Premiere: Lost Bayou Ramblers: past, present and future

Moving forward, traditionally

Louisiana, and Cajun country in particular, stands as an aggressively independent corner of America—let’s face it, they have their own all-hamburgers-barred cuisine, their own language and their own music, all of which have influenced mainstream American culture. Cajun band and Grammy-winners Lost Bayou Ramblers, aggressively progressive yet adamantly traditional, celebrate their 20th Anniversary with the release of a deluxe CD/DVD package which includes a new live album, Asteur (At This Moment), and the documentary On Va Continuer! (We Will Go On!), bracketing the band’s innovative/traditional point of view.

Asteur, Cajun French for “right now” or “at this moment” provides a glimpse of Lost Bayou Ramblers’ regular haunts in New Orleans: Tipitina’s, Preservation Hall and the Maple Leaf Bar (where 30 years ago LBR founders Andre and Louis Michot’s father and uncles played with their band, “Les Freres Michot), and a performance from the Dew Drop Jazz Hall, on Lake Pontchartrain, reportedly the oldest operating jazz hall in the world.

On Va Continuer!, which premiered in February, 2019 at the historic Prytania Theater in New Orleans, documents the writing and recording of a previous album, Kalenda, and follows that album’s supporting tour to the 2018 Grammy Awards, where they won for Best Regional Roots Music Album. (It’s worth noting that Lost Bayou Ramblers also recently issued Rodents of Unusual Size (Music from the Motion Picture) album, featuring their score for a documentary about a species of 20-pound rodents invading Louisiana, possibly a first.)

Taking traditional music to new levels of rhythmic energy and spontaneity, the Lost Bayou Ramblers infuse it with the raw energy of punk and psychedelic ambitiousness. The band’s founding brothers told Elmore:

“We could think of no better way to ring in 20 years as a band than with a live album recorded at some of our favorite venues in Louisiana.” said Louis Michot. “What started as a soundtrack to compliment the On Va Continuer! documentary, turned into Asteur, our third live album, featuring a few of our most popular live songs that have never been released, namely “Steh” and “New Iberia Haircut”, the latter of which is often requested by fans flying signs with the song title at our shows.” His brother, Andre Michot added, “As the title suggests Asteur is a snapshot of the sound and energy of the band…right now.”

The Lost Bayou Ramblers are Louis Michot (fiddle and lead vocals), Andre Michot (accordion and lapsteel), Bryan Webre (electric bass), Jonny Campos (electric guitar), Eric Heigle (acoustic guitar and drums), and Kirkland Middleton (drums and percussion).