Steve Riley And The Mamou Playboys

Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are in the coveted position of being able to fill dancehalls in Louisiana, sell out performance venues around the world, and remain the vanguard of innovation in the music of their culture. Beginning in 1988 and buoyed by the enthusiasm of academic folklorists, they made their debut on folk festival stages the world over and earned a solid reputation as virtuosic, committed yet creative exponents of the treasures that their mentors had handed to them. Musical heroes like Dewey Balfa, Aldus Roger and Belton Richard are not just names on a record cover to this band. They were teachers, band mates and friends.

One of the traits of the Cajun culture that has enabled it to survive in an ocean of pop sensibilities is its resistance to change. From the beginning the Mamou Playboys have engaged this tough audience in a dramatic dialogue over new ideas. Always thirsty for challenges and never afraid of a struggle, the Playboys have not left their first audience behind, but have won them over and brought them along on their adventures. The jury is in, and you can find it anywhere this band plays, at any dancehall they choose, packing the floor and literally shaking the entire building to their seductive rhythm . The result is a new Cajun music that is completely connected with who they are, where they live, and all the history, language and DNA that put them there.