You can get an earful of Filé Gumbo for free Saturday night at the Tacoma Elks Lodge’s membership drive open house, and you can fill your belly at a reasonable price.

The Elks are presenting an early Mardi Gras event (costumes are encouraged but not necessary) with veteran Louisiana-style band Filé Gumbo. The group, which was a fixture at Seattle’s New Orleans Restaurant for 15 years, sounds utterly authentic with its mix of lively zydeco, waltzes, R&B and “swamp pop.”

“That’s a Cajun take on rhythm and blues,” said singer-guitarist-washboard-scratcher Marc Bristol. “I would say our music centers on New Orleans rhythm and blues and Cajun. We try to mine that territory between rhythm and blues and zydeco, which are first cousins.”

Bristol, who publishes a roots-music historical quarterly, Blues Suede News, shares guitar duties in Filé Gumbo with the talented Orville Johnson, a Northwest music stalwart as a performer, session player, teacher and record producer. Joe Anderson is bass, Bob Merrihew is on drums and Doug Bright plays accordion.

Bristol sent one of Filé Gumbo’s albums to a record producer who handles a lot of Cajun music, and the man wrongly assumed the band hails from Louisiana.

One reason Filé Gumbo sounds so authentic is accordion work. Bright, who is blind, heard a Cajun record when he was a child, Bristol said. “Then someone gave him an accordion. Basically Doug’s been playing this swamp-blues stuff since he was 6 years old. He made his debut on Stan Boreson’s ‘KING’s Klubhouse’ TV show in 1958.”

Bristol said hearing the great Queen Ida play is what put him on the path of Cajun music.

“I grew up in the Midwest, and the accordion was all polkas and Myron Floren,” he said. “I didn’t know you could play blues on it.”

Since then, Bristol has become well versed in the roots of Louisiana music. When asked how his group will fill the four hours of music (7 to 11 p.m.), he said Filé Gumbo is used to playing long sets.

“You know, down in Louisiana they don’t stop at all, and there’s a reason for it. … If the band stops, fights will break out.”

Bristol had another historical nugget of note. Modern roots groups, especially rockabilly bands, often seem to have two gears – fast and faster – but that isn’t how it was done back in the day.

“Back then, you could not get through a show without playing what were called ‘the belly-rubbing numbers,’” Bristol said. “That was about once every third song because guys wanted to get next to the girls.”

The Tacoma Elks Lodge’s roomy dance floor, one of the best in Tacoma, can accommodate that yen. Dinner ($10.95 to $16.95) is set for 5 to 9 p.m. Reservations are recommended; 253-272-1117.

Swinging symphony: The Tacoma Symphony Orchestra will perform “A Tribute to Benny Goodman” in a 2:30 p.m. concert at the Pantages on Saturday. The show will also feature the acclaimed Dave Bennett Septet, which specializes in re-creating Goodman’s great swing jazz sound.

Though it’s not their usual fare, symphony conductor Harvey Felder said the orchestra is looking forward to playing with Bennett, a young clarinetist whose Michigan-based septet is devoted to Goodman’s music.

“It’s not something we do every day,” Felder said, “but it’s always fun to try something new. … I’m expecting a great collaboration and a fun event.”

He added that American orchestras have to do things that their European counterparts do not, “because there are so many genres of music that are popular in America.”

“We have to play the classics as beautifully and brilliantly as the Europeans do,” Felder said, “but we also have to turn an ear and have a sensitivity to jazz, Broadway and rock ’n’ roll because these are art forms that are part of America.

“As a symphony musician in America, you grow up expecting to play a Mahler symphony one night and the next night a salute to Lerner and Lowe – or one night Beethoven and the next night some of Duke Ellington’s charts.”

Felder said the concert will feature two numbers by the symphony, some tunes by the septet and “the rest will be a combination.”

Tickets are $10 to $75 and will be available at the door or at 253-252-7264.

HALF NOTES

 • The Mandolin Café presents the acoustic Trevalyan Triangle tonight and the folk-rock Chymes of Freedom on Saturday.

 • Jazzbones has blues from Mark Dufresne tonight. Doxology and Sweet Tea mix R&B and soul on Saturday.

 • The Swiss offers contemporary rock from Kry tonight, reggae with Alex Duncan on Saturday and a rare reunion of Tacoma’s venerable Big Nasty on Monday.

 • Slide guitar ace Nick Vigarino will be at Jr.’s Hideaway in Belfair on Saturday and at The Spar on Sunday.

rick.nelson@thenewstribune.com