The 75-mile drive from Texarkana to Shreveport is the least favorite portion of the route to the Promised Land, but we took the trip to see Ganey Arsement open the Mudbug Madness Festival in Shreveport Thursday. The Lakeside Gamblers turned out to be a pick-up band with Ganey being the only familiar face, owing to the gainful employment that prevented all the Lakeside regulars from making the trip. However, the performance was really enjoyable.

Playing non-stop for a 2-1/2 hour marathon, the band cranked out the gamut of Cajun favorites, and threw in some Texas Swing, and the requisite Jambalaya for out-of-Acadiana gigs. Ganey gave a memorable performance on accordion and vocals, exhibiting talent a notch or two above our expectations. Drummer, Ray Thibodeaux, wailed some traditional French vocals that would turn the ear of any Cajun music fan.

Opening the festival and for Wayne Toups, the group bore a heavy burden, but shouldered it well and presented themselves favorably. Having seen Wayne Toups a couple of times in April, we gave him the hop and returned to T-Town. The Lakeside Gamblers gave us the show that we came to see.

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