Grand Bois plays traditional Cajun dance music from southwest Louisiana. They focus on the sounds of classic Cajun and Creole music, featuring fiddle, one-row button accordion, and vocals over acoustic guitar and bass. They also perform the early fiddle duet styles that preceded the popularity of accordion in Cajun music. The name of the band comes from the beautiful waltz "Valse de Grand Bois", meaning "Waltz of the Big Woods," from the great Louisiana Cajun band the Balfa Brothers.
  The band started in Boston, Massachusetts in 1996. In 2000 original guitarist/vocalist Erica Weiss and fiddler Cathy Mason formed the current lineup with two members of a zydeco band from Connecticut: Craig Edwards on accordion and Dirck Westervelt on bass. All four of these musicians share a long-time love for Cajun music and dance. They are regular performers at Cajun dances and festivals in the Northeast, both as Grand Bois and in other groups.
  Erica Weiss contributes dead-on guitar playing and soulful vocals to the band. She also teaches cajun dancing, calls contradances, and teaches Balkan singing. Her steady, driving beat makes her guitarist of choice with a number of dance bands.
  Cathy Mason has performed various kinds of traditional dance music and dance for much of her life. In addition to her bluesy, Creole-influenced Cajun fiddling, she loves to play old-time fiddle and often plays for dances.
  Craig Edwards plays button accordion and fiddle and sings with the band. He performs a variety of traditional music styles and instruments with different bands, ranging from Appalachian to Zydeco.
  Dirck Westervelt sings and plays upright bass. His masterful bass playing anchors the band, and he has performed with such Cajun luminaries as Beausoliel, the Savoy-Doucet Band, and Balfa Toujours. Dirck also plays several other instruments and styles.

In September, 1996, the band played at the Pinewoods Cajun/Zydeco weekend (sponsored by the Folk Arts Center of New England), along with Balfa Toujours and Willis Prudhomme and the Zydeco Express.
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