Brian O’Donnell, fiddle

Brian caught the Cajun fiddle bug in 1999 at one of the Ashokan Fiddle and Dance camps near Woodstock, New York, became enamored with Dewey Balfa and Dennis McGee, and promptly headed down to Lafayette, Louisiana for six weeks of Cajun music jams and bayou exploration.

John Romano, accordion, vocals

John has been performing folk and roots type music since 1963 on guitar, harmonica, and 5 string banjo, playing folk music, blues and folk-rock

John Fabke, guitar

One of Southern Wisconsin’s finest traditional musicians, John Fabke has been involved with a wide variety of roots music styles for the past 15 years.

Karen Holden, t-fer, dance instruction

Karen came to Cajun music through dance—Bharata Natyam as a child in India and contra and Cajun as an adult in Madison.

Jim Schwall, bass

After hearing Cajun bands in pre-Katrina New Orleans, Jim rented a car and headed out for Breaux Bridge and Eunice where he spent his evenings on the dance floors of Cajun supper clubs. Jim first got to know the Cajun Strangers from the dance floor at some of their local dances.

Colin Bazsali, drums

Colin has been playing music most of his life. Originally a jazz drummer, he set aside percussion for the folk guitar, harmonica, and banjo and began exploring traditional American musical forms, especially old-time banjo. This led circuitously to Cajun and back to the drums, which he has been playing with the Cajun Strangers since early 2005.