See above..

Great blues piece as well. Wilson can tickle those ivorys every bit as well as he plays his box and saws a fiddle. What a band. Keeping the traditions alive and making new ones at the same time.

Been an player & enthusist for Nwalins, cajun, creole, zydeco, boogaloo, soul, blues, r&b, salsa... you name it for 40 years.

This band, and all the players in it, leave me ICE COLD.

It seems like a reader's digest version of Louisiana music, and I have heard some of the players in this band in other settings and have had a similar reaction.

But let's take just this performance::: first song was way too fast and lacking a pulse, drumming was sloppy and busy, the fiddle was noodling some irrelevant line that NEVER created any exotic meshed harmonies or sounds with either the accordian or guitar. No glisses or quarter tones, no pumping rhythmic interchange--- Nothin'.

The bass line was boring as hell, the vocal was amateurish and whiny.

The accordian was competent but uninteresting rehash of some licks done at every cajun dance for last 50 years. Never hit a groove or moved me in any way the way someone like Paul Daigle or even Steve Riley can. Compared to the cajun & creole music one hears performed by even high-school kides at any gathering in any shopping center in SWLA this stuff is like elevator music.

Then they stretched it beyond the point of bizarre boredom... missing a number of great ending codas in order to add a peppy but amazingly lame accordian solo and more gratuitous vamping.

Then the next number is an anglicized non-blues such as might have been done by herman's hermits in the 60s with no reason to exist in today's music scene, and with a flashy, slidey but completely uninteresting Liberace-like piano fill that was miles short of virtuosity and based on the easiest of beginner riffs played too fast, too loud, and without feeling. No one would ever in a million years request a number such as this one.

Again the vocals seem wimpy and meaningless, the drumming is sloppy and busy, the bass part is like sleepwalking through an old beatles tune, and the fiddle makes my teeth hurt.

I am gonna watch & listen again and try and figure out why there is any interest whatsoever in these guys... but since there are obviously "fans" on this board maybe they can shed some light...

I watched it again and was aware that there was no "air" in the music. Somebody was hittin' on every beat.

Also forgot to mention the "exciting" guitar solo on the second number. Honestly I haven't played a guitar in 20 years, but I believe I coulda done better.

I have no reason to criticize this band other than being offended by their success. I am hoping that someone here can direct me to something that they have done that is even just a notch above mundane... but please don't just suggest buying their CD... I am afraid it might contain mind-control devices.

Wow. Maybe you could contact Wilson & co. and offer them your suggestions - maybe send them a tape or video demonstrating your critique.

I don't need to critique this band... obviously a lot of people think they are really great, and so they will tour & record. My question is honest (not snide)... show me something that they do that will make ME take notice. Their fans have already been sufficiently impressed.

It seemed to me you were totally ripping them to shreds - (I read your post again)

They're big boys and don't need defending but it sounded a little personal to me (maybe a Daddy Savoy thing).

As far as showing you something that will make you take notice of them - it looks like your mind is already comletely convinced that the whole band sucks.

Is this the only exposure you have had to this band?

Finally!...someone said what i've been thinking for some time now about PLB. But i know there's alot of fans here....so... let the discussion begin.
WF

Thank gawd somebody has some critical musical ballz! Especially when and where the PLB are concerned. Most Braves think they are the best thing to come along in the past few years. I, for one, have been known to succumb to a bit of toasting the PLBs for fear of not fitting in with the apparent pundits of Cajun music. From what I hear soundhound describing what's missing in the PLBs tunes, I believe I've found someone I can relate to on a preferential level.

The sky may very well open up and smite my neck, but I don't enjoy listening to Amedee Ardoin, Iry LeJeune, Robert Johnson, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Heck, throw ZZ Top in there too -- can't stand 'em.

But dig this: I often cringe when I listen to my own music!

I'll bet there's some really great things about those artists I don't care to crank up, but I can't sit through enough of their music to figure it out. I can see where someone might say something similar about the PLBs.

HOWEVER... There are some extremely laudable viewpoints connected with the PLBs. Some of these factors involve subjective tastes -- some involve outright unique earmarks. Here's what I see that are good and bad about the PLBs:

Good: Young artists embracing traditional Cajun music.
Bad: Old listeners not realizing they are young artists.

