Bands share their plans to rock Andouille Festival stage
Published 12:13 am Wednesday, October 4, 2017
- Phat Hat performs from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Oct. 15, celebrating the final day of the Festival.
LAPLACE — Musicians from across Louisiana will travel to LaPlace Oct. 13-15 to perform a mix of classic, funk and pop hits at the 44th annual Andouille Festival.
The three-day lineup features Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, MoJEAUX, Faith Becnel and the Music Krewe, Catch 22, Gina Brown & Anutha Level, Four Unplugged, Changing Times Band, DJ Captain Charles, Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, Dat Band, Phat Hat and Chee Weez.
Leroy St. Pierre of LaPlace, drummer and co-owner of MoJEAUX, takes the stage from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Oct. 13.
Formed in 2007 by guitarist Andrew Autin, MoJEAUX is a six-piece band featuring a horn section and dynamic vocals from lead singer Michael Veal.
Crowds can expect to hear a variety of rock, funk, disco, country and hip-hop selections from MoJEAUX. According to St. Pierre, the band covers all genres and has planned an energetic show culminating in a “big surprise” for this year’s Festival.
“We’ve been to the Andouille Festival four or five times, but we haven’t been since 2014,” St. Pierre said. “We’re excited to be back to perform again, and we have something special planned that we think people will be excited about.”
St. Pierre will perform again alongside Autin with their other band, Catch 22, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 14.
More information about MoJEAUX, including performance schedules and upcoming events is available at mojeauxband.com.
Eighteen-year-old Faith Becnel will perform from 2:15 to 4 p.m. Oct. 14 with her band Faith Becnel and the Music Krewe.
Though she has performed at the Andouille Festival before, it has always been on the children’s stage, and she is excited to be playing music for an adult audience on the main stage this year.
Becnel has been performing on stage since she was 10 and was first scouted at a talent show. Since forming her own band at the age of 13, she has honed her vocal talent, performing at events around the region alongside members of the Louisiana Hall of Fame.
The age and mood of the audience determines the set list of covers she’ll perform, according to Becnel, though she usually selects a variety of genres ranging from classics to pop.
To find more information and a list of her upcoming gigs, like Faith Becnel and the Music Krewe on Facebook.
![](https://www.lobservateur.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/10/FaithBecnelandtheMusicKrewe.jpg)
Faith Becnel will perform from 2:15 to 4 p.m. Oct. 14 with her band Faith Becnel and the Music Krewe.
Also taking the stage is Ricky Windhorst with Four Unplugged, an acoustic band performing from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Oct. 14.
Windhorst, who has been in the music industry since 1973, assembled Four Unplugged with his wife, Jan, and two other members in 1996. In the 21 years since, the band has added two members, been recognized as the No. 1 band on the North Shore for 10 years and remains as active as ever, with 15 shows planned this month.
“We’re looking forward to performing for a new audience,” Windhorst said, noting he has been to the Andouille Festival before but hasn’t been part of the music line-up until this year. “We turned down the Wooden Boat Festival to have a chance to come.”
Audiences can expect Four Unplugged to perform a variety of music from their 400-song repertoire, focusing on covers from artists such as Jimmy Buffet and Earth, Wind & Fire.
More information is available at fourunplugged.com.
Baton Rouge based band Phat Hat performs from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Oct. 15, celebrating the final day of the Festival with classic, upbeat music selections and a focus on the horn section.
According to Phat Hat member Rick Naqvi, the band assembled in 2003 to provide music for a single gig. After getting a great response from the community, Phat Hat expanded to an eight-piece group regularly performing at private events, parties, receptions and festivals across the state.
Naqvi said their musical repertoire primarily focuses on rhythmic classic, funk and soul selections from the ’60s to the ’90s with the occasional current hit thrown into the mix.
“It’s our first time in LaPlace,” Naqvi said. “We’re really excited about performing for this new group of people.”
For more information on Phat Hat, visit phathatband.com.
The full Andouille Festival music lineup and times is available at andouillefestival.com/bands.php.
— By Brooke Robichaux