Try your hand at playing Cajun-Creole dance music! Blair (accordion and vocals) and Steve (fiddle, guitar) will lead you through a waltz, a two-step, and a bluesy shuffle. Since Blair plays a “D” accordion, tunes will be in D and A. Best for those with basic proficiency on their instruments, but all are welcome to listen and learn – and to join in.
Blair Kilpatrick and Steve Tabak have been active members of the Bay Area’s vibrant Louisiana French music community since they moved to Berkeley from Chicago in the late 1990s. Since 1999, their band Sauce Piquante has performed at festivals and venues throughout the SF Bay Area, which is home to the largest Cajun-Zydeco music community outside the Gulf Coast. They also host jam sessions at their home.
Their music is rooted in two traditions: Cajun and old-time Creole. Whether they play as a duo or as part of a full dance band, Blair and Steve try to capture the authentic sound of South Louisiana’s dance halls, house parties, and church dances.
Their band’s debut recording “Sauce Piquante Live” got a thumbs-up in a Dirty Linen magazine review. Blair is also the author of “Accordion Dreams” (U. Press Mississippi, 2009), which documents her musical journey. She and her fiddler-husband Steve were among the musicians profiled in “Zydeco Nation,” a public radio documentary about the Louisiana Creole migration to Northern California.