The heat will rise from the Zydeco Crawdaddys, who will be inviting people to dance and sweat with their zesty, unique Southern sound of zydeco music.

Mike Niesel, bar manager of Tres Hombres Mexican Restaurant and Lounge, 119 N. Washington St., said one reason the Zydeco Crawdaddys show on Thursday will be unique is because of the way the band encourages the crowd to partake in the music.

They get the crowd really involved. They have shakers they pass out, and everyone has one and can shake it along with the band’s music, he said. (The Zydeco Crawdaddys) are a lot of fun, and so are the people they bring in. They have their own following.

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Zydeco Crawdaddys accordion player Paul Jarvis said the crowd is essential to the band’s ability to put on an energetic show.

We need the crowd. We feed off the energy of the crowd, he said. We try to get people to sing along and get on stage. We don’t like to see people sitting down.

The danceable beat of zydeco music the Zydeco Crawdaddys play evolved in southwestern Louisiana and is as flavorful as the spicy foods from the region where it originated.

Jarvis said zydeco music is notorious for its vivacious tunes, usually with an accordion leading the way, and its ability to fill dance floors.

It’s not designed to be difficult music, he said. A lot of times it’s the same line repeated over and over. It’s the beat that gets people going. A lot of times it’s the accordion because it has a sound that makes people want to get up.

Because the sound of zydeco emerged from Louisiana, Jarvis said people sometimes assume what the Zydeco Crawdaddys play is Cajun music. Though zydeco may have slight similarities, it is a completely different style of music.

Cajun has different instruments. It’s more like a blue grass band, he said. (Cajun players) might have a steel guitar, and the other guitar is acoustic. And almost all the songs are in French.

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Jarvis said zydeco differs from Cajun because of the instruments used and the musical influences involved.

Zydeco will have a keyboard accordion like I use, and the guitar is almost always electrified, he said. Zydeco has a little more rhythm and blues, rock n’ roll and even a Caribbean-Latin influence.

Aside from Jarvis’ keyboard accordion, the band utilizes another instrument directly associated with zydeco music the rub board. Along with the accordion, the rub board and drums make up an original zydeco instrument lineup.

It’s actually an old-style washing board made out of stainless steel, he said. In Louisiana, the rub board is very much an instrument in its own.

As part of an attempt at including the crowd in the show, the Zydeco Crawdaddys will invite members of the audience on stage to take a shot at jamming along on the rub board.

It’s not an easy instrument to play, he said. I think a lot of people that have tried it are surprised that it’s not as easy as it looks.

Jarvis said the zydeco music is not only rare in this area, but is actually almost non-existent anywhere outside of Louisiana.

There’s probably less than 500 zydeco bands in the world, he said. None of the countries overseas have zydeco music. Anytime you get to sit and listen to a zydeco band, especially in Illinois, you get a rare treat.

But the Zydeco Crawdaddys and their bean-filled soda cans will not be the only treat shaking up Tres Hombres Thursday. There also will be the normal Halloween party festivities.

Owner Gary Robinson said Tres Hombres has been putting on a Halloween celebration every year since the bar opened.

We’ve been doing this for about 15 years, he said. It’s something that is different, and we get all different kinds of people here.

Niesel said the spirit of Halloween is something patrons at the bar can spread by coming dressed in pure Halloween fashion.

We’re trying to encourage people to come dressed up, he said. All the workers will be dressed up. We’re trying to create an atmosphere for Halloween.

Coming dressed up could be well worth someone’s time if the costume is creative enough. Robinson said prizes will be awarded for the best costumes.

We have costume prizes for scariest costume, most original costume and funniest costume, he said. We usually have a grand prize of $100 and other prizes and giveaways for the other contests.

In costume or not, people in Tres Hombres will be able to absorb the Halloween atmosphere and see a style of music seldom performed in the area.

We try to bring in bands that don’t play around here much, Robinson said. We try to mix them with the local bands.

Jarvis said he enjoys playing in Carbondale because of how well the audience responds to the music.

I love the enthusiasm (of Carbondale crowds), he said. You can tell they have an appreciation for something different.

There will be no cover charge for the Zydeco Crawdaddys’ show and Halloween celebration. For more information call 457-3308.