It's recommended that guests bring a lawn chair to Max & Emily's Eatery in downtown Mt. Pleasant on July 22 if they plan on catching The Saucecats' performance. Just don't expect to actually sit in it.

The Saucecats Max & Emily's Eatery, Mt. Pleasant July 22, 7 p.m. FREE saucecats.com

"We don't play the kind of music you sit in a chair and listen to," said Drummer Perry English. "If they try to stay in a seat, I'm gonna go out there and get them out of it."

This year marks the second time the Zydeco-fueled Saucecats have performed at The Max & Emily's Eatery Summer Concert Series. Last year's hospitality is, in part, responsible for the band's return.

"We really enjoyed it," English said. "In the street, the sound was great and the crowd received us well."

The band‘s enthusiasm and energy is especially evident during songs like "A Night Like This" and "So Hard To Stop." English said the band worked out dance moves and antics themselves to encourage audience participation.

But English said it's more than just the band's enjoyment of performing the music that makes all the hard work worth it at the end of the day.

"The fun and enjoyment that the crowd gets out of it makes it worthwhile," he said. "It's fun music. You could be having the worst day and then come and listen to three of our songs and forget all about it."

So where does The Saucecats draw their New Orleans-funk style from? Zydeco masters like Dr. John and Buckwheat Zydeco have heavily influenced the band since 2001 when it formed.

The current band lineup includes eight multi-talented performers including English (drums, percussion, rubboard), Nick Vermis (drums, harmonica), Kim Braeutigam (bass), Mike O' Dette (vocals, guitar), Maureen Lee (accordion, keyboards), Kelly Hengy (trombone, percussion, guitars), Joe Wright (sax, keyboards), and Jeff Hart (sound).

In 2004, the band released Some Like it Hot, which included several live cuts from performances in Frankenmuth and was overall a mix of Zydeco and Cajun beats. The Saucecats decided to drop the Cajun feel for its next album, Havin' Fun (2006), and record all the tracks in a studio.

In keeping with Zydeco tradition, English said that lyrically, the band's music doesn't go very deep. What it's about is the tempo of the music, the fun, and getting the crowd to forget a bad day's worries.