Lost Bayou Ramblers
Encyclopedia
The Lost Bayou Ramblers are a Grammy-nominated Cajun music
band from Pilette, Louisiana
.
and vocals) and his brother Andre Michot (cajun accordion
and lap steel guitar
). The brothers had grown up playing with their father and uncles, a family of lawyers, judges and state senators who played traditional Cajun music as Les Frères Michot
. The other Ramblers are Alan Lafleur (upright bass), Cavan Carruth (rhythm guitar) and Paul Etheredge (drums).
The Lost Bayou Ramblers have toured through much of the United States, including performances at the International Country Music Conference in Nashville
, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens' Chile Pepper Fiesta, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
and at the historic Preservation Hall
. The Ramblers had their first international performance in Lyon, France in November 2004. Their debut release, Pilette Breakdown (Swallow Records) received critical acclaim across North America and Europe. Their 2006 release Mellow Joy Boys:Une Tasse Cafe featured guest fiddler Wilson Savoy
of the Pine Leaf Boys
on a collection of 1930's era songs and classic Cajun Swing. In 2008, the Ramblers were nominated for a Grammy Award
in the Best Zydeco
or Cajun Music category (a new category for that year) for their album Live: A La Blue Moon. The Ramblers have also played a series of shows with Violent Femmes
vocalist and fiddle player Gordon Gano
and are working on their next album with him.
but draws stylistically from Western swing
, rockabilly
, and punk rock
. They have remained a traditional Cajun band, reviving forgotten classics of the genre, singing almost entirely in Cajun French
, and maintaining smooth, moderate tempos suitable for dancing two-steps
and waltzes. Along with other local acts Feufollet, the Red Stick Ramblers
, and the Pine Leaf Boys, the Ramblers form the core of a renaissance in Cajun and Creole music
. Their high energy live shows include antics more common to rock or punk bands, such as fiddler Michot climbing atop the upright bass of LaFleur as both musicians continue to play or the sporting of hipster Mohawks and prominent tattoos.
Cajun music
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
band from Pilette, Louisiana
Pilette, Louisiana
Pilette is an unincorporated community in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.The community is located between LA Hwy 339 and LA Hwy 89 along LA Hwy 182 .-References:...
.
Career
The Lost Bayou Ramblers were formed in 1999 by Louis Michot (fiddleFiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
and vocals) and his brother Andre Michot (cajun accordion
Cajun accordion
A Cajun accordion also known as a squeezebox is single-row diatonic button accordion used for playing Cajun music.-History:Many different accordions were developed in Europe throughout the 19th century, and exported worldwide...
and lap steel guitar
Lap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
). The brothers had grown up playing with their father and uncles, a family of lawyers, judges and state senators who played traditional Cajun music as Les Frères Michot
Michael J. Michot
Michael John "Mike" Michot is the departing senior Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate, having represented District 23 since the year 2000. He is the outgoing hairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Michot was unopposed for his third Senate term in the nonpartisan blanket primary...
. The other Ramblers are Alan Lafleur (upright bass), Cavan Carruth (rhythm guitar) and Paul Etheredge (drums).
The Lost Bayou Ramblers have toured through much of the United States, including performances at the International Country Music Conference in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens' Chile Pepper Fiesta, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, often known as Jazz Fest, is an annual celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana...
and at the historic Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall is a noted jazz performance hall located at 726 St. Peter Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It hosts nightly concerts featuring a rotating roster of bands. The bands of Preservation Hall typically perform jazz in the New Orleans style.Despite the fame of the...
. The Ramblers had their first international performance in Lyon, France in November 2004. Their debut release, Pilette Breakdown (Swallow Records) received critical acclaim across North America and Europe. Their 2006 release Mellow Joy Boys:Une Tasse Cafe featured guest fiddler Wilson Savoy
Wilson Savoy
Wilson Allen Savoy is a Grammy nominated Cajun accordion player and singer in the band the Pine Leaf Boys as well as a local filmmaker in Lafayette, LA...
of the Pine Leaf Boys
Pine Leaf Boys
The Pine Leaf Boys is a Cajun and Creole band from South Louisiana. Members include Wilson Savoy , Courtney Granger , Drew Simon , Jon Bertrand , and Thomas David .-Career:...
on a collection of 1930's era songs and classic Cajun Swing. In 2008, the Ramblers were nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in the Best Zydeco
Zydeco
Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music...
or Cajun Music category (a new category for that year) for their album Live: A La Blue Moon. The Ramblers have also played a series of shows with Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009...
vocalist and fiddle player Gordon Gano
Gordon Gano
Gordon James Gano is an American musician. He is best known for being the singer, guitarist and songwriter of American alternative rock band Violent Femmes.-Early life:...
and are working on their next album with him.
Musical style
The band's typically plays traditional Cajun musicCajun music
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
but draws stylistically from Western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
, rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
. They have remained a traditional Cajun band, reviving forgotten classics of the genre, singing almost entirely in Cajun French
Cajun French
Cajun French is a variety or dialects of the French language spoken primarily in Louisiana, specifically in the southern and southwestern parishes....
, and maintaining smooth, moderate tempos suitable for dancing two-steps
Cajun Jitterbug
Cajun Jitterbug is a style of Cajun dancing with two variations. The main style is a classic two-step form of a six-count East Coast Swing, which is differentiated from the one-step Cajun Jig...
and waltzes. Along with other local acts Feufollet, the Red Stick Ramblers
Red Stick Ramblers
The Red Stick Ramblers are a Cajun Music and Western Swing band who formed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana while the members were attending Louisiana State University. Their name comes from a translation of Baton Rouge, which means "red stick" in French...
, and the Pine Leaf Boys, the Ramblers form the core of a renaissance in Cajun and Creole music
Creole music
Creole music applies to two genres of music from south Louisiana: Creole folk and Creole. Creole folk dates from the 18th century or before, and it consists primarily of folk songs. Many were published, and some found their way into works by Louisiana composers such as Louis Moreau Gottschalk,...
. Their high energy live shows include antics more common to rock or punk bands, such as fiddler Michot climbing atop the upright bass of LaFleur as both musicians continue to play or the sporting of hipster Mohawks and prominent tattoos.
Discography
- Pilette Breakdown (Swallow Records, 2001)
- Bayou Perdu (Swallow Records, 2005)
- Mellow Joy Boys:Une Tasse Cafe (Swallow Records, 2006)
- Live: A La Blue Moon (Swallow Records, 2007)
- Vermilionaire (Bayou Perdu Records, 2008)
External links
- Official website
- Lost Bayou Ramblers at The Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette, LouisianaLafayette, LouisianaLafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
09-05-2008 - Lost Bayou Ramblers at SXSW 2011
- Lost Bayou Ramblers live at The House of BluesHouse of BluesHouse of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
, New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
03-19-2011 - Blue Moon Special performed at Akkurat, Stockholm