“Ain’t no party like a Chubby party!”

If you haven’t experienced the high energy, swamp funky zydeco sound of Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, it is high time that you join the legions of fans that have.

Once the accordion-playing virtuoso grabs the mic and takes to the stage with his band mates, audiences are treated to a show like no other.

Chubby’s sound is infectious – a concoction of blues, 70s funk, rock and roll, and good-ole zydeco flavor – and makes even the most timid individuals get their feet a movin’.

Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band are turning heads around the world and bringing Louisiana flavor to the masses. The funky zydeco band’s latest release, “Zydeco Junkie,” earned one of the highest musical accolades when it was named Best Zydeco or Cajun Album during the 53rd annual Grammy Awards celebration in February 2011.

“It was unbelievable ... it was a moment,” Carrier said during a July 2011 interview with The Joplin (Mo.) Globe. “I never thought in a million years that I’d be a part of it. Looking at the names there ... Aretha Franklin, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder ... and knowing, ‘Mister, your name is going to be on this board.’ What an honor and a blessing.

“It’s like I went to the Super Bowl and won a trophy.”

In addition to the coveted Grammy, the band was honored with OffBeat magazine’s Best of the Beat award when it named “Zydeco Junkie” as the Best Zydeco Album. Furthermore, the 2010 Big Easy Music Awards awarded the group for Best Zydeco. For Carrier’s accomplishments as a musician and humanitarian, the band was awarded keys to the city from Lake Charles, Opelousas, and Lafayette.

To add to its growing presence outside Cajun country, the video of “Zydeco Junkie” is currently posted on MTV.com. Carrier is a prince in zydeco royalty. His father, Roy Carrier; his grandfather, Warren Carrier, and his cousins, Bebe and Calvin Carrier, are considered zydeco legends. For more than 20 years, Chubby and the Bayou Swamp Band have toured relentlessly around the world, playing venues such as the Chicago Blues Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Cajun and Zydeco Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Montreaux Jazz Fest in Switzerland. For his steadfast dedication to zydeco music, Carrier will be inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in 2012.

During the 20-year span, the band has produced and released 10 albums, “Boogie Woogie Zydeco” (1991), “Dance All Night” (1993), “Who Stole the Hot Sauce?” (1996), “Too Hot To Handle” (Live) (1999), “It’s Party Time!” (1999), “Take Me To The Zydeco” (2001), “Ain’t No Party Like A Chubby Party!” (2003), “Bayou Road” (2006), “Live at Knuckleheads” (2007), and “Zydeco Junkie” (2010).

Carrier has shared the stage with many well-known musicians. To name a few, the listincludes Carlos Santa, Buddy Guy, Eddie Money, Travis Tritt, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Taj Mahal, Morris Day and the Time, Confunkshun and “Weird” Al Yankovic.

Chubby Carrier, a Church Pointe, La., native, has taken on several causes that are dear to him, including children’s causes, education, and advocating a smoke-free environment. The band is an ardent supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana, as they have held concert fundraisers to benefit the nonprofit organization. The most-recent benefit, Zydeco For a Good Cause, raised money for the Opelousas unit. In an effort to spread zydeco music to the younger generations, Carrier and the gang teamed up with the Acadiana Symphony & Conservatory of Music to provide students with zydeco lessons. The project, Zydeco from A-Z, boosted participants’ understanding of zydeco music. Through Carrier’s inviting instruction, students learned about the rich history of the genre, the types of instruments used in zydeco such as the accordion, the rub board and the fiddle.

Of all the causes that Carrier endorses, his urge for a smoke-free environment is a personal one. In May 2010, his father, Roy Carrier, died from lung cancer. Carrier, along with Lafayette musicians David Egan, Joey Richard, Carol Fran, among others, has become a vocal spokesman for the Let’s Be Totally Clear campaign. The Bayou Swamp Band front man has made several media appearances to show his support for smoke-free venues in Lafayette and around Louisiana and for individuals to adopt a tobacco-free lifestyle.

The band has also participated in several local events that are aimed at increasing tourism in the Acadiana region. In addition, Carrier is featured in two documentaries, “Zydeco Breakfast (yet to be released),” which tells the story of zydeco music and the culture of French Louisiana; and “Hurricane on the Bayou (2006),” a detailed account of the damage Hurricane Katrina brought to New Orleans in 2005. Carrier is one of the main characters in the IMAX Film.

Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band will always have a place in the annals of French music history. With Carrier’s unmatched sound, the group will continue to grow as Louisianans and the world come to appreciate the beats of the ensemble. Zydeco is more than a calling for Carrier. His love for the music is etched in his pedigree. While winning a Grammy is the tip of the iceberg for Chubby and the band, now is the time for all to know to learn about the zydeco culture and Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band.

• “continue the great sound that you have. This sound will take you places." • Ann Wilson of Heart • “Lot's and lot's of energy...What a band!“ -Robin Williams • “you guys have a powerful band...I like your style “-Jason Witten Dallas Cowboys • “You have some energy! Look out now… “ -Robert Randolph • “a great musician and a crowd pleaser” -Curtis Salgado • “concertgoers kick up a storm dancing” -Virgin Islands Daily News • “explosive funky brand of zydeco” -Kingsport Times-News • “blazingly refreshing and expertly played”-Living Blues Magazine • “best job ever” -Offbeat Magazine • “Legendary” -The Advertiser • “zesty Creole concoction of rock, soul, gospel and R& B” -Northwest Arkansas Times • “high energy dance party” -The Morning News • “no one is left sitting in their chairs” -Free Weekly • “upbeat and fun” -Toledo Free Press • “Carrier is one of (zydeco’s) more irrepressible ambassadors.” -San Antonio Current• “zydeco that attracts people” - The Post and Courier• “passionate, relentlessly upbeat, infectious brand of zydeco” -Bucks County Courier Times • “charisma and energy” -Lake Sun • “sound as spicy as a pot of jambalaya and as sweet as a strawberry beignet” – LJ World• zydeco’s consummate party host” -Offbeat Magazine • “Cut Chubby Carrier and he bleeds glossy metallic shades of purple, green and gold.” -News-Sun

• “contagious party sound” -STLBlues • “Musical Exuberance” -Sentinel Tribune • “Wow, what a party!” -Kansas City Blues News• “one of zydeco’s most invigorating original performers.”-Music Mag • “unbridled enthusiasm” -The Capital • “a festival favorite” -The Gleaner • “When it comes to the Louisiana music called zydeco, there’s no musician with a better pedigree than Chubby Carrier.” -St Louis Best Bets • “Irresistible” -St Louis Post Dispatch • “A zydeco legend” -Kingsport Times News • “He (Carrier) brings a party, he invites you into it and he hopes you have a good time.” -North Liberty Ragbrai • “If you have the slightest amount of warm blood running through your veins then your heart has gotta start thumping a little harder and your feet has gotta start moving a bit faster when you hear those crazy rhythms” -The Current • “Chubby Carrier’s brand of stew is designed to tickle the eardrums and kick up the feet” -Springfield Newsleader • “Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band truly orchestrate the best stage show of any zydeco band in the land” -www.ehtoizydeco.com • “Carrier and his group ladle out steaming servings of zydeco music that drive away the blues with infectiously danceable rhythms and a relentlessly upbeat vibe. Although well-schooled in zydeco tradition, Carrier likes to stock his two-step broth with chunks of jumping blues, pop standards, New Orleans R & B and straight rock and roll.” -Chicago Tribune • “Carrier’s live sets are nothing less than phenomenal...Carrier is a rare breed, a zydeco artist who’s fully award of tradition but is unafraid to make a few changes, giving the music room to grow and breather and stay alive.” -CMJ New Music Report • “Exhilarating dance-floor zydeco, this album teems with spirited party-music, and the band dashes, sprints and zips through several crowd-pleasing boogies.” -CD Review • “Chubby is known for high-octane live performances that whip crownds into a sweaty, dancing frenzy and have made him one of the most sough-after zydeco acts in the country.” Waterfront Blues Festival News • “one of the finer standard bearers of the classic, blues-based zydeco sound among the new generation of Louisiana bands.” -Chicago Tribune (press from early in career) • “unbridled enthusiasm and the ability to make a party happen whether he’s playing for five people or five hundred.” -The Worcester Telegram and Gazette “knows how to let the good times roll with the power and precision of a seasoned musician.” -The Atlanta Daily New (Another early career write-up)

