Billy Lee and the Swamp Critters to perform May 29

Poway will be a little more lively on May 29 when Billy Lee and the Swamp Critters perform.

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in Templar’s Hall in Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road.

The concert is being put on by the San Diego Folk Heritage. Tickets are $18 for SDFH members and $22 general admission, and are available at the door or online at ticketweb.com.

Billy Lee Corwin, the band’s founder, describes its sound as “Gulf Coast music.”

“I’m from southeast Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico, right next to Louisiana,” said Corwin. “Where I was raised, it was all swampy and near the gulf.” Corwin said his music has a lot of Cajun and zydeco influences. “There’s a flavor of things, a flavor of styles, Cajun, zydeco, I don’t want to pigeonhole our sound.”

The band performs mostly original music, said Corwin, but also some traditional Cajun and zydeco music as well.

A big part of their sound, said Corwin, is the band’s three-part harmony. “When we’re on a bigger stage, we try to keep the sound down so everyone can hear our voices,” he said. “I enjoy the voices the most.”

Corwin, who plays the accordion and sings, is joined in Billy Lee and the Swamp Critters by Roger Daschle on bass; Scott Woker on drums; Sandra Stram on fiddle and vocals; and Bob Pruitte on guitar and vocals.

Corwin said the concert on May 29 would be “kind of a special show.” “It’ll be more intimate and personal,” he said. “We’ll be bringing our pretty songs. Things will be more acoustic and low-key.”

He said the band would be performing some waltzes, including one of his favorites, “The Unlucky Waltz.”

Corwin said the band is also planning on doing more than play music. “We’re going to stop and talk in between songs, educate the audience about Cajun and Creole, talk about the technicalities of the music,” he said. “We’ll also talk about (Cajun and Creole) dancing and do a dancing demonstration.”

He said he hoped that they would be able to clear a small space in Templar’s Hall to allow the audience to dance if they wished. “(The show will be) kind of a show and tell,” said Corwin. “Hopefully, they’ll give us room for dancing. It’s kind of fun to look at dancers.”

Billy Lee and the Swamp Critters has released two albums, “The Swamp Critters” and “Lorraine.” Samples are available for listening at www.theswampcritters.com.