The Red Stick Ramblers - Cajun, western swing, blues and early jazz will come to Thrasher Opera House, Wisconsin on 5/30/2009.
In 2000, suits crisply pressed and bows rosined, The Red Stick Ramblers first shot out of Baton Rouge, where several members were studying at Louisiana State University. Thanks to their unflaggingly energetic live shows, they quickly developed a following around the Gulf Coast region, and spriead the message even more widely with the 2002 release of their self-titled debut album.
The music of Louisiana has a lot in common with the cuisine. An initial blast of heat usually commands attention right off the bat, but then -- slowly, but surely -- all sorts of subtler notes start to creep in, making for an irresistibly captivating experience. That’s the vibe that emanates from The Red Stick Ramblers, an appropriately-named aggregation that builds stylistic bridges spanning the decades -- not to mention connecting styles as diverse as traditional Cajun, western swing, blues and old-school jazz.
"The common thread is that it’s all dance music," fiddle player Linzay Young says of the genre-jumping nature of the Ramblers’ repertoire. "Three hour dances are not uncommon where we come from, and we’re there to please the dancers, so it’s less like a performance and more like a party and you’re the entertainment. We could probably pull out a hundred or so songs on a given night if we had to."
"Traditional music has a lot of social and cultural implications that pop music doesn’t, in terms of getting people together. It’s not as much about performance or virtuoso musicianship as it is about community and I think people are attracted by the approachability. That’s a rebellious thing in a way, the desire to be real and not be co-opted or homogenized, and that’s what we’d like to be seen as representing.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. -- www.thrasheroperahouse.com
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