Who we are

Joshua Huval is a seasoned Cajun Creole multi instrumentalist musician with over 30 years of experience. He has performed for many cajun jam sessions, house dances, dancehalls, crawfish boils, boucheries, trail rides, and festivals. While it can be hard to hang on to your roots in the modern world, Joshua found music to be a great way for him to keep his cultural connection in tact. He is excited to share his version of authentic Cajun Creole Dance Music with the World.

Born in Lafayette, LA, Joshua’s childhood was split between Southwest Louisiana, the Midwest, and Central Texas. At just 4 years old, Josh began playing triangle at family functions and jam sessions; his playing from this time is featured in the Arhoolie Documentary “Everything But the Squeek” as the triangle player for the Huval Family Band.

By the time he was 14, he eventually taught himself to play the accordion by listening to bootleg cassette tapes of Cajun radio broadcasts, jamming with his Dad and brother Dan, as well as watching accordion players Charlie Terr, Jason Frey, Paul Daigle, Horace Trahan, and Steve Riley whenever he had the opportunity. Aside from a brief lesson over the phone by his uncle Chad when he was gifted his first accordion, Joshua had been playing the accordion for 15 years before his first formal set of lessons, also given by his uncle Chad.

As a teenager, Joshua began playing accordion in Folk Punk bands, which sparked an interest in writing original folk songs. Many of these early songs were written in English and pulled heavily from the Cajun Creole tradition. As Joshua learned more instruments, he began reworking his songs to be played with fiddle and accordion, some also being adapted to have lyrics in Louisiana French.

While living in San Antonio, TX, Joshua’s Dad, Kevin, formed the band ŒUVAL, which featured Joshua on accordion, Kevin on guitar, and brother Dan on bass. In 2011, ŒUVAL independently recorded and released Racines En Fleur (Roots in Bloom), a collection of standard Cajun songs and several original songs written by Kevin. The originals were heavily influenced by the passing of Doc Huval, Joshua’s Grandpa, who was a well known cowboy Veterinarian in Breaux Bridge, LA. Racines En Fleur would go on to be nominated for the “Best First Album” and “People’s Choice” categories of the CFMA’s Le Cajun award. Between 2011 and 2016, ŒUVAL played frequently in Texas and Louisiana, even traveling to the Midwest to play dances, and ultimately went on a hiatus as Joshua began to focus on other projects. They’ve recently started playing dances again. Songs from Racines En Fleurs can be heard on KRVS in Lafayette, LA.

In 2016, Joshua started the underground Cajun music band Quatre Coins Throwdown “QCT” with friend, roommate, and frontier fiddler poet Christian LeJeune. Equally hated and loved, the term “Lounge Band from Hell” was used once to describe their sound.

Photographer Ron Stanford mentions in the afterword of his book Big French Dance:

“…Quatre Coin Throwdown, which I’ve heard on homemade CDs that Christian sent me, has such raw energy and authenticity-down to the minimalist recording technique-that I couldn’t help but recall being out at some hunting camp in 1973 eating squirrel sauce piquant and pounding Schlitzes.”

QCT played Texas and Louisiana; it was with this band that Joshua made his debut at Festivals Acadien et Creole. They released four volumes of traditional and original recordings. In summer 2024, QCT released the album BloodSweat&Tears, recorded at their homes in Sunset, LA and Church Point, LA during the pandemic days of 2020-2021. This album features 10 all original songs sung in French.

Continuing his musical journey, Joshua carries on his family’s musical tradition by shedding light on older styles of Cajun Creole music, while contributing original compositions that blend seamlessly with the repertoire he’s developed over the years.

Joshua has shared the stage with numerous well known Cajun Creole Musicians, and continues to make a name for himself. Based in San Antonio, TX, and Lafayette, LA, he has put together The O.S.T. Ramblers, consisting of not only a selection of the most soulful Cajun musicians he could find in Texas and Louisiana, but also good friends and family.

Joshua Huval and his O.S.T. Ramblers provide an authentic Cajun Creole music experience that pushes the boundary of tradition by reflecting the sound of generations New and Old.

Below is a partial list of notable Venues/Festivals/Trail Rides/TV Shows/Radio shows that Joshua has played in the Texas-Louisiana region.

The White Horse (Austin, TX)

The Little Darlin’ (Austin, TX)

Long Center for Performing Arts (Austin,TX)

Austin String Band Festival (Austin, TX)

Vermilionville (Lafayette,LA)

Blue Moon Saloon (Lafayette,LA)

Blackpot Festival (Lafayette,LA)

Festivals Acadiens et Creoles (Lafayette,LA)

LA31 Brewery (Arnaudville, LA)

Cajun Day Revival (Church Point, LA)

Trapper’s Bar (Tepetate, LA)

Tee Mamou Iota Mardi Gras Run (Iota, LA)

Basile Mardi Gras Run (Basile, LA)

Debbie’s Lounge (Church Point, LA)

Les Bon Temps Rouler Show (Breaux Bridge, LA)

KBON 101.1 (Eunice, LA)

KRVS 88.7 (Lafayette, LA)

Hermann Sons Hall (San Antonio, TX)

Anhalt Hall (Spring Branch, TX)

The Lonesome Rose (San Antonio, TX)

Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe (Galveston, TX)