The 7 Sisters Folklore Society presents Legends of Cajun and Creole Music on Feb. 4, at the Octagon Barn 

My introduction to Cajun and zydeco music came in the form of a movie, The Big Easy (1986), and its amazing soundtrack that included classics like "Iko Iko" by the Dixie Cups, "Tipitina" by Professor Longhair, "Ma 'Tit Fille" by Buckwheat Zydeco, and more. I ran that cassette tape to near death.

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• Photo Courtesy Of 7 Sisters Folklore Society
• CREOLE LEGENDS (Left to right) Joel Savoy, Cedric Watson, and Jourdan Thibodeaux are Legends of Cajun and Creole Music, playing a 7 Sisters Folklore Society show on Feb. 4, in the Octagon Barn Center's Milking Parlor.

Since then, I've been a huge fan of the genre, and if you're a fan too, 7 Sisters Folklore Society has an incredible show cooked up for you when they host Jourdan Thibodeaux, Cedric Watson, and Joel Savoy at the Octagon Barn's Milking Parlor this Sunday, Feb. 4 (7 p.m.; all ages; $20 presale at eventbrite.com or—subject to availability—$25 at the door).

"Together, Jourdan, Cedric, and Joel perform original and traditional music from the Acadiana region of southwest Louisiana on fiddles, accordion, and guitar, and it's sung in Cajun and Creole French," organizers explained. "But you don't have to speak the language to get it. It's music that's made for dancing but pairs well with good times of any sort! There will be an old-time jam session before the show, at 6 p.m."

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• Photo Courtesy Of Martin Sexton
• REAL DEAL Enjoy an evening with singer-songwriter Martin Sexton at SLO Brew Rock on Feb. 2.

SLO Brew Rock

Singer-songwriter Martin Sexton has a classic story. He was the 10th of 12 children in an Irish-Catholic family, raised in Syracuse, New York, whose first guitar was a Sears & Roebuck acquired at age 14. By 22, he was busking on Boston street corners. By 34, he was named Artist of the Year by the National Academy of Songwriters. Billboard calls him "the real thing," and Rolling Stone describes his voice as "soul marinated." He's touring in support of his latest EP, 2020 Vision. Enjoy an Evening with Martin Sexton on Friday, Feb. 2 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $37 at ticketweb.com).

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• Photo Courtesy Of Ras Danny
• BOB MARLEY DAY Ras Danny and the Reggae Allstars headline SLO Brew Rock's Bob Marley Day on Feb. 3.

A new Bob Marley biopic, Bob Marley: One Love, is coming out Feb. 14, and the trailer looks like it's going to be good. Marley, who was born in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, on Feb. 6, 1945, would have been turning 79 this year, but he died young, just 36 years old. His socially conscious legacy and music has lived on, and now it's time for the sixth annual Bob Marley Day on Saturday, Feb. 3 (doors at 6 p.m.; all ages; $15 presale at ticketweb.com or $20 at the door). This year's lineup includes True Zion, The Kicks, Soul Fyah, and Ras Danny & The Reggae Allstars.

Our local celebration shares a strong connection to the original Bob Marley Birthday Celebration in Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, which is now in its 42nd year. It was started by Marley's contemporary and now a SLO Town resident, Ras Danny, and some of his Jamaican friends such as Buffalo Bill and Errol Organs. One love, worldwide.

Numbskull and Good Medicine

True Loves play this Monday, Feb. 5 (7 p.m.; all ages; $17 at goodmedicinepresents.com) at Club Car Bar, and their bio perfectly describes their vibe: "Listening to the abundant sounds of the Seattle-based funk and soul group, True Loves, is like walking down a favorite neighborhood street, slapping five with friends, checking up with clerks in their stores, admiring your dark sun-glassed face in their windows, ducking under flowerpots, and smelling the familiar smells of your most cherished locale. The band is its own block party."

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• Courtesy Photo By James Lathos
• RIGHTEOUS Virginia-based reggae heroes SOJA play the Fremont Theater on Feb. 1.

