Mumbo Gumbo will have the crawdads dancing at Commons Beach in Tahoe City

Mumbo Gumbo. The name conjures up images of dancing crawdads.

Maybe that’s the ticket. But today, you won’t even need a ticket because the Sacramento-based band Mumbo Gumbo will perform a free show at the Concerts at Commons Beach series in Tahoe City. Scope out your spot on the sand early for the 4 p.m. show – this band has fans.

“Good times last year, see y’all there,” said one follower on Facebook.

“Yes!!!” said another.

Gumbo is an accurate description of the band’s musical box of players, featuring a septet onstage that has returned to Lake Tahoe for two decades. The Commons series is sponsored by the Tahoe City Downtown Association and the Tahoe City Public Utility District and attracts hundreds of faithful locals and visitors during the hot times in the summer.

The band’s online profile tells all:

“Mumbo Gumbo blends many genres, from rock to soul, afro-pop to balladry, zydeco to country, into a celebratory, danceable noise…”

With eight albums to its credit, the band “has created something that is less a specific style than a particular feeling: the sound of sheer joy. Or, as one of (its) songs puts it, “That big life feeling.”

“Fronted by two first-rate singer/songwriters, Chris Webster and Tracy Williams, the band is anchored and driven by one of the longest-lived rhythm sections in Northern California: drummer Rick Lotter and bassist Lynn Michael Palmer. With Reggy Marks’ sax, Jon Wood’s guitar and Steve Stizzo’s keyboards fleshing out the band’s expansive sound, Gumbo has built a reputation not just for danceability, but for creative depth.

“…Gumbo weaves a rich tapestry of sound and sensibility that transcends genre.”

Can crawdads dance? Go check it out. With approximately 300 million of them in Lake Tahoe, boaters might be advised to dock at Tahoe City to avoid the choppy waters and instead feast upon Mumbo Gumbo on the beach.

Mumbo Gumbo also will perform a free show at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 7, at Minden Park.

•  Concerts at Commons Beach
  4-7 p.m. Sundays in Tahoe City
  Aug. 2              Mumbo Gumbo
  Aug. 9              Honey Island Swamp Band
  Aug. 16            Con Brio
  Aug. 23            Brothers Comatose
  Aug. 30            New Monsoon
  Sept. 6             Devon Allman Band, the Roemers (3 p.m. start)