Chubby’s CD “Zydeco Junkie” is a nice piece of work. It’s really well constructed and doesn’t sacrifice the “energy” or “synergy” of the players. He was lucky to get several special guests, Geno Delafose has a terrific Cajun Band on his own, and special guest Jamie Bergeron. The “Title Track, Zydeco Junkies” is a great song, I like the fact that he opens the Cd up with it. It sets the pace for what’s to come. His “Zydeco Junkie” Cd includes several cover songs performed in his own style and expression. They are “Feel Like Making Love” by “Bad Company”, and the theme song from the T.V. Show The Jeffersons, “Moving On Up”. I like version of the “Feel Like Making Love”, it has a totally different feel, yet you know the song. Also, I think “Jalapeno Lena” is a really interesting song, musically different. There’s a lot of good tracks on this Cd.. it’s easy to like! Chubby is a diverse musician who obviously can “take the heat” and loves what he does so much. He’s a very grateful person with a positive outlook on life that transcends to his music. So give it a look and better yet a listen and Buy it!-Bluessource.com

Chubby Carrier has spent a career perfecting his party package live shows, so it stands to reason that this would be more of the same, right? No, not quite. Carrier does do his best job ever reaching out to a diverse demographic with a variety of hooks. The breezy dance rendition of Bad Company’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love” will likely appeal to aging, knock-kneed rockers. On “My Zydeco Shoes,” modern country devotees will give thumbs up to Jamie Bergeron’s Nashville-radio-ready vocals. Additionally, there’s guitar-cranked funk, a peppy instrumental and poignant R&B. Carrier’s singing is much more focused this time out; the background vocals are full, crisp and tight while the Ivan Klisanin-engineered sound has the bottom-end smacking hard like it’s supposed to. But keep in mind that while Carrier’s a third-generation zydeco musician, he’s not bound by his cultural music. The album’s biggest surprise arrives on “Touch Me Touch Me Baby.” Keyboardist Keith Clement alternates classic New Orleans piano fill-in with enchanting salsa melodies. Smart move, because if zydeco is going to continue to flourish, it needs more alliances with like-minded genres. Experimental fusion is encouraged and this is a step in the right direction. -Offbeat Magazine Dan Willging

Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band

Zydeco Junkie CD Review

Swampadellic Records

Living Blues Magazine

Third-generation zydeco player Chubby Carrier takes a swampy step into the future with Zydeco Junkie, his return to the studio after a Tabasco-hot live record, Live at Knuckleheads, 2007. While maintaining the boisterous party motif that makes a zydeco an eternal crowd-pleaser, Carrier shows expansive song-writing and instrumental leaning throughout. Carrier’s not just about the dance factor of zydeco, he also concerns himself with nuances like guitar runs, subtle lyrical infections, and style-melding crossover appeal. This is zydeco for the 21st century musical palette.

Carrier steals a page from Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book with the Clavinet vibe on Let’s Make it Funky, where the marriage of grinding ‘70’s funk and undulating zydeco produces an almost hedonistic sensory response. Carrier goes old-school zydeco on the instrumental Swampadellic, where his accordion oozes flawless bayou melody. Two notable covers a re charmingly confounding – the inclusion of Movin’ On Up (the theme to TV’s The Jeffersons) and Bad Company’s Feel Like Makin’ Love. The former is soulful zydeco, the choice itself underscoring Carrier’s entertaining attitude toward his music. The latter boasts a mischievous rhythmic treatment, with backing vocals by Carrier’s wife Misty – classic rock tastefully twisted Cajun style. Guests like fellow accordion aces and zydeco brethren Jamie Bergeron and GenoDelafose ensure that the record is on solid zydeco footing, as evidenced by Delafose’s inclusion of the Tex-Mex flavored Jalapeno Lena, a standard of the late Rockin’ Sidney.

Zydeco Junkie is blazingly refreshing and expertly played. Like Carrier has always said, “Ain’t no party like a Chubby party.”

-Mark Uricheck

Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band ♬ 337.288.8893 ♬ www.chubbycarrier.com