Tri Tip Trio

Biography

Tri Tip Trio is a Bay Area–based zydeco and swamp blues band that emerged in the late 2010s, built around veteran musicians steeped in Louisiana and New Orleans dance music traditions.[4] Although described as “little more than a year old” by the time of their appearance at the Cotati Accordion Festival, the group was not a novice project but rather a fresh configuration of players already well known on the West Coast zydeco circuit, particularly through their work with the long‑running band Zydeco Flames.[1][4] Drawing on the migration of Creole and Cajun sounds into California shipyard communities during and after World War II, Tri Tip Trio helped carry forward a regional zydeco scene that had taken strong root in Northern California dance halls and clubs.[2][4]

Musically, Tri Tip Trio focuses on the dance‑driven blend of accordion‑led zydeco, swamp blues, and New Orleans R&B commonly heard in Louisiana roadhouses, emphasizing driving rhythms, rubboard grooves, and sing‑along hooks that translate well to Bay Area venues and festivals.[2][4][6] Their live performances, including festival sets and club shows such as Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday celebrations, highlight a repertoire that mixes traditional zydeco feels with original material like “Oaktown Boogie,” reflecting both their Louisiana stylistic roots and their Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area home base.[5][6] Within the local scene, Tri Tip Trio has become part of the continuum of bands—alongside acts such as Zydeco Flames and Gator Nation—that keep zydeco a living, dancing tradition in Northern California rather than a purely heritage style.[1][2][4]

While still a relatively recent ensemble compared with older California zydeco institutions, Tri Tip Trio’s members bring decades of collective experience to the project, ensuring a high level of musicianship and stylistic authenticity that has helped the band secure festival slots and club bookings alongside some of the region’s most established Cajun and zydeco acts.[1][2][4][5] Their work illustrates how zydeco has adapted to new geographies—wine country dance halls, Bay Area music clubs, and community festivals—while retaining the genre’s core focus on communal dancing, call‑and‑response energy, and the distinctive timbre of accordion and washboard in full swing.[2][4][6]

Fun Facts

• Tri Tip Trio is explicitly described as being “steeped in Louisiana and New Orleans zydeco and swamp blues,” underscoring how strongly they model their sound on classic Gulf Coast dance music despite being based in Northern California.[4]
• The band secured a slot at the Cotati Accordion Festival—one of Northern California’s key accordion‑focused events—when it was barely more than a year old, reflecting how quickly they were embraced by the regional roots‑music community.[4]
• Tri Tip Trio has performed at Bay Area Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) celebrations alongside other leading regional Cajun/zydeco bands, highlighting their role in local Mardi Gras–themed events far from Louisiana.[5]
• Their song “Oaktown Boogie,” performed on the California program Loudville’s California Live Mic, nods to Oakland (“Oaktown”) and showcases how the group blends Louisiana zydeco style with a distinctly Bay Area sense of place.[6]

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Zydeco Flames - Tri Tip Trio features members of the established Bay Area zydeco band Zydeco Flames, indicating overlapping personnel and a shared performance network on the Northern California dance circuit. (Live performances in Sonoma and broader Bay Area zydeco events and club dates) [1990s–present (Zydeco Flames); Tri Tip Trio active late 2010s–present[1][2][4]]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Don't Worry (3 Of a Kind: a Tribute to Clifton Chenier)
2. Mardi Gras In New Orleans (3 Of a Kind: a Tribute to Clifton Chenier)
3. Josephine n'est pas Ma Femme (3 Of a Kind: a Tribute to Clifton Chenier)
4. My Eyes Are Tired Of Crying (3 Of a Kind: a Tribute to Clifton Chenier)
5. Morning Train (3 Of a Kind: a Tribute to Clifton Chenier)
6. Cabbage Alley (3 Of a Kind: a Tribute to Clifton Chenier)
7. Got My Mojo Working (3 Of a Kind: a Tribute to Clifton Chenier)
8. Can't Stop Me From Loving You (3 Of a Kind: a Tribute to Clifton Chenier)
9. Shake It, Don't Break It (3 Of a Kind: a Tribute to Clifton Chenier)
10. Ya Ya (3 Of a Kind: a Tribute to Clifton Chenier)

External Links

• Spotify