Mo’ Mojo- A hard driving, high energy, “Pardi-Gras” Band.The female fronted group features three-part harmonies, accordion, fiddle, guitar, rubboard, sax, trumpet, harp, bass, percussion, and drums. Songs are sung in English and French. Mo’ Mojo takes Zydeco music and infuses it with Americana, Cajun, reggae, rock & roll, funk, R&B, and African and Latin rhythms. We love festivals! This band can command any size stage and is equipped to lead workshops in fiddle and guitar styles; ... view more »
Mo’ Mojo- A hard driving, high energy, “Pardi-Gras” Band.The female fronted group features three-part harmonies, accordion, fiddle, guitar, rubboard, sax, trumpet, harp, bass, percussion, and drums. Songs are sung in English and French. Mo’ Mojo takes Zydeco music and infuses it with Americana, Cajun, reggae, rock & roll, funk, R&B, and African and Latin rhythms. We love festivals! This band can command any size stage and is equipped to lead workshops in fiddle and guitar styles; songwriting; Zydeco, second line, and African rhythms; and Zydeco dance.
Where we play:
Zydeco Dances – One of our favorite things to do is play for dancers. We’ve expanded our presence into the following communities: The DC area; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia (PA), Ithaca, Rochester, and New York City (NY); and Newark (DE)
Clubs – Small or large, local or out-of-state, we love the club experience with dancers, smiles, drinks, and good vibes all around. A local club is what we grew from and we’ll always be appreciative of a venue that let’s us get close and personal with our audience!
Festivals – We’re a band made for the festival experience. This year we’re set to return to Blissfest (MI) and the W.C. Handy Blues Fest (KY) and we’re looking to add others asap; in 2014 we debuted at DelFest (MD); Grey Fox (NY); and Rhythm and Roots (RI). Prior festivals include the Jambalaya Music Fest (PA); the Burning River Festival, Cleveland Garlic Festival, Kent State ‘Round Town Festival, International Children’s Festival, Hessler Street Festival, Fraze Pavilion Swamp Fest (OH)
International Touring – Mo’ Mojo has worked with the State Department and/or the American Music Abroad Program to play the following countries: Haiti and the Dominican Republic (2014); Belize, Panama, Mexico, Barbados, and Colombia (2015). As representatives of an American Art Form with Zydeco music, we focus on both performances and all age workshops.
Our members
Mo’ Mojo has 7 members, many of whom are multi-instrumentalists. They are:
Jen Maurer – vocals, diatonic accordion, guitar
Leigh Ann Wise – vocals, rubboard, trumpet, percussion
Anthony Papaleo – vocals, electric guitar, fiddle
Bill Lestock – fiddle, acoustic guitar, mandolin
Sarah Benn – vocals, bass
Toussaint English – vocals, bass, keys
Will Douglas – drums
Also traveling with the band is guest musician, roadie, and co-manager, Sam Rettman on sax and harmonica
View less
