You could say the origin behind the name for New Orleans cover band The Chee-Weez is the butt of one cheesy joke.
This weekend, the band will bring its cheesy persona to Walk-On’s Bistreaux and Bar. The Chee-Weez performance will begin at 10 p.m. and end around 1 a.m. Admission to the concert is $10 and is open to anyone 18 years old and up.
Bass player and booking agent Joey Mangiapane said the band formed in 1998 playing disco music. He said the band used to dress up in afros and disco jumpsuits to play on stage.
“The name came from the cheesy music the band was playing and the outfits worn on stage,” Mangiapane said.
This is not the first or last time the band will bring its sound and look to the Red Stick. It performs in Baton Rouge nearly a dozen times a year.
Mangiapane said the main reasons the band plays in Baton Rouge so often are because of friends in the area and the city’s atmosphere.
“The fans are great in Baton Rouge,” Mangiapane said. “It’s a party town, and Baton Rouge always knows how to have a good time. That’s what we are all about.”
The band formed when lead singer Brandon Foret split from his previous band to form a cover band, which became The Chee-Weez. A few years later, the band started picking up traction and drawing crowds.
The members in the band came and went over the years until the current four staple members consistently started playing together in 2004.
Over time, the band’s catalogue evolved from disco music to a list of nearly 150 songs that span from the ’70s to the ’90s.
The band works together to add tracks to its music, and a vote is taken before the band learns each song, Mangiapane said.
If a song is not working with crowds, the band does not
hesitate to drop it from the set list, he said.
“We choose new songs through trial and error,” Mangiapane said. “We give each song around five to seven shows to see how it works.”
Mangiapane said the band can only perform up to 30 songs every concert, so it alternates songs to keep the list fresh for audience members who have seen the band before. One song always makes the rotation when the band plays in the city — “Callin’ Baton Rouge” by Garth Brooks. Mangiapane said the band is excited to play Walk-On’s once again.
“We want people to come out and just have a good time,” Mangiapane said.