Friday 18 May 2007
The Pine Leaf Boys play traditional, home-grown Cajun and Creole music from south Louisiana, rocking both dance hall and concert settings. All five members, in their early 20s, Wilson Savoy, Cedric Watson, Jon Bertrand, Drew Simon, and Blake Miller live together in the same shotgun house near downtown Lafayette.
Steeped in music since children and hailing from Eunice, Elton, Lafayette, Seely, TX, and Iota, the Pine Leaf Boys have been making a name for themselves as being not only a young group of musicians, but preserving the traditional Cajun sound, while allowing it to breathe and and stretch with those who play it. They present their music in multiple configurations such a twin fiddle, duo accordion/fiddle, bass, drum, and even stomping jurés. Their music is not classified solely as Cajun music, but rather Louisiana music, ranging from waltzes to rocking two-steps to and raunchy Creole blues, bringing in new, young audiences and some who have never heard of Cajuns.
Each of the musicians in The Pine Leaf Boys play many instruments, and it is not uncommon to see them switch and trade off during their shows. The variety and energy they release evolves through their shows, bringing multi-faceted angles to Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco. Their shows evolve from acoustic sets to dance sets, depending on the feel of the people for whom they play.
The Pine Leaf Boys play Cajun and Creole music. Each member of the band is well versed in many instruments and in the French language. They play music because they love it, and it’s evident in their shows, and as Wilson says, “If we weren’t doing it over there on stage, we’d be right at home on our front porch jamming together every night.”
The Red Stick Ramblers play a mixture of Cajun fiddle tunes, Western Swing, traditional jazz of the 1920s and 1930s alongside a steadily growing number of tradition-inspired originals. Based in Southern Louisiana, they build upon the songs of seminal fiddlers like Dennis McGee and Dewey Balfa, along with jazz and country swing bandleaders such as Bob Wills and Django Reinhardt, finding a common thread of danceable rhythms and strong, elegant melodies.