadour, released in 2023, featured guest artists Bombino, Leyla McCalla, Quintron, Langhorn Slim, and Dickie Landry, and received six nominations in New Orleans’ Best of the Beat Awards, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for “Boscoyo Fleaux.” In 2021 Louis was featured in Rolling Stone and the New Yorker for his work in hurricane disaster relief and bringing renewable energy alternatives to the residents of Terrebonne Parish following Hurricane Ida. Along with his brother Andre, co-founder of Lost Bayou Ramblers, Louis was named Louisianian of the Year in 2020, and the band was awarded Entertainers of the Year by New Orleans’ Big Easy Awards in 2019. 2018 brought the Lost Bayou Ramblers’ first Grammy award for their 8th LP release, Kalenda, followed by a second Grammy in 2024 for their collaboration with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra on Live: Orpheum Theater NOLA. In 2012 Louis’ violin and vocal work was the main feature for the score of the Oscar-nominated film Beasts of the Southern Wild. That same year, Lost Bayou Ramblers’ Mammoth Waltz was named the 2nd most important Louisiana album of the 21st century by The Times-Picayune and won New Orleans’ Best of the Beat award for Album of the Year. **ABOUT MARCELLA SIMIEN:** Marcella Simien was born into one of the first Creole families to settle St. Landry Parish. Daughter of two-time GRAMMY™ award winning Zydeco luminary Terrance Simien, Marcella was practically born onstage and grew up immersed in sound and performance. Visits to the family home from legends such as David Hidalgo of Los Lobos or Taj Mahal, who once sang her “Happy Birthday,” were not uncommon. Simien holds a degree from Memphis College of Art, which is what originally brought her to Memphis, Tennessee. Feeling a kindred connection to the city’s rich history and bustling community of working musicians, she began planting the seeds of her South Louisiana heritage in the Bluff City. She has since forged her own pathways in the local, national, and international music scenes, following her heart as an artist while wielding the torch of a Creole dynasty. Simien founded and serves as bandleader in Marcella & Her Lovers—a hybrid of classic Memphis soul with the freewheeling swagger of New Orleans funk. Featuring an ensemble cast of Memphis musicians, Simien emerges as an undeniably powerful frontwoman. Her lyrics explore themes of love, loss, and healing, and her vocal work embodies feminine strength. With each angelic holler and pump of the Creole accordion, she reinvents the mold of Memphis music while giving a wink and a nod to her ancestors. Confident, composed, and courageous, Simien is a bona fide artist in her own right with musical wisdom beyond her years. As legendary record producer and owner of Royal Studios Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell puts it, “Marcella is one of the most soulful artists I've heard since the glory days of Memphis soul music. Her sound and stage presence are constant reminders that soul music is still alive and well.” Simien’s selected career milestones and accolades to date include: “Meet Me In Memphis”—a one-on-one interview feature produced by Southern Living & IKEA USA that has reached over 1.5 million views on Facebook; the honor of being one of only 500 artists in America nominated for a $50,000 USA Artists Fellowship; a feature on the nationally-syndicated radio program Beale Street Caravan; a feature in the Memphis Flyer’s “20 Under 30” cover issue; performing twice on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise alongside such greats as Marcia Ball, Allen Toussaint, and Irma Thomas; and lending guest vocals to her father Terrance Simien’s album Dockside Sessions, which won a 2014 GRAMMY™ for Best Regional Roots Album of the Year. In addition to Marcella & Her Lovers, Simien performs with Marcella & Les Vagues, Magnolias, and Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience. Recently, Simien made her New York City debut at Joe's Pub and her London debut as a duo with Mark Black of Sweet on drums. She signed with a new management team, Yonas Media, in June of 2020.