♫ Jazzapedia

Lost Bayou Ramblers

Biography

Lost Bayou Ramblers are a Cajun band from south Louisiana founded in 1999 by brothers Louis and André Michot, who grew up immersed in traditional Cajun music through their family band Les Frères Michot.[1][3][5] Raised in the Lafayette–Broussard area, Louis first played stand‑up bass with Les Frères Michot as a teenager before taking up the fiddle at 19, while André focused on Cajun accordion and later lap steel guitar, grounding the new group in deep regional roots even as they were just beginning their own careers.[3][5] Their first gig, booked in August 1999 at Café Rue Vermilion in downtown Lafayette, was still nameless until a friend, the late Ryan Domingue, suggested “Lost Bayou Ramblers” on the way to the show, a name the brothers immediately adopted.[3][4]

From the outset, Lost Bayou Ramblers performed predominantly acoustic, old‑style Cajun music at clubs and festivals across the United States, Europe, and Canada, quickly earning critical attention with their debut album Pilette Breakdown on Swallow Records.[1][2] Over time the band expanded to include electric elements and additional members such as producer/bassist Korey Richey, guitarist Jonny (Johnny) Campos, drummer Eric Heigle, and later players including Bryan Webre and Kirkland Middleton, while still touring major stages like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Preservation Hall.[1][2][3] Their live reputation and recordings brought significant recognition: a Grammy nomination in 2008 for Live: A La Blue Moon and, later, a Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album in 2017 for Kalenda, firmly establishing them as standard-bearers of contemporary Cajun music.[1][2][3]

Musically, Lost Bayou Ramblers are known for playing traditional Cajun repertoire and originals almost entirely in Cajun French, yet infusing it with stylistic influences from Western swing, rockabilly, and punk rock, often delivering high‑energy performances more akin to rock shows than folk revivals.[1][6][8] They have collaborated widely, from working with Violent Femmes frontman Gordon Gano—who both performed live with them and guested on their acclaimed 2012 album Mammoth Waltz alongside Scarlett Johansson and Dr. John—to composing an original score for the PBS documentary Rodents of Unusual Size and appearing in the film American Epic Sessions, where they recorded the landmark Cajun song “Allons à Lafayette” on a restored 1920s electrical recording system.[1][2][3] Across more than two decades and numerous releases, the band has built a legacy of revitalizing and reimagining Cajun music for new generations, helping sustain the Cajun French language and culture while pushing the genre into experimental and modern territory.[1][3][7][8]

Fun Facts

  • The band’s name “Lost Bayou Ramblers” was coined spontaneously by their friend Ryan Domingue on the drive to their very first gig at Café Rue Vermilion in Lafayette in August 1999.[3][4]
  • Before founding Lost Bayou Ramblers, Louis Michot hitchhiked across eastern Canada with his grandfather’s fiddle, busking in the streets and teaching himself French, an experience that solidified his commitment to singing in Cajun French.[3][6][8]
  • Lost Bayou Ramblers recorded the classic Cajun song “Allons à Lafayette” for the film The American Epic Sessions using a restored 1920s electrical recording system—the same type of machine that would have captured the original 1928 performance.[1]
  • Their 2012 album Mammoth Waltz, which features guests Gordon Gano, Scarlett Johansson, and Dr. John, was later named #2 on the Times-Picayune’s list of the “Top 21 Louisiana albums of the 21st Century.”[3]

Members

  • Andrew Austin-Petersen
  • Pauly Deathwish
  • Eric Heigle - membranophone
  • Andre Michot - original
  • Louis Michot - original
  • Louis Michot and Swamp Magic
  • Jon Bertrand
  • Cavan Carruth
  • Chris Courville
  • Alan LaFleur

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

  • Les Frères Michot (Tommy Michot and brothers) - Family band in which Louis and André first performed Cajun music, giving them direct apprenticeship in traditional repertoire and style. (Performances with Les Frères Michot; Louis joined on stand‑up bass as a teenager before forming Lost Bayou Ramblers.) [1980s–late 1990s[3][5]]
  • Older Cajun musicians in south Louisiana (unnamed) - Louis Michot cites playing 'the way musicians he grew up with played' as a guiding principle, indicating mentorship from regional Cajun tradition bearers. (Influence heard across Lost Bayou Ramblers’ traditional arrangements and vocal style.) [Childhood through the 1990s[4]]
  • Joe Falcon & Cléoma Breaux (historical influence) - Pioneering Cajun duo whose 1928 recording 'Allons à Lafayette' the band re‑created for The American Epic Sessions, reflecting their reverence for early commercial Cajun recordings. (Performance of “Allons à Lafayette” on The American Epic Sessions (2017).) [Original recording 1928; LBR tribute 2017[1]]

