| The Lost Bayou Ramblers | |
|---|---|
Members playing at the Blue Moon Saloon |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Pilette, Louisiana, USA |
| Genres | Cajun |
| Labels | Swallow, Bayou Perdu Records |
| Associated acts | Wilson Savoy, Les Frères Michot, Gordon Gano |
| Website | http://www.lostbayouramblers.com/ |
| Members | |
| Louis Michot, Andre Michot, Alan LaFleur, Cavan Carruth, Paul Etheredge | |
The Lost Bayou Ramblers are a Grammy-nominated[1] Cajun music band from Pilette, Louisiana.
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The Lost Bayou Ramblers were formed in 1999 by Louis Michot (fiddle 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).[2]
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.[3] 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.[1] 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.[4]
| “ | They make you feel like they're bringing you back home. Kind of like if you are out of town for a long time, getting homesick and then you hear a song from Louisiana, it makes you homesick. That's how their band makes me feel when I hear them at home: homesick. | ” |
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—-Lisa Stafford, Programming Director, Festival International, Lafayette, LA |
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The band's typically plays traditional Cajun music but draws stylistically from Western swing, rockabilly, and punk rock.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]