Don't miss out on the fun when the Todalo Shakers return to our stage for a rare live appearance! Taking their inspiration and most of their repertoire from the early jug and string bands and blues singers who played up and down Beale Street in Memphis in the 1920s and '30s, the group provides an irresistible blend of harmony and swing, old time rags and stomps.

Long known for their bluesy string band music, Eric and Suzy Thompson formed the Todalo Shakers with three other longtime musical compatriots: W.B. Reid plays the banjo-guitar and fiddle, Frannie Leopold plays guitar, and Steven Strauss provides bowed bass, while Eric mashes down on mandolin, tenor banjo, and guitar, and Suzy wails on fiddle. All five of them sing, making for a rich palette of vocal blends. Add to this the warm camaraderie and musical exuberance that these five musicians always bring to their shows, and you've got one fun performance on your hands!

One more important detail: What exactly is a todalo? Citing the Memphis Jug Band classic "You May Leave, But This Will Bring You Back," Eric and Suzy have this to say: "It's closely related to 'diddy-wah-diddy'."