Good: Wilson is a multi-talented and very gifted musician and visual artist.
Bad: Wilson needs to focus. Mello Joy Boys? What was up with that?

Good: Wilson is walking in the footsteps of his father.
Bad: Wilson is walking in the footsteps of his father.

Good: The PLBs have a racially-integrated lineup.
Bad: They still attract a mostly white audience.

Good: Their debut CD, "La Musique" was quite enjoyable.
Bad: Their second CD, "Les Blues de Musicien" didn't do much for me. I guess I was waiting for the next round -- a step further into something edgy. Wasn't there.

I could go on, but it boils down to my opinion. I'm a fan of Cajun music, but prefer zydeco -- especially the new stuff -- over anything remotely traditional; so my opinions are going to be skewed. I like a lot of the artists that a lot of the folks on this board don't and some artists that no one follows. But that's okay, I'm down with that. Everyone's a critic, right?

Nice to hear a contrary opinion, soundhound!

R!CK

Hey Rick--- it's nice to be appreciated, thanks.

I too prefer zydeco to cajun, but there is a point where cajun & zydeco meet. For me it will always be the family band with Bois Sec & Canray when they were young. That was CREOLE music.There is still some out there... Goldman Thibodeaux, the Franks before Carlton passed, there's a young band named LA31 down in SWLA that is pickin up on some... and of course Geno & Jeffrey Broussard can make it happen on occasion. But I have heard Cedric with Corey Ledet claiming that they were Bois Sec & Canray reincarnated... and they never once got the feel of it. In fact, they never even tried to cover the material.

Just because a Savoy kid hires a black guy from Texas does not make his music creole... and I am going a step further and questioning its validity as cajun music. What is with that lame-ass piano plunkin'? Why are these guys all in my face when a spectacular cajun player like Paul Daigle is virtually unknown? He can not only kick Savoy Jr's butt, but the Sr. as well.

And we are all still waiting for the "fans" to tell us what it is that this band can do.

Hey Rick--- seriously, Robert Johnson?

I guess the explanation is easy, we all got different tastes, same reason we dont all wear the same clothes and we got different color accordions. I dont like all their stuff, but I do like the PLB. Not for any technical music analytical reasons, I just like 'em. I dont care for Steve Riley, Travis Matte, or Wayne Toups, but I can appreciate them. No one should be criticized for their taste, this world would be a boring place if we all had the same taste, we'd have nothing to "discuss".

Here we go:

Bob Dylan: great songwriter. Voice shatters my nerves. He seems to have fooled a huge portion of the population. Turn it off!

Allison Kraus: Blue grass easy listening.

The Doors: How many drugged out hippies does it take to ruin my evening?

Reggae: You're no longer in a college dorm.

Modern Zydeco: Don't point that booty at me.

a-ight

Dylan

Met him in Big Sur in the early 60's at a small get together with Joan and Mimi Baez and a few iother locals..

He could not sing, could not play the guitar could not play the harmonica.. he was largely a plagarist
His best work was Nashvuille Skyline.. since then.. no interest

Allison Krauss is like light Jazz.. Bluegrass for yuppies

Doors, two trick pony.. Light my Fire and People are Strange.. other than that no one home

Reggae... Where I live anything Reggae is like the national anthem and MArley was Lincoln
5 minutes and I'm done.. this too is formula music
If you are lucid and not stoned, it goes nowhere

Modern Zydeco is becoming commercial, next it will be produced out of NAshville

And so what about Doug Kershaw ?

OOOO, I guess I have a lot more to listen to and need to sit down with someone who "knows". I do admit I have heard a number of accordionists much better than Wilson Savoy many of whom do not play "traditional" Cajun/Creole music most of the time (hell, Jo-el Sonnier is an example: but he has also been playing for over 30 years). Good point that we need to remember these are young musicians and maybe Wilson and his band need to focus a bit. I would still rather listen to them than most of the crap on the radio today. The PLBs at least are expanding the audience for SW LA music just as the Balfa Brothers did when they first went east back in the 60's.

No I can't go with that... it seems that every cajun/creole/zydeco band that has NO FOLLOWING in SWLA is on the road... no one is spreading the authentic music anymore. The authentic music is only available in SWLA.

Joel Sonnier has been playing for more like 50 years!

Rick, you've crushed me..... SRV is one of my greatest heroes, like a little boy who's balloon has been popped, I stand here with my popped balloon and my ba-bin !

