Young is also an accomplished fiddler, having played since his early teens. He is a founding member of the Red Stick Ramblers, a Cajun and western swing band he formed alongside friend and fellow musician Joel Savoy.
WYSO’s Louisiana Byways is presenting a Cajun dance party March 21 at Westminster Hall, First Presbyterian Church in Yellow Springs, featuring The Cajun Country Revival, with members of the Red Stick Ramblers and Foghorn Stringband. The show is a part of the Foundry Theater’s 2026 programming.
Accordions and fiddles will pour out melodies as hot as a ladle of roux, while guitar and bass lay down driving rhythms sure to test the structural integrity of the dance floor. Joining Young and Savoy are fellow Louisiana native Jesse Legé and Portland’s Sammy Lind and Nadine Landry of Foghorn Stringband.
These road-tested musicians are devoted torchbearers of American roots music, blending living traditions with old-time string band sounds in a celebration of Louisiana.
The word “authentic” is often mentioned alongside revival music. For Young, Savoy and Legé — all raised in Southwest Louisiana — that authenticity is generational. Cajun Country Revival — a veritable supergroup of American roots musicians — deepens that authenticity by pairing Louisiana natives with the original lineup, strengthening the homage the music pays to its roots.
Cajun music has long borrowed from myriad genres. Its evolution — from the fiddles of Acadian music and German-influenced accordion styles to the western swing sounds of the 1920s and 1930s — placed Cajun musicians squarely in the American musical zeitgeist.
“The dance halls where they were playing were wanting swing dancing, and so they would adapt and play what people wanted to hear,” Young said. “Cajuns are very adaptive people and go with the flow and get along with pretty much anybody.”
Before amplification, a dominant voice and projection were desirable characteristics in a singer. These learned traits still contribute to the raw energy of Cajun music.
“That really just hits people in the gut, because it’s just very powerful and emotional,” Young said. “Also, the synergy you get from musicians on stage is very organic, because we’re not playing off of sheet music. While we’re playing within the structure of a song, we never play it the same way twice. There’s an interplay and a spontaneity to it that people pick up on.”
Whether the group plays for five or 5,000 people doesn’t matter, Young says; they’ll have just as much fun on stage as the audience.
Young has hosted Louisiana Byways since 2024. Though he grew up steeped in zydeco and traditional Cajun, he’s still discovering how many musical styles Louisiana has to offer.
Living in Ohio has only deepened his appreciation for the culture from which he was raised.
“It’s become even more apparent how lucky I was to grow up in that area, and how I have a responsibility to make sure that people understand that,” Young said. “As things become more and more homogenized and Americanized as we go on, I think people yearn for connection with the culture that people had before.”
Brandon Berry covers the music and arts scene in Dayton and Southwest Ohio. Reach him at branberry100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Louisiana Byways presents the Cajun Country Revival
When: 7 p.m. March 21
Where: Westminster Hall, First Presbyterian Church, 314 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs
Cost: $20 general admission / $5 student admission
Tickets: antiochcollege.edu
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