Key Collaborators

  • Louis Michot - Co‑founder, fiddle player, lead vocalist, principal composer, and bandleader. (All Lost Bayou Ramblers releases, including Pilette Breakdown, Live: A La Blue Moon, Mammoth Waltz, and Kalenda; score for Rodents of Unusual Size.) [1999–present[1][3][5]]
  • André Michot - Co‑founder, Cajun accordionist and lap steel guitarist, core architect of the band’s sound. (All primary Lost Bayou Ramblers recordings and tours.) [1999–present[1][2][3]]
  • Korey Richey - Producer and electric bassist who helped steer the band’s more experimental studio work. (Producer and band member on albums such as Mammoth Waltz and later projects.) [Mid‑2000s–2010s[1][3]]
  • Jonny (Johnny) Campos - Electric guitarist whose playing bridges Cajun roots with rock and experimental textures. (Touring and recording guitarist, including on Mammoth Waltz and Kalenda.) [By late 2000s–2010s[1][3]]
  • Eric Heigle - Drummer and multi‑instrumentalist (also associated with electronics and acoustic guitar) contributing to the band’s rhythmic and sonic expansion. (Live and studio work including Kalenda and performances documented in On Va Continuer.) [2010s[1][3]]
  • Bryan Webre - Electric bassist featured in the band’s later lineup and related projects. (Live performances and recordings noted in the documentary On Va Continuer and side projects with Louis Michot.) [2010s–2020s[3][4]]
  • Kirkland Middleton - Drummer who joined in his teens and became the band’s drummer in their later years. (Touring drummer; also part of Louis Michot’s related ensembles.) [c. mid‑2010s–2020s[3][4]]
  • Gordon Gano - Violent Femmes vocalist and fiddle player who has performed a series of shows with the band and guested on their recordings. (Live collaborations; guest appearances on Mammoth Waltz.) [Mid‑2000s–2010s[2][3]]
  • Scarlett Johansson - Guest vocalist on the band’s album Mammoth Waltz. (Featured track(s) on Mammoth Waltz (2012).) [2012[3]]
  • Dr. John - Legendary New Orleans musician who contributed as a guest artist. (Guest appearance on Mammoth Waltz (2012).) [2012[3]]

Artists Influenced

  • Younger Cajun and Louisiana roots bands (general) - By modernizing Cajun music with rock and experimental elements while maintaining Cajun French lyrics, Lost Bayou Ramblers are frequently cited in Louisiana media as a model for reimagining tradition for new generations. (Influence associated with albums Mammoth Waltz and Kalenda, and visibility from American Epic and On Va Continuer.) [2010s–2020s[3][7][8]]

Connection Network

Current Artist
Collaborators
Influenced
Mentors
Has Page
No Page

Discography

Albums

Title Release Date Type
Vermilionaire 2009-02-09 Album
Kalenda 2017-09-29 Album
Mammoth Waltz 2012-04-17 Album
ASTEUR 2019-09-13 Album
Bayou Perdu 2005-09-20 Album
Gasa Gasa Live 2014-09-30 Album
Live a La Blue Moon 2007 Album
Pilette Breakdown 2003 Album
HaitiaNola 2019-10-25 Album
Une Tasse Café 2006 Album
HaitiaNola 2019-10-25 Album

Top Tracks

  1. Sabine Turnaround (Kalenda)
  2. Cote Gelee Two Step (Vermilionaire)
  3. Renee Stomp (Vermilionaire)
  4. Coteau Guidry (Mammoth Waltz)
  5. Blue Moon Special (Bayou Perdu)
  6. Walker Special (Vermilionaire)
  7. Coteau Guidry Reprise (Mammoth Waltz)
  8. Granny Smith (Kalenda)
  9. Les Mardi Gras (ASTEUR)
  10. Cote Clair Waltz (Kalenda)

Tags: #cajun

References

  1. musicrising.tulane.edu
  2. discoverlafayette.net
  3. antigravitymagazine.com
  4. nps.gov
  5. americanbluesscene.com
  6. thecurrentla.com
  7. bayoubrief.com

Heard on WWOZ

Lost Bayou Ramblers has been played 8 times on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.

DateTimeTitleShowSpotify
Jan 4, 202613:17Valse de Mechefrom VermilionaireCajun and Zydecow/ Charles Laborde or Jim Hobbs
Dec 28, 202512:51Si jaurais des ailesCajun and Zydecow/ Charles Laborde or Jim Hobbs
Dec 27, 202513:06New Iberia Haircutfrom Live StudioTiene Sabor (Latin Show)w/ Yolanda Estrada
Dec 27, 202512:22Aloha Golden Meadowfrom Aloha Golden MeadowTiene Sabor (Latin Show)w/ Yolanda Estrada
Dec 7, 202513:27Sabine Turnaroundfrom KalendaCajun and Zydecow/ Charles Laborde or Jim Hobbs
Oct 19, 202512:58Cote clairfrom AsteurCajun and Zydecow/ Charles Laborde or Jim Hobbs
Oct 8, 202522:49Aloha Golden Meadowfrom Aloha Golden MeadowKitchen Sinkw/ A.J. Rodrigue and A.A.
Oct 8, 202522:24New Iberia Haircutfrom Live StudioKitchen Sinkw/ A.J. Rodrigue and A.A.