I'm... I'm sorry Rusty. I know SRV was an incredible guitarist and vocalist. He just didn't play the accordion well enough for me to warm up to him.

See? I just *knew* pulling back the curtain would get me into hot water with some of my favorite Braves!

Honestly Rusty and others... when it comes to music, I know what I like and what I don't like. I can always recognize talent. Pavarotti... amazing stuff he could do with that voice, eh? But I'd rather drink cyanide and handle snakes than to listen to one of his CDs. But the man had talent.

Robert Johnson... here I am explaining again! Uhhh... it's blues. I'm not into the blues. So Johnson invented it. It's a genre I can only listen to for about 10 minutes and I've had enough. Johnson had talent. He sold his soul at the crossroads and got himself a black cat bone.... which therefore provided a thousand more blues bands some lyrics to use for the next century.

With all this criticism, I can turn it all around back on me. I prefer repetitive music that all sounds the same. Zydeco, Reggae, Soca, and Hip-hop. The only upside to what I like is, I can't sit still long enough to slit my wrists!

I still think Journey sucks,

R!CK

Keep it coming man, you always put a smile on my face.

I like that same repetitive stuff you mention too - except for hip-hop, but hey, we're all entitled to our preferences.

Later Dude,

-David

I think you are missing one important point. They're young guys playing basically traditional cajun and creole music to a mostly younger crowd without resorting to referencing girls underwear and backsides in every single song. That's what I like about them and the Lost Bayou Ramblers.

You might be missing a piece to the puzzle, too. When it comes to music, there's no comparison between PLBs, LBRs and Travis Matte... assuming the panty/backside comment was a reference to Travis without mentioning his name.

I think I know what you are trying to say about attracting the younger crowd. But it's not so cut-and-dry, either. You don't have to subscribe to one band's philosophy to appreciate (or dys) another. I've known people that will check out Travis one night and PLB, LBR or Jamie Bergeron the next.

I think people gravitate to what they like -- and what they feel comfortable with. But there's a lot of folks, young and old alike, that wear panties and cowboy boots.

Go with what ya know, bro... it's all good... except for Jane's Addiction...

R!CK

Hi Soundhound,

How's things? Me, I'm good.

Interesting analysis there. I don't know much about the band, so I can't comment. I did see them at the Long Beach festival once, although I was doing more socializing with friends than I was listening to the band. I do remember thinking that I didn't really "get it" with them - especially the piano aspect.

Catch you later,

-David

Hey Dave

Glad your life is going well (how many kids you gotta put through college?)---

We are good too, thanks.

Here's what I "really" think... PLB is a Louisiana band with credentials that is using their credentials to claim authenticity without doing the work required to play authentically... or even particularly well. Like so many bands (even done it plenty my own self)... they are playing what comes most easily, then foisting it off on the public as "authentic" and original, too.

My question is to those who OOOOOH & AHHHH about them (and nominate them for grammys)- like the guy started this thread... direct me to just one hot tune by PLB that i can listen to and be even mildly impressed.

I am always glad to see young people picking up the traditions and preserving them... love Feufollet and L'Angelus... and most of the no-name teen bands I have heard in Louisiana at Car Dealers and Mall Openings. Every one is twice as good and half as pretentious as PLB... and don't even get me started on teen zydeco bands (where the accordionist owns only an out-of-tune Ariette and still kicks ass).

I am open to changing my mind about PLB, but I am still waiting to hear anyone suggest any tune by them that will change my mind.

So, PLB are going the route already paved by bands like Beusoliel? They don't particularly impress me. They certainly are not authentic Cajun/Creole, but they have had a decent run. I own one of their albums...not my favorite though. My favorite albums that I actually own (not in any particular order) are as follows:

"Cajun Legend" Dewey Balfa and friends
"Le Trio Cadien" Eddie LeJeune, D. L. Menard & Ken Smith
"Under the Green Oak Tree" Dewey Balfa, Marc Savoy, D. L. Menard
"Two-Step D'Amede" Savoy-Doucet Band
"Cajun Pride" Jo-El Sonnier
"Quand J'ai Parti" David Doucet
the Putumayo "Cajun" collection is pretty good.
Of course, Marc Savoy's disc of "Back to the Basics Savoy Style" is quite nice.
and I kind of like the band File'

Let me also say that Cajun music isn't very easy to find around here.

