Kyle Huval & the Dixie Ramblers

Cajun | Eunice, LA

Already a veteran of the Cajun music scene, Kyle Huval describes his band the Dixie Club Ramblers as playing heavy-hitting dancehall music in the spontaneous style of the 1960s and 70s.

Huval strives to deliver a sound that’s a few generations removed and many elements of his music are a joyful throwback. There’s virtually no electric bass but choke chords played by Josephine Vidrine for a delightful rhythmic thud and a stabilizing dance beat. Joel Savoy and Mitch Schexnyder’s twin fiddles add a luscious layer with glorious harmonies and occasional screaming high notes. And Huval himself delivers a multi-prong threat in his own right. One reviewer describes him as a crushing accordionist with an unsinkable buoyancy who is also an adept steel guitarist who either echoes the melody rides or strikes rhythmic pulses while others solo. Huval pays homage to the classic Cajun vocalists by singing in that classic high lonesome, somewhat restrained style. Straight Allons, their second release, finds the band tighter and livelier than ever before, with new songs in the Cajun French language interspersed with a few standards and even a Jim Croce song, which somehow fits right in. This is Louisiana Cajun music at its finest and will be showcased on the stages of the Montana Folk Festival this July. Straight Allons!