Michael Arnone's 25th Annual CRAWFISH FEST brings New Orleans Music, Food and Funky Good Times to New Jersey

AUGUSTA, NJ (04/24/2014)(readMedia)-- Michael Arnone's 25th Annual Crawfish Fest, the largest Louisiana and New Orleans-style music, food and camping festival in the Northeast, comes to the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ on Friday, May 30, May 31 and June 1.

This year's Crawfish Fest brings together favorite acts of the festival and exciting new ones. Headlining Crawfish Fest on Saturday evening is New Orleans legends, Funky METERS! Meters founding members Art Neville and George Porter Jr. will be on hand to lay down the funk that started a musical revolution and has inspired countless artists around the world.

The superb storytelling, soul, gritty funk and swampy R&B of JJ Grey & Mofro will headline the Main Stage on Sunday evening.

5 time Grammy nominee, blues piano rockin' good times soulster Marcia Ball returns to Crawfish Fest for sets on the Main Stage, the Jager Pavilion Stage and on the Workshop Stage. Marcia has been nominated for the 16th time this year for Blues Music Awards - Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year, which she has won 5 times.

The only Zydeco artist to win 2 Grammy Awards, Terrance Simien and The Zydeco Experience will return to the Crawfish Fest Main Stage, Dance Hall Stage, and the Workshop Stage.

Cyril Neville and Devon Allman bring the Royal Southern Brotherhood back for a Main Stage set. Cyril just won a pack of Best of the Beat awards, presented by OffBeat Magazine in New Orleans for Best Blues Artist, Best Blues Album and Best Male Vocalist.

As a special treat for just the Crawfish Fest campers and King Crawfish Krewe ticket holders, there will be eight full sets of music at night including the Friday night headliner, Kermit Ruffins. Kermit won three Best of the Beat awards himself this year for Best Traditional Jazz Artist, Best Traditional Jazz Album and Best Trumpeter. Kermit was recently seen in all 3 seasons of the HBO series TREME, playing himself.

Raw Oyster Cult, a supergroup that includes former Radiators Dave Malone, Frank Bua and Camile Baudoin along with John Gros from Papa Grows Funk and Dave Pomerleau from Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes.

After their explosive night time set in 2012, Dumpstaphunk is back to close out the Jager Pavilion Stage with a bang on Sunday evening.

Michael Arnone's Crawfish Fest takes Louisiana cuisine as seriously as it does music, and the ever growing number of foodies will be well satisfied this year.

All the dishes are priced at $10 or under and bring to the area Louisiana delicacies that are hard to find in the Northeast. Michael's Krewe will be serving pork sausage and chicken Jambalaya, Boiled Crawfish, Oyster, Shrimp or Catfish Po-Boys, Crawfish Etouffee and Red Beans and Rice just to name a few dishes. You can also try the Grilled Portabella Mushroom on wheat bun, Char-Grilled Oysters, or Grilled Alligator Sausage.

For those with a less adventurous palate, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets and french fries are also available, along with fruit smoothies. Breakfast is available for sale to the campers from 6-10 AM on Sat. and Sun. and includes your choice of delicious beignets, scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, and grits.

The adult beverage menu includes Bud Light, Jager Bombs and Jager Barrels, Twisted Tea, DonQ Rum Hurricanes, DonQ Rum Strawberry Daiquiris, Blackbeard Spiced Rum and coke, Casamigos Margarita's, American Harvest Organic Spirit Bloody Mary's and American Harvest Organic Spirit hard lemonade.

Fans of R&B, funk and the Blues have plenty of other options as well this year with Walter "Wolfman" Washington and the Roadmasters, everybody's festival favorites Bonerama, Earphunk, The High and Mighty Brass Band and the blues of Jonathon Boogie Long.

Fans of a good Cajun and Zydeco two step will be kept busy with Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble, Jeffery Broussard and The Creole Cowboys, The Ray Abshire Cajun Band and The Crawdaddies. Free Cajun dance lessons are given Sat. and Sun. from 11:00-12:00 in the 12,000 Sq ft Dance Hall. Other night time camper's sets include the powerhouse drummer from Dumpstaphunk and Beyoncé, Nikki Glaspie and keyboardist Nigel Hall, in The Nth Power. Mia Borders will be playing sets for both campers and daytime fest goers, and the final night time act will be Texas blues powerhouse, Carolyn Wonderland. Crawfish Fest favorites, the Tin Men open the festival on Friday night, and the Sunday morning Gospel set will feature The Lee Boys.

For the second year in a row, Arnone will present the Crawfish Fest Food and Trade Expo. Held in the open air Mini-Pavilions close to the Jager Pavilion Stage, five companies of Louisiana products and services will have food sampling and information about their organizations as a part of the festival. This year's exhibitors are Michael Arnone's Jambalaya Mix, Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Bourbon Street Bar & Grille, LSU New York Metro Alumni Chapter and the Tipitina's Foundation.

Michael Arnone's 25th Annual Crawfish Fest is good family fun, for families that like to have a good time. The festival will once again be held at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, in Augusta, NJ on May 30, 31 and June 1st. For more information or to purchase single Saturday/Sunday, 3 day camping tickets, King Crawfish Krewe VIP and RV hookups, visit www.crawfishfest.com. Links to our Facebook, Twitter, iPhone App and Droid App.

Sponsored by Bud Light, Jagermeister, American Harvest Organic Spirit, Twisted Tea, WFDU-FM, WNTI-FM, DonQ Rum, Black Beard Spiced Rum, Crystal Hot Sauce, Casamigos Tequila, Yelp, Service Electric Broadband Cable, World Auto Group of Newton, The Louisiana Cajun and Zydeco Festival, Holiday Inn and 84RV.com

Note to editors: Hi Res images can be found at http://www.crawfishfest.com/pressbox/press-releases.htm

Please contact Natashia Kruse to schedule advance artist interviews

Posted Thursday April 24, 2014 at 05:05 am by Michael Arnone's Crawfish Fest
Last Updated Tuesday April 29, 2014 at 10:25 am