I haven't heard the Pine Leaf boys live so I can't comment on that. I have heard some of their songs on the radio, and that is what I will comment on. I like them. I think they are very authentic to who they are. I don't get the feeling that they are pretentious, they seem pretty "real" to me. I like their cover of "Musician avec un coeur casser" and I like their rendition of "Fi Fi Poncho" with some words like "Bye, Bye, mon coeur fait mal" or something like that. I think they play music the way many who went before them...they just play...they don't get to involved in fancy arrangements. I think their joy of the music and the culture shines through what they are doing. I think some people like the "looseness" that soundhound doesn't "get"...to them it is kind of like a comfortable shirt...sometimes you like it because of how you feel when you wear it...comfortable, and relazed. I think their recording are very real...sometimes uncomfortably real for the modern ear, and they are unpretentious, unedited, not "anatares auto-tuned" in the studio...Real, uncensored, and unsanitized for the general public's consumption. To me, they are more "real" than many other things I have heard.

Also remember, they can read this board, and they are real people...these are not Hollywood stars who are protected from all this..they are just regular guys.

And I also like how they have attracted a new younger audience to the traditional style. I think it takes guts for them to stick to this path and not go the way of commercialism.

Also, I like Wilson's piano playing...and I think that it takes guts to put it out there knowing that there will always be those who will criticize it or never "get it"...but the piano is part of who he is and therefore I think it is very authentic to who he is and I applaud him for doing it. I have heard him play in a friend's living room...he is good on piano. I am not going to get into a debate about whether it belongs in Cajun music or not...it's kind of like what someone else said "I know what I like"--and I like it.

I am not trying to convince anybody of anything; everybody has got his or her own mind and his or her own tastes. The PLB have got plenty of positive things going for them without the need for our help on this board. BUt do keep in mind--the Cajun music community is very small and word travels fast. Things can be misunderstood and interpreted the wrong way...and when you write, it is sort of permanent...so comment at your own risk...I learned this the hard way a while back...I hurt someone's feelings and really had not meant to do so at all...it was just discussion...but I have sort of tried to stick to the old advice "if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all." It really serves no purpose. It doesn't help anyone here, it doesn't help the PLB and it doesn't help our culture.

I appreciate those sentiments, Chris. I do not want to be hurtful or suggest increased commercialism, and I do know that it is a small world in SWLA... but the song you mentioned (Musician avec un coeur casser) is just poorly sung C&W.

I am asking for someone to come forward and show me something hot & shiny by the PLB.


Maybe these kids could use a little kick in the behinds... especially since it seems everyone is propping them up and nominating them for grammys. Has anyone ever suggested that they might want to develop a sound before producing lots of CDs? Some constructive criticism isn't always the route to hurt feelings... it can be helpful as well.

I need to speak my mind because when the PLB tours up here in the North (and I know they have & will) that means that someone else will not. It is supply & demand economics. If PLB is in demand, I will accept that. But if they are only in demand because they are all we are gonna get... I ain't buying that they should get the gig that Rosie or Keith or Balfa isn't getting.

Since you have listened to their CD's and totally trashed their abilities I really think your mind is made up. So I won't be serving you up anything "hot & shiny". Cajun music really isn't about that. Some get it .......... Some never will.

I agree with Chris M. - that if you don't have something good to say about somebody .......

David-
I have NOT listened to their CDs... have you?
I have not made up my mind either.

All I asked is what do these guys do that is so good... and got only one song off both CDs, which I did listen to, and did not like.

I am not trying to bum-rap anyone...

Show me something worth listening to.

I expected a pile-on, messing with sacred cows & whatnot, but it clearly went the other way completely. It seems that everyone suddenly realized that they were being "had" by this band... just check out the posts below---

The reason you wont show me somethin' "hot & shiny" is jsut that you cant find anything.

Soundhound - I've seen them play (and danced to them) - it was fun, not ultra-extraordinary. Except that they have a really good time on stage and Wilson is always pulling the collective leg of the audience. They are truly entertainers, and keep the audience engaged. And Cedric is, I think, a more agile and versitile musician than you give him credit for.

I bought the second CD and lent it to my wife, who has the privledge of hiring just one Cajun or Creole band a year. I haven't seen it again...she stole it even though she generally won't sit through a whole Cajun CD in the car. Personally, I don't mind a bit of goofy slop - it's all I could ever aspire to myself anyway.

