Live music brunch - Jude Dupont, Josie Menard & Alex Black
Leola’s Cafe and Coffee House
Baton Rouge
Jan. 3, 2026
You never know who will be up and about on Saturday morning. On the one hand, most people are off work because it’s the weekend. On the other, families are running from one extracurricular to another, and many young people are still asleep – either trying to catch up on their sleep debt for the week or because they stayed out too late the night before.
The one thing that unites everyone is brunch.
Live music brunch at Leola’s Cafe and Coffee House runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends.
Leola’s has an eclectic vibe with a variety of textures and decor. They share a building with Circa 1857, a vintage/antique store. The two have melded their space in an interesting way — you can see right into the store through the restaurant. The patio, though, seems to be all Leola’s. And the corner of their fenced-in patio is where they set up the sound system and makeshift stage for the performers. On Saturday, Jude Dupont, Josie Menard and Alex Black performed alt rock and folk pop songs to a lively patio audience.
The patio seating consists of mismatched tables, exposed brick and cool vibes. It’s busy, but not too busy. I’m seated right away, but I do wait over 30 minutes for food, but with the music, I find that the time passes really fast even though I’m dining alone. There’s a variety of people there. Some people are also dining alone, taking work calls or reading. There are at least three groups of brunch girlies having birthday celebrations or meeting up.
Dupont, Menard and Black choose music fits right into the ambiance. They play familiar music like “Take it Easy” by Eagles or “Hanging by a Moment” by Lifehouse. But they also play some songs like “Girl in Mexico” by Meriwether, which is by a local Baton Rouge band, but has a familiar feel even if people don’t know the song.
As performers, they’re good at reading each other and harmonizing. It’s clear they’ve performed together before. Black, on cajon, stands out for his ability to sing while also playing percussion. There are some venues where live music is the focus of the event, it’s more a mini concert or recital, and others where the music lies more in the background. They do a good job of sitting somewhere in the middle. Some people, sitting closer to the corner where they’re set up, seem to be there just for the music, nursing a drink and vibing, and the trio talks to them, and tries to make shouting “Olé” followed by two claps at the end of songs happen.
The trio transformed what could be a kind of weird venue into a warm and inviting spot with range. It seems like one could do a post activity family brunch there, day drink with old friends or genuinely get some work done by themselves, and none of it would seem out of place.
