T Marie & Bayou Juju

Biography

T Marie & Bayou Juju is a South Louisiana roots ensemble led by frontwoman Marie-Isabelle Evangeline Pautz ("T Marie"), a second-generation Louisiana French culture bearer raised in New Orleans. T Marie grew up immersed in Louisiana French language and folkways — her grandfather played fiddle at house dances, her grandmother ran the neighborhood bartering network, and her mother was active in the organized movement to preserve Louisiana French. T Marie went on to publish original songs and poetry in Louisiana French through the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Canadian Francophone publisher Ancrages, and she is a member of the Recording Academy (Grammy organization).

The band itself emerged organically from weekly supper jam sessions among friends during the COVID-19 pandemic — gatherings at fires, porches, and levees — and formalized as a performing act in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ida in August 2021, at the suggestion of lead guitarist Scott Stobbe. Core members include Adam Bellard on accordion and lap steel, Lyle Werner on twin fiddle, Brennan Breaux on washboard and percussion, Dion Pierre on bass, and John DePriest on banjo. Remarkably, the group recorded their debut album Bayou Rearview (May 2022) just six months after forming, blending seven live cuts from the Carnaval Lounge in New Orleans with five intimate home recordings from "Jukebox Farm." The album hit #3 on Bandcamp's Cajun/Zydeco chart and landed on the Grammy ballot for Best Regional Roots Music Album. A second record, Sometimes (November 2025), was recorded live at French Quarter Festival and the Saturn Bar with production support from WWOZ and the Jazz & Heritage Festival Archives.

Musically, T Marie & Bayou Juju draw from traditional Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco idioms while incorporating swamp pop, Louisiana R&B, country blues, and even Brazilian forró — performing in both Louisiana French and English. The band operates in flexible configurations from acoustic duo to a seven-piece festival act. They have co-founded a Louisiana Cultures Camp focused on language preservation, food, dance, and music, and have toured France and Spain bringing South Louisiana traditions to international audiences. Their stated mission is getting everyone from ages 2 to 72 onto the dance floor.

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Fun Facts

• Their debut album was recorded just six months after the band formed, and it still landed on the Recording Academy's initial Grammy ballot for Best Regional Roots Music Album — an unusually fast path for a brand-new act.
• The band crystallized in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida (August 2021): a disaster that paradoxically brought the community together and turned weekly pandemic-era jam sessions into a professional musical project.
• T Marie publishes original songs and poetry in Louisiana French through both a Louisiana university press (University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and a Canadian Francophone publisher (Ancrages), reflecting her role as a language preservation activist as much as a performer.
• One of their original English-language songs, 'I'd Be a Fool,' was written to celebrate a real marriage proposal — specifically the on-stage proposal by band member Jarred Washington.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Louisiana French Folk Tradition - T Marie was raised in Louisiana French language and folkways by her grandparents; her grandfather played fiddle at house dances, forming her earliest musical identity and influencing her commitment to performing and writing in Louisiana French.

Key Collaborators

• Adam Bellard - Core member of Bayou Juju; plays accordion, guitar, and lap steel, described as creating a 'haunting Creolesque ambiance.' Mixed and mastered the debut album Bayou Rearview.
• Scott Stobbe - Lead guitarist and the person credited with suggesting T Marie formalize the group into a professional performing band after Hurricane Ida in 2021.
• Brennan Breaux - Percussionist from a Cajun family who developed his drumming in a barn; also performs with western swing band The Itchy Stitches.
• Lyle Werner - Twin fiddle player and core member of the Bayou Juju ensemble.
• Emily Neustrom - New Orleans-based singer from Lafayette who has shared bills with T Marie & Bayou Juju at venues such as Zony Mash Beer Project.

External Links

• Spotify