I understand being bugged about who gets the hype and travels vs. folks you know are good and wish you could see up east more often. Many times, who gets booked is a matter of who has decided to be away from home and family and put up with the road.

Like I would love to have Chris Miller's band or Jude Moreau's band up here, but we can't afford to do it unless they're on tour. I am speaking as a person who's paid for LA bands to travel up for one gig and lost his shirt. Or...been the first one in the area to offer enough for the band to travel, then find out they are playing an hour away for half as much...but that's another item altogether.

Part of what I enjoy about Cajun music is that it comes from people getting together who share a common musical language, and just get down and see what comes out. I don't try to apply a show band aesthetic to it (but that's OK too). Ramble, ramble...

Steve Blais

Hi Chris,

I was the one who wrote that I didn't "get it" re: the piano. I don't mean that in a negative way, or as criticism. I meant it at face value that I personally don't get it, as in "Hmmm, that's surprising/different - I'm not sure what to make of that. I'll have to think about that some more". It was not meant as in "That sucks".

Just wanted to clear that up. I actually don't have much of an opinion either way about them.

-David

First...I don't intend to bash anyone. I know where you coming from, David. By the way, I was going to that party with Clint, but the rain kept me away.

Here are my feelings on the PLBs. I know, or have met each of them individually. They are each talented musicians; however all of these guys have recently played in two or three bands, sometimes simultaneously. This is a trend coming out of the Lafayette area that is creating an enormous amount of generic music. At times it is very difficult to identify the artist of songs being played on the radio.

As a group, they are average and haven't done anything innovative that would set them apart from all the others. That isn't to say that I agree with everything stated by soundhound. Often times the beauty of Cajun music is in its simplicity.

Another thing that has been touched on here, is the built-in exposure they are getting. It isn't their fault that Wilson has access to venues that the rest of us don't; however taking advantage of it instead of paying your own dues can be a touchy subject. I do think that the cultural, artistic and musical communities are getting lazy. Is it safe to assume that the offspring of the magical Cajun discoveries of the 50s and 60s will be just as magical? It seems that in some cases they have. (ie. Balfa Toujours, Geno Delafose) But whatever happened to seeking out new music? I can think of several musicians, solo and groups, that are doing unique, authentic or grassroots type stuff, but they are overlooked because nobody is seeking, and they aren't connected.

I must add that Wilson's "Honky-tonk" piano version of "J'ai fait une grosse erreur is my favorite of all time. A little out of the box, but definitely good!

I agree with you on the generic sound coming out of Lafayette. I joke about there being more Cajun bands in Lafayette than musicians. Sometimes I think they ought to just call themselves the Acadian Lost Pine Racine Rythm Ramblers & Friends. That would just about cover it. But, on the bright side, there are young people still playing Cajun Music in Louisiana.

Yes! I Agree with both of you! some of the best Cajun music I've heard comes from my local area from many people who are not known at all. I hope the consumer version of Cajun does not take over as the older musicians pass on.

Hey Rick, I think I figured out the problem- I saw Wilson backstage jumping on one foot and juggling a black cat bone while Cedric was singing a Jure song and giving him a touch of mojo hand! Naw, maybe it was just the wine. Seriously though, I've seen them several times and I kind of get the feeling they are trying to get somewhere but have not found it yet. They are still young as a band as well as age. It is not to say I do not like them, I do, I'm just not a "Leaf Head" As a listener of many bands/genres there are alot I do not care for, but I do respect all of them for the effort. Heck, if I hear Don Fontenot and co. sing the darn donkey song again I may go postal! but I do like alot of their material too.
P.S. I'm sure the PLB would get the humor-no grudges intended as they are great guys. Great discussion!

sometimes
The PLB at times play too loud, and don't always let each other's solo's shine up front as much as they could which is true of lots of younger bands in different genres. Wilson's piano is a great bonus- The piano has been in and out of cajun music for years, (I have a couple of great 78 by Cagley & Vincent fron the 50's on Khoury )-and that honky tonk ivory tyle is a great classic &- little heard lineup in cajun music, Cedric has a great voice and captures nuances of Canray like no one else has, plus he's revived some cool stuff from Lomax that's not played by anyone else. Wilson's written a few great tunes too. Sure they're young, they're loose and sometimes it works better than others, but they 're a sure shot to give a lot back to their cultures if they stay with the program!

