Mike and I had the pleasure of hearing and watching The Lost Bayou Ramblers perform here in Tampa yesterday at Skipper's Smokehouse.

Skipper's is a pretty funky venue with an outdoor stage and dance floor. Really something along the lines of what you find in Louisiana, so when Cajun and Zydeco bands play here, they tend to feel pretty comfortable.

We've seen and heard The Lost Bayou Ramblers before and continue to be impressed with their "old-timey" style. While they play a nember of Cajun "standards" they also include some original and not often heard songs in their repetoir. They're such a GREAT young Cajun band! Because of the instruments ~ a fiddle, an accordion, a rhythm guitar, a stand-up bass and a "basic" drum kit (snare drum, small bass, and a small cymbal + a triangle) The Bayou Ramblers have that wonderful fais-do-do "house band" feel. They can play electrified or totally acoustic.

Take a peek at one of their performances using the YOU-TUBE #3 link above.

It's a hard choice with all the other great bands nominated, but The Lost Bayou Ramblers would be MY choice to win the Grammy.

Forgot to mention that the accordion player switched to a lap steel for a few songs. Sounded terrific!

JoanieBlon,

I think the accordion player is Andrea? Nice guy too.
He was happy to play a few accordion solo numbers for
us in order to demonstrate a few of his techniques.

What I really, really like about these guys,
authentic or not, is the hypnotic groove they can
create. Slap bass & brushes are very effective
They put across that 2-step & choke-guitar rhythm
as few can

--biggeroo

Have to totally agree with your comments on both Lost Bayou Ramblers and Skippers. We went to Skippers to see Ruthie Foster on January 12 while visiting our daughter and husband in Groveland. They'd gone to see LBR and the Avett Brothers at Skippers a few weeks ago. Skippers reminded me of the Blue Moon only about four times bigger.

LBR played our Wheatland Music Festival here in MI last fall, and they were big fun. For 2008 we're having the Pine Leaf Boys. Hopefully, one of them may be a Grammy winner.

Joanie... you have describbed this band to a "T"

Aside from these youngsters as musicians, they are genuine and some of the best personalized attentive yongsters that enjoy the audience. I have watched their circulation and conversation with folks during their band breaks.... they are very mindfull and tuned into people that attend their performance. I sorta get the feeling that when they play "it is a celebration for everyone, including themselves." This trait is something I admire any band that can transmit that feeling. The Lost Bayou Ramblers have it nailed to perfection naturally.

Nonc D

They were in Holland last year and I was at a gig in the Dutch town Breda.
At link#2 you find a article about their gig.
They are a very good band and I have the same experience as Joanie.
But I have seen the Pine Leaf Boys also last summer in France and it's really difficuly to make a choice.
I'm glad that I'm not a member of the jury.

Really though call. They are both GREAT in sound, style, originality and energy level.
I wouldn't want to be in the jury's shoes for this one. It's gonna be a close call.

They are both great bands that I will support as much as I can for the very reasons already mentioned, grammy or not.