Nowadays, it’s an unwritten credo that the accordionist, not the fiddler, is the lifeline of a Cajun band as most groups place the accordionist’s name at the forefront of the billing (think Aldus Roger and the Lafayette Playboys, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, get the idea?) Yet, before the German diatonic variety took center stage with their arrival on Louisiana shores, Cajun music, like many folk cultures, was indeed fiddle based.

So given the current predilection of many older Cajun music devotees for the loud little box, it’s a bit risky to go sans accordion when stepping out onto the stage. Yet, for the newly reunited Basin Brothers featuring original members Al Berard (fiddle, guitar, mandolin) and Keith Blanchard (drums), it couldn’t be a better-scripted scenario.

So if you’re one of those staunch accordion-centric patrons, don’t get out the Hari-Kari knives just yet. With recently knighted Brothers Faren Serrett (fiddle, guitar) and Tommy Bodin (bass), one of Acadiana’s favorite sons breath new life into the time-honored fiddle tradition side of Cajun music.

Seven of the dozen songs are originals and nearly all are rendered with the twin-fiddle punch of Berard and Serrett who play off each other wonderfully. They often alternate leads (“Dennis’ Waltz”) and drive relentlessly, pushing the pedal through the metal (“Jump The Fence,” “Evangeline Two Step”).

Serrett’s “La Fettes’ March” twists and turns, spiced with the added bonus of Berard’s prancing mandolin picking while “My Old Friend” rings with the Berard trademark, a melodious piece that’s simultaneously euphoric and uplifting. Both fiddlers second marvelously, often using a technique known as “basing,” which establishes a pulsating wake about their playing.

Though it may be awhile before the squeezebox is dethroned in favor of the fiddle, until then these brothers of the mud will be merrily championing its cause along the way.