POP/ROCK - Aug. 17, 1987

The local debut of zydeco (Cajun pop/folk music) specialist Terrence Simien and his Mallet Playboys Friday at the Music Machine in West Los Angeles brought out a couple of apparently dedicated zydeco fans: “The Big Easy” star Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, his co-star from the film “Innerspace.” Quaid, who plays a fast-talking New Orleans police lieutenant in the upcoming “The Big Easy,” strapped on an electric guitar and gamely jammed along with the five-piece Louisiana band on two of its encores. Simien and his band contributed a love song to “The Big Easy,” and Quaid sings a tune on the movie’s sound track. Ryan cheered on Quaid’s on-stage antics from backstage left.