Bon Bon Vivant on living the good life in the Big Easy

If that's the case, Jeremy Kelley and Abigail Cosio, the husband-and-wife duo behind Bon Bon Vivant, the good life must mean double the bon bon.

"Me and Abby make a good team," Kelley, saxophonist for the dynamic, five-person Gypsy Jazz band out of New Orleans, explained. "I'm on one floor of our house making arrangements and scheduling gigs while Abby's writing beautiful songs up in the bedroom."  

It's true that Cosio, the group's frontwoman, lead singer and chief songwriter, can weave a wicked tune like no one else. 

But it is her throaty, expressive vocals that take the band to the next level.

"I say we are what happens when cabaret meets indie music meets dance music," Casio said.

Which means it will be one hellava ride when Bon Bon Vivant plays Saturday in the Park's mainstage on July 4.

After all, a live performance is more than just music. It's storytelling that sends an audience into a strange new world, both intimate and theatrical, as well as love, both romantic and a bit twisted.

This is fitting for Kelley and Cosio, since they've made New Orleans their adopted hometown.

"There is something so very enticing about a city that can be hopeful and mysterious and messy all at once," Cosio said.

Plus the "Big Easy" was also the birthplace of pretty much all American music.

Kelley said this is something that Cosio plays with all the time.

"We've started playing the same songs two different ways," he explained. "The first way will be sparse and intimate, like Abby would write in our bedroom at home."

The second way would be to add Bon Bon Vivant's very impressive horn section.

"I think audiences get a kick out of that," Kelley noted. "The lyrics might be melancholy, but the horns make you want to dance."

It is those conflicting emotions that Cosio enjoys the most.

"That's why I love playing intimate clubs so much," she said. "You can take the audience on a musical journey. There might be a few twists and turns along the way. Yet the trip will be more than worth the effort."

Sometimes, such moments are lost when performing at a music festival.

"At a club, you might be a few feet away from people," Cosio said. "At an outdoor festival, you may not even be able to see the front row because it is so far away."

During festival shows, bigger is always better.

"You become bigger and the music becomes bigger because the stage is so much bigger," Cosio said. "It is then that you realize you have a job to do."

Which is fine for both Kelley and Cosio who both relish the opportunity to be unapologetically rowdy.

"Both of us are foodies, and we love to try new foods," Cosio said.

However, don't be surprised if Kelley makes a side trip before the band reaches Sioux City.

"We didn't know this until recently, but her grandfather and my grandfather were both from Council Bluffs," he said. "I might see if I have any relatives down there."

That would be the ultimate contradiction.

A couple who met in California before they decided to embrace the mysterious ethos of the Crescent City may also have ties to the Heartland of America?

But it's like what Cosio said.

There might be a few twists and turns along the way during a musical journey. Yet the trip will be more than worth the effort."