Most people know that Cajun music's roots stretch more than 100 years back to the bayous of southern Louisiana. The music has grown and become popular over the years as musicians from that area developed the sound of their grandfathers and brought it to the rest of America. So, how can a band from Central Pa. with no ties to towns like Lafayette or Breaux Bridge, La. successfully deliver traditional-sounding Cajun music? According to Dan Klinger, fiddler and vocalist of Harrisburg's Bayou Bandits, it requires a lot of studying and practice.

Klinger is joined in the Bayou Bandits, by Chuck Topolnicki on accordion and vocals; Rick Kushner on guitar; Randy Lee Harter on bass and vocals; and Brian Harter on drums. Klinger, who's had a long-standing love for the enigmatic music of the Acadians, said he and Topolnicki met a few years ago when they both answered a classified ad posted by a guy who wanted to form a Cajun band. "The guy who originally put the ad in the paper faded out of the picture, but slowly but surely, we (he and Topolnicki) added the rest of the band," he explains.

The group realized they'd need to study Cajun music and culture to be taken seriously because it's such ethnic music. "Any time you're doing any type of ethnic music or a type of folk from a certain area of the country, you really have to study it if it's not from your area," Klinger says. "We know we're never gonna be able to play Cajun exactly like they do in Louisiana; those people grew up playing it. We just try to do it justice and to add our own kind of stamp on it."

The truest test of the Bayou Bandit's Cajun sound came about two years ago when the group opened for Steve Reilly and the Mammou Playboys at Long's Park in Lancaster. Klinger recalls he was quite nervous to showcase his music in front of one of the most successful bands in Cajun music history. "I mean, here's a guy who's the top in his field, and I didn't know what he'd think of us. But he actually really liked us," he says.

To add authenticity to their sound, the Bayou Bandits sing the traditional songs they play in the Cajun French patois. Klinger admits he doesn't always understand what he's singing even though he took French in college. "Cajun is to French what Pennsylvania Dutch is to German; it's a real slang version. I wouldn't understand a lot of Cajun even if I spoke French. I guess we're like the people in Japan when they sing American Karoake songs," he laughs. "I can read it enough to pronounce the words, but I don't always know what I'm singin' about."

Until recently, all of the songs performed by the Bayou Bandits have been covers of traditional and more recent Cajun songs, but the group is beginning to write some original material. Klinger has performed different types of music during his career from blue grass to country rock, and says writing with a Cajun slant is pretty similar to writing any other type of music. "Once you understand the music and get the gist of it, it's as easy to write as any other form of music. The songs we write would all have to be instrumental, though, because of the French lyrics. I don't think I'd want to tackle that!" he jokes.

The Bayou Bandits have been primarily playing Cajun music since they formed, but they occasionally add some Zydeco influences. People tend to use the terms Cajun and Zydeco interchangeably, but the two styles are distinctly different. According to Klinger, "Cajun music is more the foundation for Zydeco. Zydeco took Cajun music and beefed it up with a lot more rhythm and electric sound. Zydeco to me is rock and roll Cajun. Zydeco is influenced by blues, rock and roll, and Caribbean sounds. It's the Creole version of Cajun."

Klinger says the Bayou Bandits have been incorporating a more Zydeco or pop element in their music lately stating, "We're going toward a more Zyde-Cajun sound because around here, you can play Cajun music and some people don't know what to make of it. It really is meant to be dance music, and we're tending to rock it up a little to make it a little more interesting. A lot of times, like with blue grass, if you're listening to it for a couple of hours, a lot of it starts to sound the same. So, you have to add something a little different just to keep it interesting, but that's not a cut on Cajun music. Personally, I love the traditional stuff, but if people aren't dancing, you want to get them up!"

It's difficult not to get up and move around when listening to the Bayou Bandits or any Cajun band because of the music's infectious rhythm and liveliness. Klinger attributes its popularity to its happy sound. "Basically, Cajun music is happy music," he states. "Some instruments just sound happy. No matter if you like heavy metal or classical, when you hear certain instruments like a banjo or an accordion, you're gonna tap your foot. Cajun is like that. When you have a bouncing accordion and a fiddle and a two-step beat, people can't help but like it. It's funny because a lot of Cajun songs have really depressing lyrics along with this really happy-sounding music. An accordion is just a happy instrument. Even if you haven't heard Cajun before, you can relate the accordion to Polkas, which are happy, too."

The Bayou Bandits are currently finishing work on their first CD which is slated for an early fall release. The band is hoping to use it as a tool to help them acquire more bar and club bookings. Currently, they play regularly at Prudhommes Lost Cajun Kitchen, a wonderfully authentic restaurant in Columbia. In addition, they perform at numerous festivals and outdoor concerts.

Although the Bayou Bandits regard their group as more of a fun hobby than a career, getting a chance to play out more is important to Klinger because he loves exposing people to the sounds of Louisiana. "It will always remain a fun thing to do, but I don't think a band from Central Pennsylvania can really play Cajun music like the bands from Louisiana. Basically, we're trying to pay tribute to the music. We've sent tapes down to some peoplein Louisiana, like the guy who builds Chuck's accordions, and he thought the band sounded really good. We just want to do justice to the music and to get Cajun music out to the people of Central Pennsylvania."