My sentiments also, Harlan and Chris. I guess I dont understand the expectations and criticizm. If someone dont like em, just dont listen to em. As for me, I'm gonna listen to em. My favorites, nah, but I like em.

And to the authencity of their music, I defy anyone to put a finger on what authentic cajun music is. Or any music for that matter. It has never been not changing. And remember when bashing the piano, at one time the accordion was an alien invader. Hell, I've heard the banjo sound pretty good in cajun music.

If we all kept our mouths shut when our opinions differed from others, we would be the equivalent of inbreds... all the same

Also, critiquing is not to be equated with not being nice...

My opinion
First a diclosure
I had never heard the PLB, I am a PLB virgin
I did not know Wilosn was Savoy's son..

Absolutely no dynamism
If there was no drummer there would have been no drive at all...
The Cajun music I like is driven by the accordeon and the fiddle and the guitar ( if present) serves the purpose of keeping the beat/rhythm..
Speaking of the fiddler.. grating to my ears..
Wilsons Accordeon playing.. I agree, not anywhere near what I expected, certainly not as good as Savoy Sr..adequate is being kind
Bass guitar.. what.. next
Rhythm guitar.. at least it was a Telecaster

Would I pay to go see them no
Would I buy their CD's no

This group was insipid... lacked balls in my opinion


Too many other groups and musicians out there to spend any time or money on these guys...

However.. I think they have potential but not as this group.. maybe it's the camobination that needs to be broken up

Well,, at least there is someone else out there that thinks Robert Johnson is overrated.. ( and of course so is Clapton)

For blues gimmee Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Blake Joseph Spence

SRV well he had his moments but he aint to Sonny Landreth

Add to the list of waste of time bands would be the Grateful dead

Well that should do it

Honesty is sometimes misinterpreted as ill will

I dont think that anyone wishes any of these musicians any Ill Will

Just have different tastes and differences of opinion

For me I preferred Danny Poullard, and Jude Moreau and Iry and well a whole lot of other bands

Oh and Beausoleil I think folks have a major HArd XX for these guys cause they were a commercial success... but as musicians they blow the doors off PLB

And I liken Beuasoleil to the Chieftains... made for the masses but they did spread the word.. it was the Chieftains that caused me to abandon them and really find genuine Traditional Irish Music and it was Beausoleil that caused me to look further into the roots of CAjun Music

So that's good

I too like zydeco but it depends on the group


Back to PLB creole... where... I did not see or hear creole.. maybe at another time and another place

excuse the flowing train of thought...


Bottom line PLB no fire...

...I always love Da Boss' posts.

I think one of the cool things about PLB is they've got panache and sex appeal. I'm not saying this in a brokeback kinda way, I'm just saying that having some guys that can get the ladies hangin' in front of the stage is huge. Dudes see chicks diggin' the PLBs and the dudes think they're great, too (but not in a brokeback kinda way). Add to that Wilson's unorthodox unstrapped knee-propped playing style and you've got the Bada Bing Club. Chicks meet dudes, dudes meet chicks and they have a good time dancing. Dancing makes 'em thirsty. The bartender makes a killin' and the owner of the Bada Bing gets the cha-ching.

What happens next?

Word gets out that the PLBs are off the hook and everyone is looking forward to their next gig -- regardless if they are as good or better than the LBRs, Bluerunners, Red Stick Ramblers, Rodie Romero, T-Sale, or the Lafayette Rhythm Devils. It's called building a following and that's a big part of why they have enjoyed their success thus far -- they've created a scene where others have been marginal in that department. Wilson also has a great sense of humor -- that's a plus.

That's about all I've got left on the PLBs. I dug their first CD because it had an edge. It's not my favorite type of music to be sure. But I do like Wilson for all the videos he's invented. He's the only person doing independent films and instructional videos from S-LA. Kinda like picking up where Les Blank left off. That's truly cool. The only thing I thought was just oddball was that extra documentary he did on the hippie gypsy couple that he stuck on one of his DVDs. That was hard to sit through...

uhhh...R!CK

HAd Maz simply posted here i a performance by PLB

or here is a performance I liked for PLB

that is different than saying

Here is an "awsome" performance by PLB

that in itself invited comment...

