Music series begins Thursday

CROWLEY - When Lafayette’s Downtown Alive began nearly 30 years ago, the performers played from the back of a flatbed truck to a fairly small crowd. Fast forward 30 years and it has become an institution in the Hub City with thousands turning out for the city’s Friday afternoon concert series.

The organizers of “Greetings from Levy Park,” a four-part music series beginning Thursday in Crowley, are hoping that their event experiences similar growth.

Greetings will be different from Lafayette’s event in that it will be held in a park, feature arts and crafts from area artists and have more activities on hand for younger people who attend.

Having a surprisingly strong lineup of bands helps too.

“We went in to this hoping to draw bands not just from the Acadiana area,” said Keeffer Kelbaugh, who, along with Crowley businessman Kyle Gordion and Crowley Chamber of Commerce CEO Amy Thibodeaux, came up with the idea for Greetings from Levy Park. “We want to bring in artists that people in the Acadiana area aren’t used to seeing.”

They’re getting off to a good start. Popular Autstin, Texas, band “T-Bird and the Breaks” will be on stage for Thursday’s opening night.

“That was no accident,” smiled Gordon.

Known for their crowd-pleasing style, T-Bird and the Breaks has amassed a large following which, according to their website, “stretches from Texas to Massachusetts to San Francisco.” Their style of music is described as “pulling from the origins of hip-hop, the alleyways of the Crescent City and the grease and grime of an old-school soul review.”

“Their sound appeals to fans of all ages,” said Kelbaugh. “For our first date we wanted to have a group that people would be talking about after they leave.”

However, one thing they are hoping to see is people showing up to see all four of the acts. Aside from this Thursday’s performance, other acts scheduled to appear this spring include:

April 10 - Startisan, Adam Dale.

May 1 - Soul Creole.

May 22 - The Rayo Brothers.

“We want people to look forward to the event as much as the music,” said Gordon. “We don’t want people only showing up for a band that plays their personal favorite style of music. We have really worked to create this type of environment.”

Kelbaugh, Gordon and Thibodeaux each said that they each had been thinking about a music series coming to Crowley. It wasn’t until they gathered for a lunch meeting at Fezzo’s that they realized that by working together they could make it happen.

“Kyle and I had never met prior to that, but after that meeting with Amy we realized that we all had the same vision,” said Kelbaugh.

On Tuesday, Thibodeaux expressed excitement about the date they have been looking forward to for months “finally being here.” 

“We’re hoping for a great turnout and the weather is supposed to be perfect,” she said. “This will be a new experience for the residents of Crowley and hopefully it will be the start of a tradition.”

The organizers wanted to be sure to let those planning on coming to the event know that there will be no ice chestS allowed. Beer and soft drinks will be sold at the event. Proceeds will go towards future Greetings from Levy Park events.