Music
FIGHTs, Music for Villains (Independent)
When Lafayette’s J Burton heard Brian Eno’s “King’s Lead Hat” for the first time, he noticed something: a juxtaposition of sloppy rock with a dance beat, varied arrangements, dense sounds, […]
Promises, Promises
On the surface, The Promised Land: A Swamp Pop Journey is the tale of Lil’ Band O’ Gold trying to make a splash in a world of fads and mud […]
Brass Tasks
In Lafayette’s slumping indie rock scene, young band Brass Bed is a decent size fish getting bigger and bigger in a pond that grows smaller and smaller with each lackluster […]
Still Standin
Probably because of the way the story ends, Drew Landry doesn’t often brag about how Kris Kristofferson called him the best songwriter he’s heard in 30 years. Landry impressed the […]
Growing Up
On one page of One Generation at a Time: Biography of a Cajun and Creole Music Festival, a pre-fame Steve Riley stares up from the foot of the Festivals Acadiens […]
Cajuns Under the Stars
Out on the road some 200 days a year, the Red Stick Ramblers—based out of Baton Rouge and Lafayette—noticed a component missing from the horde of Louisiana’s music festivals: camping. […]
Lost Bayou Ramblers, Live: a la Blue Moon (Swallow)
The studio efforts of The Lost Bayou Ramblers are simply phenomenal—raucous tunes that both stay true to Cajun simplicity and employ complicated interplay between fiddle and accordion, plus a swing-era […]
Arbor Vitae, Arbor Vitae (Redamp)
The debut album by Lafayette’s Arbor Vitae is a surprising record that defies expectations. It stands out in a world of fast-paced, plastic and overloaded rock by taking its time, […]
A Fig By Any Other Name
When the Figs perform, the female group takes the stage in vintage-themed dresses in the style of the 1920s through the early 1960s—each a page from a catalog from days […]
Maurice Berzas and the Mamou Playboys, Live at Snooks, Volumes 1 & 2 (Sterling Productions)
When Tina Pilione turned a collection of old tapes into Maurice Barzas with the Original Mamou Playboys: Live at Snook’s, Volume I and II, she confessed its production values were […]
