The Revelers

Biography

The Revelers are a Louisiana roots "supergroup" formed in 2010 in Lafayette, Louisiana, born from the merger of two celebrated regional outfits — the Red Stick Ramblers and the Pine Leaf Boys. Five-sixths of the final Red Stick Ramblers lineup went on to help found the band, bringing together some of the most accomplished players in contemporary Cajun and Louisiana roots music. The core lineup settled around multi-instrumentalists Blake Miller (accordion, fiddle) and Daniel Coolik (fiddle), guitarist Chas Justus, drummer Glenn Fields, and eventually expanded with saxophonist Chris Miller (joined January 2013) and bassist Trey Boudreaux (joined 2017). The band is deliberately leaderless — all six members rotate lead vocals and contribute to songwriting equally.

Their sound, which they call "Louisiana Jukebox Music," blends Cajun, zydeco, swamp pop, Americana, country, and blues into what critics have described as "a spicy jambalaya of South Louisiana roots." Roughly half their songs are sung in French, honoring the old Cajun linguistic tradition without commercial compromise. A signature element is their accordion-saxophone pairing, which gives them a horn-forward warmth reminiscent of the Stax Records tradition filtered through Acadiana. Their 2015 debut all-original album Get Ready earned a 2016 Grammy nomination for Best Regional Roots Music Album (58th Grammy Awards), bringing national attention to what had been a beloved regional act. The band relocated from Lafayette to Breaux Bridge — the "Crawfish Capital of the World" — in 2018, cementing their identity with the Cajun heartland.

Beyond recording, The Revelers are deeply embedded in the transmission of Louisiana roots culture. They have served as instructors at camps including Balfa Week, Ashokan Fiddle & Dance, FiddleTunes, and Blackpot Camp, actively mentoring the next generation of practitioners. Drummer Glenn Fields founded the annual Black Pot Festival in Lafayette, a community gathering celebrating Cajun/Creole food, music, and dance. The band gained broader visibility through their appearances on HBO's acclaimed drama Treme (seasons three and four, handpicked by creator David Simon) and Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations (2011 season finale). Their 2019 album At the End of the River (Au Bout de la Rivière) drew strong reviews for its bilingual ambition and deep-groove craft.

Enhanced with Claude AI research

Fun Facts

• The band is a true democratic collective — no single leader, with all six members rotating lead vocals and contributing songs. Their albums feature four different lead vocalists across the tracks, which critics noted as a distinctive and refreshing structural choice.
• Blake Miller's grandfather Larry Miller is a renowned Cajun accordion maker — meaning Blake grew up not just playing the instrument central to Cajun music, but building it runs in his family's blood.
• HBO's Treme creator David Simon (of The Wire) personally handpicked The Revelers to appear in seasons three and four of the acclaimed post-Katrina New Orleans drama, cementing their role as authentic ambassadors of Louisiana music culture.
• Drummer Glenn Fields founded the Black Pot Festival in Lafayette — an annual celebration of Cajun/Creole food, music, and dance that has grown into a beloved regional institution — while also serving as the band's 'singing drummer,' in the tradition of Louisiana greats like Warren Storm.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Clifton Chenier - Zydeco pioneer whose accordion-driven Louisiana sound is a foundational influence on the band's style and repertoire
• Red Stick Ramblers - The band from which five-sixths of The Revelers' founding members came; a direct precursor and formative influence on the group's sound and identity
• Pine Leaf Boys - The second Louisiana roots band from which founding members (including Blake Miller) came; part of the supergroup merger that created The Revelers
• Balfa Toujours - Blake Miller performed with this acclaimed Cajun family band, absorbing their approach to traditional Cajun music and French-language songwriting

Key Collaborators

• Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole - Both Blake Miller and Daniel Coolik performed with this Creole/zydeco ensemble, connecting The Revelers to the broader Louisiana roots network
• T-Bone Burnett - Individual members have performed with this legendary producer and Americana figure
• Natalie Merchant - Individual band members have performed alongside this acclaimed singer-songwriter
• Linda Ronstadt - Individual members have performed with this legendary vocalist
• The Duhks - Collaborative relationship; individual members have performed alongside this Canadian folk-roots ensemble
• Mamadou Diabate - Individual members have performed with this Malian kora master, reflecting the band's broad roots music connections

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia