Brayden Janice leads youth-filled, all-St. Landry Parish zydeco band
18-year-old accordion ace Brayden Janice leads the Zydeco Capital Jam from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. June 10 at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center, I-49 exit 23, in Opelousas. The monthly jam has free admission and is open to all musicians and fans.
Janice, who lives in Arnaudville, leads Next Gen Zydeco, a new band of musicians whose ages range from 13-19. All band members are St. Landry Parish natives who highlight “la la,” the Creole, home music roots of zydeco, along with contemporary sounds.
Next Gen members also include Daniel Ford (keyboards), Landon Lemelle (guitar), Jailen Bryant (rubboard) and Ethan Lemelle (drums). Craig Guillory, who has been playing Cajun music since the early 1990s with his sister Kristi Guillory, backs up the band on bass. Janice himself has been playing since he was 14.
Janice is a regular at Jammin’ on the Bayou, the Cajun and country sessions held the third Saturday of each month at the Visitor Center.
For more information, visit the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission web site at cajuntravel.com.
