Eric & Suzy have devoted their lives to the pursuit of weird and obscure old-time American music – warped fiddle tunes in odd tunings, cinematic ballads, country blues songs that contain mysterious metaphors, early Cajun music with incomprehensible French lyrics and backwards chords. Using fiddle, mandolin, guitars, Cajun accordion, banjo (and the occasional odd instrument such as the ten-stringed cuatro) they bring these early 20th century sounds right into the present day. Eric’s flatpicking on guitar and mandolin is exceptional for its purity of tone, speed, and soulfulness; Suzy is a powerful singer, an award-winning fiddler and Cajun accordion player who has apprenticed with older generation Louisiana Cajun musicians under an NEA Fellowship. Founding members of many influential roots music groups including the Black Mountain Boys, Any Old Time, the Klezmorim, and the California Cajun Orchestra, Eric and Suzy have also worked with Maria Muldaur, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Jim Kweskin, Geoff Muldaur, Jerry Garcia, Darol Anger, Laurie Lewis, the Savoy Doucet Cajun Trio, and many other fine musicians.

If you add Allegra Thompson to make a trio, you get Thompsonia. The music they make together combines Eric & Suzy Thompson’s deep devotion to old-time, Cajun, acoustic blues and bluegrass with daughter Allegra’s fresh perspective, creating feel-good music that ricochets between the rowdy and the sentimental, with an abundance of groove and a bit of a quirky edge. The band features the genetically-matched vocals of Suzy and Allegra  (Geoff Muldaur has dubbed this “The Everly Sisters sound”) along with stellar lead playing from Eric on mandolin and guitar, Suzy’s red-hot fiddling and Allegra’s rock-steady upright bass.

Allegra is the bass player of choice for multiple Bay Area bands, including the Midnite Ramblers (Cajun), the Round Top Stringband (square dance), and Skillet Licorice (rags and hoedowns).  She is the new host of the Pig in a Pen radio show on KPFA-FM, chosen by Ray Edlund who founded the show in 1974. You can also hear her guest-host Peter Thompson’s radio program Bluegrass Signal, which airs on KALW-FM.