Red Stick Ramblers

Hailing from the swamp country between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, the Red Stick Ramblers are leaders of the Cajun New Wave. The quintet can nail the Cajun classics and fill a dance floor faster than Grandpa can peel a crawfish, but they're anything but bogged-down-in-tradition imitators. Along with bands like the Pine Leaf Boys and Lost Bayou Ramblers, the Ramblers are pushing the boundaries and reinventing the honky-tonk bons temps rouler musical tradition of south Louisiana. As evidenced by their latest release, Made in the Shade (Sugar Hill), their sound is full of the deep rhythm and jazz-inspired jive that fuel the crazy Cajun do-si-do dancing that's one of Acadiana's most popular pastimes. With songs like "Katrina," "Les Oiseaux Vont Chanter" and their moonshine-celebrating "Made in the Shade" ("it comes from Opelousas and it's made in the shade"), a party follows the Red Stick Ramblers wherever they take the bandstand.