STEVE RILEY & the MAMOU- play of Cajun Music Night

2012 Summer Nights Festival of Outdoor Concerts

Cajun Music Night at the Osher Marin JCC

Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys

Music, Dinners, Cocktails, Picnics, Dancing, Playground

Sat, July 28, 2012 @ 7pm

"Though Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are relatively young, the group has been among Cajun music’s best bands for years.  —John Wirt, Baton Rouge Advocate

Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys bring Cajun Music Night, the fourth of the five Saturday night outdoor, multi-cultural family friendly concerts of the 2012 Summer Nights Festival at the Osher Marin JCC. 

Cajun French heritage ofsouthwestern Louisiana infused with accordion & fiddle driven music sets the tone for the evening.  The Grammy Award-nominated Cajun band from
southern Louisiana formed in 1988 and has since recorded 10 albums.

They began with a reputation for excellence. Their stunningly clean and cohesive performance of Cajun French music from the backwaters of Southwest
Louisiana propelled them into the world music limelight early on, and by their third release had garnered them a Grammy nomination in the worldwide field of traditional folk music, another in 2004 and another in 2009.

From the day they started, they have gone from strength to strength. Never before in Cajun music has a comparable
wealth of skills been brought to the same table.

We invite all to throw a blanket on the turf, secure a picnic table next to the playground, sit on chairs, learn a two step or waltz and get up and dance, bring the kids and play together, or make it a date night.  Bring a dinner or purchase one on-site from Roadside BBQ. The night is filled with possibilities and the music is straight from Southwestern Louisiana.

WHAT: Cajun Music, Dance Lesson, picnics, dinner, playground, dancing, cocktails, fun. Outdoors under the stars.

WHO:  All are invited. Family Friendly

WHEN:  Sat, July 21 @ 7pm. Doors Open @ 6pm.  Dance lesson @ 6:35

WHERE: The Osher Marin JCC, 200 N San Pedro Rd.  San Rafael, CA

PARKING: Ample FREE parking.  Accessing the Osher Marin JCC from Highway 101 is effortless, ¼ mile E off 101

TICKETS: Adults- $20 advance/$25 day of/Kids
6-18 - $5. Children 5 and under FREE ~ www.marinjcc.org/summernights

MORE:  Steve Riley, of Mamou Louisiana, is a widely acknowledged master of the Cajun accordion and its singularly powerful sound. There has never been an official competition among Cajun accordionists. Whenever a contest does arise, Steve Riley usually wins it, or judges it. Most people think Steve is the best there is, and very few would argue the point. His playing is a standard by which timing, phrasing and ingenuity are measured on the royal instrument of South Louisiana. That, combined with his searing, emotional vocals, songwriting, soulful fiddling and onstage front man charisma have led many to refer to the band simply as "Steve Riley." For many, that would be
enough, but for this band, and its devoted fans, there's much, much more.

The Summer  Nights Festival  is  a series  of  five  celebrations  for  all ages  with  live  music,  dance  instruction, food,  and  family  fun.  Presented  by 
The  Kanbar  Center  for  the  Performing Arts,  each  celebration  brings  in  hundreds of  guests  for  an  evening  of  culture and  community  under  the  summer  skies. 

“One of  the  most  remarkable  aspects  of Summer  Nights  is  the  venue.  The outdoor  field  and  playground  where  the concerts  take  place  are  part  of  the larger  campus  serving  the  JCC  and Brandeis  Hillel  Day  School.  Located  uphill from  the  JCC,  Swig  field  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the  Marin  Hills  and  the  JCC  building,  creating a  self-contained,  safe,  outdoor  park-like environment  that  is  expansive  and  open, 
yet  accessible  only  through  the  JCC and  removed  from  the  street.”

Sat, 7/7: Bluegrass Night - Bill Evans Banjo opens for Hot Buttered Rum

Sat, 7/14: Euro-Gypsy Night - Rupa& the April Fishes

Sat, 7/21: African Music Night - Oliver Mtukudzi & the Black Spirits

Sat, 7/28: Cajun Night - Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys

Sat, 8/4: Latin Music Night - Orquesta La Moderna Tradicion