The band has a killer horn section, and frontman and guitarist Jimmy James is cooler than a snowman in the shade. If you dig instrumental soul and funk, don't miss it. They're touring in support of their second album, Sunday Afternoon.

Fremont Theater

If you want to whet your reggae whistle before Bob Marley Day, the Fremont has you covered with a three-band extravaganza featuring headliner SOJA on Thursday, Feb. 1 (8 p.m.; all ages; $37 at prekindle.com), with opening acts HIRIE and Likkle Jordee.

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• Photo Courtesy Of Marquis Hill
• JAZZ, HIP-HOP, AND SPOKEN WORD Cal Poly Arts presents the amazing trumpet player Marquis Hill at the Spanos Theatre on Feb. 7.

SOJA's a two-time Grammy nominee and has more than 7 million online followers and more than 300 million YouTube views.

Patricia "Hirie" Jetton, frontwoman for the band HIRIE, is a true global citizen who was born in the Philippines, spent years in Italy, and eventually settled in Hawaii.

Likkle Jordee hails from Oahu and became interested in reggae at age 13. This should be a very chill show.

The Siren

I told you about them last week, but don't forget bluegrass powerhouse The Henhouse Prowlers and local acoustic trio Little Tyme play on Thursday, Feb. 1 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $15 at tixr.com).

Zeppelin fans, buckle up because Legend Zeppelin plays on Friday, Feb. 2 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20 at tixr.com). I've not heard them, but their bio says they're "hands down the greatest live rendition to the music and performance of Led Zeppelin anywhere in the world! From the unmistakable primal screams of August Young, to the majestic, incendiary and inspired guitar work of Joshua Cuevas, to the extraordinarily mesmerizing rhythm section of Cody Tarbell and Alexis Angel, this band proves why they are more than just a 'tribute,' but the dawning of a new era of contained chaos, sonic fusion, and cosmic energy that will leave fans truly in awe of what they are witnessing before their very eyes." Whew! Sounds epic.

There's a whole day of free music awaiting on Saturday, Feb. 3, starting with Cab Street Band (2 p.m.; 21-and-older; free), a self-described "casual blend of original music, remade covers of old as well as new, all with a unique style of bluesy jazzy funk."

Later than evening, see The Rolling Crowes (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). The band emailed to explain, "We are the only Rolling Stones and Black Crowes band on the Central Coast and put on quite a rockin' good time show featuring all the hits! The moves! The talent! Veteran musicians from SLO and Los Angeles combine to bring some amazingly addictive music to your ears."

Cal Poly ...

Get your classical fix when The SLO Symphony presents A Grand Occasion this Saturday, Feb. 3 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $12 students to $26 to $82 general at pacslo.org), in the Performing Arts Center. The concert will include Brahms' Symphony No.1 performed side by side with the SLO Youth Symphony Concert Orchestra. Guest artist trumpeter Andrew Balio performs Arutunian's Trumpet Concerto. The concert will also feature "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory," a work dedicated to and inspired by the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., among other works.

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Groundbreaking trumpet player Marquis Hill plays the Spanos Theatre on Wednesday, Feb. 7 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $37.20 to $46 at pacslo.org). Hill deftly mixes jazz, hip-hop, and socially conscious spoken word, while also exploring R&B, Chicago house, and neo-soul. He reinvents jazz standards in his own style while working to break down the barriers that divide musical genres.

"It comes naturally; that's the way I hear the music," Marquis said in press materials. "I came up in a household where my mom played Motown, R&B, Isley Brothers, Barry White, Marvin Gaye. Then I received my first jazz record, by Lee Morgan, and that was added to the collection. I truly believe that the music is all the same."

The Cal Poly Music Department will present an Electronic Music Concert on Thursday, Feb. 8, featuring guest artist Anne Hege and Cal Poly Music Department faculty member Julie Herndon (7:30 p.m.; all ages; free), in Room 218 of the Davidson Music Center (Building 45). According to organizers, "Hege, in her 'Divining Wisdom Part II,' will weave together works for her analog live-looping recorder with compositions for live voice, electronics, and video. Herndon will perform a selection from new works for extended keyboard instruments augmented with electronics." Δ

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at [email protected].