If you’re a fan of Cajun music, then south Louisiana-based Lost Bayou Ramblers (with its fiddle, standup bass and French vocabulary) are an easy sell. If you’re not of fan of Franco-Americana, the relentless two-step beat or the omnipresent accordion, Lost Bayou Ramblers may still be for you. They were nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Zydeco or Cajun Music category in 2008, but instead of coasting on that success, the band’s new record, Mammoth Waltz, built on traditional sounds while incorporating new influences — like collaborations with Violent Femmes vocalist Gordon Gano, New Orleans singer-songwriter/pianist Dr. John and actress-turned-chanteuse Scarlett Johansson.
The band, which stopped in Asheville twice in 2012, returns this week. They play The Grey Eagle on Thursday, Aug. 22. All ages, standing room only. 9 p.m., $10.
“2012/2013 also found LBR linked to the artistic breakthrough and Oscar Nominated film Beasts of the Southern Wild, arising from their contribution to the song ‘The Bathtub,’ an interpretation of the ‘Balfa Waltz,'” says press for the band.
Western swing, honky-tonk and country blues group The French Broad Playboys open the show. The local group also takes the stage at Jack of the Wood on Saturday, Aug. 31. They “deliver really fun western swing music in the Bob Wills tradition, playing a mix of original tunes and classic southern swing and blues songs,” says a press release. “Adept at a broad spectrum of musical styles, they naturally blend elements of early swing, gypsy jazz, country blues and honky-tonk into a modern western swing party engineered to make audiences dance. Playing up tempo dance numbers, tear jerkin’ ballads and everything in between, the FBPs combine the sounds of Texas country swing with an Appalachian flavor particular to western North Carolina. They were a featured dance tent band at Merlefest 2013.”
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