Sex appeal..... you need to get out more.. : )

Rosie Ledet maybe

Another note

I am wondering why the group mnamed itself the PLB

my guess is that they are looking for the widest audience and largest appeal and the name is not "Cajun" specific... at least not to me

El Jefe Del Norte

Hehe... yeah, Boss -- I ran into some of those "Pine Leaf Boys" in Angelina County last week. Clocked me at 65 in a 55. At least I can crank my Ray Abshire CD, drink my PBRs and chat about PLBs while I take my driver's edgeumacation course, of course!

Hey... I'm gettin' out more!

R!CK

Cedric told me they named themselves with reference to Nathan Abshire's band the Pine Grove Boys.

So it is not for the sake of having a non-Cajun sounding name. It's actually highly referential (even reverential) toward a famous band in Cajun music history, or at least an in-joke that a lot of musicians would connect with.

I don't know them well enough to know exactly what they meant, but it sounds like they were being self-deprecating. Nathan was so mighty he had a grove. Them, they're just a leaf!

Y'all might not remember the days when Beausoleil first played on Prairie Home Companion to a national NPR audience and the host called them the greatest Cajun band in the world. Not that the man could have named even 10 of the other bands playing Cajun music. They were probably the only Cajun band he knew! The "annointment" if you can call it that sort of rubbed some people the wrong way. I hope nobody holds anything against the Leafs along the same lines out of jealousy.

I wasn't suggesting it wasn't a Cajun related band name.. but a name that would encompass more than 1 genre hence more venues wider audience


Don't worry...there's a very slim chance the Leafs will be called the greatest Cajun band in the world...

It seems the players with the most feel do something else for a living. Their playing comes from inside. They play because it feels good and puts some balance between work and family. Home cooking always tastes best.

Ok, I just went out and found two cd's by the Lost Bayou Rambers....!!!!! I have to tell you they got my foot tapping faster than the PLBs ever have. **** Good Band! The rythmns are tight, the fiddle sounds fabulous, the vocals "authentic", the guitar downright perfect(acoustic), and most of all the accordion is very well played as a true part of the band. I'm going to hunt down all their recordings.

Both bands were in Europe this year and I like them both. We can not see every day a real LA Cajun band, so we are really happy if there's coming a band playing some real stuff.
They have a different style, but my opinion is that they don't forget the playing traditions of Cajun, Creole, Zydeco, .....
It's very good that young people keeping this music alive !!!

Craig I completely agree

Some of the best music I have heard is never "performed" or recorded..

Specifically as relates to "ethnic" music to which Cajun could be classified

To me it's like "folk art"

I make a part of my living making "folk art"

And the reason it is only part of my living is that you cannot fake it

Folk Art by definition is in spired works made from materials at hand

So making folk art from craft goods bought at Michaels and then planning it out and or making it from patterns bought on line is contrary to the definition.. it isn't folk art.. it's craft at its worst and the kind of crap you see at most craft shows


So it is with an inspired music and PLB to me was
less than inspiring way too slick and way too much planning from the instruments to the players to the "look" to the music itself...it did not work

All music that makes money isn't necessarily good

look at Nashville Country Western.. it's neither.. it ain't country and it ain't western it is contrived with buzz words and elements of style ...it's made to a formula that sucks up clueless devotees and makes music producers and writers and "stars" rich

Stars.... just like the movies these days

we have stars, and few actors...

That's why I always say Cajun music sounds best on a porch than on a cd.

You like the PLBs, you don't like the PLBs. Whatever.

But if you don't like 'em, why are you spending so much of your free time complaining about 'em.

Don't like 'em? Don't waste your time with 'em. Life's too short. Besides, if you're gonna go on and on (and on and on) about 'em, I'm gonna start to think there's something else going on...

like sour grapes.

I do "like" the PLBs. A whole lot better than much of what I hear. Not the best, but far from the worst out there. And yes, there are many many wonderful musicians out there playing with no recognition at all, playing in little bars, on back porches, in Sunday afternoon jam sessions. Austin is full of them. Austin is a terrible place for a musician to make a full-time living or any living at all. Most venues pay almost nothing, so you have to play for the love of it or get gigs out of town. Probably why we see so few Cajun bands here. They can't afford to come. Ask Charles Thibodeaux (see link above). They just pass the tip jar during his regular Monday night gig at Evangeline Cafe. They play for the love of it, certainly not the money.

I don't see sour grapes

I see a balance of opinions


This seems like an old propagnada method that states that the more you convince other people to believe what you believe, the less you have to defend your beliefs

Tatse is subjective

The original poster set him self up as THE definitive opinion and that is the core of the discussion

I and others did not think it was awesome

I thought it was yawnsome

I don't disrespect the original posters opinion, I just don't agree

Amen

Thanks A LOT MAZ! Look at all the bandwidth we wasted on this ping-pong game!



R!CK

I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.

I am very impressed with the cool heads and thoughtful postings that have dominated this thread.

Thanks for all the good input...

I don't dislike the PLB at all... I was just getting a bit peeved with all the hype.

Maybe it will make us think twice before helping to perpetuate some "spin."

Truly amazing... the mere fact that the boys generated all blather this means they are doing something for cajun music. But what was all that girl-on guy stuff in the last post- you promotin' some kinda weirdo heterosexual agenda?

"doing something for Cajun music" could go more than one way

Kinda .like the Monkees and Rock and roll

Dam straight! Ha! ~R!CK

Great publicity for PLB.. and well deserved. They are talented, they are tongue in cheek, they are **** takers, they are in-yo-face, they are orthodox and unorthodox..they know the music ( they perform it ..they don't LIVE it )..and they are an ACT. Best Cajun style Music College Bar Band around.. they are a Party Band..they are Roots( that rock ) and satisfy on that level. They make few pretenses and do pay honour to their roots....they are here for the beer, and more power to them... as for Grammy awards,I have my doubts anything they are doing warrants that kind of attention.. perhaps they are gigging and recording out of the same spirit ( not necessarily the same music ) as their Cajun Creole forefathers.

I agree on all the other comments made on other groups.. but.. Pine Leaf Boys will be Pine Leaf Boys..and more power to them.

G.

Y a bien dit tout ce qu'y avait à dire cil-là.
Les Pine Leafs rock la maison!

These are young guys who are still coming into their own. They have received a lot of press and hype, but I believe this is tied more to their connections to past masters (Marc S et al), increasingly obscured Creole tradition, and a resurgent young audience.

It's always tough to live up to hype - just ask the Strokes.

I highly recommend the Pine Leaf Two Step. In my opinion it's their best song. It has an oustanding groove, and the fiddle and accordion solos are beyond reproach.

I'm saying you won't find better bands or awesome obscure musicians -- they're all over the area -- but bear in mind that this is a young band of talented guys who are still evolving.

This is a situation where a rising tide lifts all boats.

"... rising tide lifts all boats...." man that's huge, Nick! Right fn on! Well put -- and extremely applicable. That sums it up!

R!CK

Pine leaf 2-step-

Thanks, I found one at a Christmas Party at Blue moon on Youtube.

Great Recommendation! They were really laying into it! Wilson was cooking... they should go for that kind of energy on their records.

As good as they were, I still think that Cedric needs to listen to some creole music! He is playing in the wrong register, and his timbre makes my teeth hurt.
I think, now hearing these guys really hit the mark, that his playing is my main objection to their sound.

Wow, I can't believe some of the elitist bullsh*t I have read in this thread. I'm a big fan of the PLBs, and I'll explain alittle bit about why that is. I'm 28 and I started dancing to cajun and zydeco regularly when I was about 19 yrs old mostly to Steve Riley, Geno Delafose and Keith Frank at places such as Whiskey River Landing, Grant Street and the Hamilton's Club. One thing I love about the PLBs is that their shows are exciting and they are getting ALOT of the younger generations out of the night club scene and getting them interested in and dancing to roots music on a Saturday night, getting them interested in participating, exploring and preserving our unique culture.

Cajun and zydeco is 1st and foremost dance music, and as a dancer I know good dance music. The Pine Leaf Boys put on some of the best live performances you'll ever find, atleast when you get to see them in their "natural" setting, I'm talkin The Blue Moon, GrantStreet, ect... The PLBs are my favorite band to see live and dance to, next would be Geno.

You want perfect musicianship, go listen to Beethoven. You want an action packed South Louisiana Saturday night that you won't soon forget, come see the Pine Leaf Boys live at the Blue Moon in Lafayette.