“There’s really no reason not to do this,” says Cowboy Mouth drummer Fred LeBlanc, nearly 20 years into the band’s career. “There are worse ways to make a living. It beats working in a cube.”
Actually, LeBlanc’s take on what being in rock group Cowboy Mouth entails would make anyone a little jealous. The summer brings the festival circuit, lots of outside shows and “girls in tube tops.” During the winter it’s Rock Boat: at least a week spend cruising Caribbean waters while playing nightly concerts for a captive audience. And even the group’s cheeky tribute to Live With Regis and Kelly host Kelly Ripa (“If I had some chocolate I would dip her,” promises the punk-flavored song) warranted a kiss on LeBlanc’s cheek from Ripa herself. “She told me it was the greatest thrill of her life,” he recalls. “I doubt that, but she was really sweet.”
Aside from roasting TV personalities (not to mention ex-girlfriends who don’t like The Clash — see “Joe Strummer”), the main objective for Cowboy Mouth (who took their name from the title of a Sam Shepard play) may well be representing their hometown of New Orleans to national audiences. LeBlanc insists that the band, formed in 1990, has always been Big Easycentric. “I think we were ahead of the curve on that,” he says. “The commitment was already there — now it’s just intensified.”
That intensity is clearly felt in “The Avenue,” a sweeping, tender testimonial to post-Katrina New Orleans. “I’ll find my city in my soul,” declares the chorus in defiance to the hurricane that destroyed the homes of the band members. The single comes from the 2006 album Voodoo Shoppe, a collection of tunes penned mostly pre-Katrina and underscored by soulful strains, shuffling rhythms and parade-worthy beats.
These days, the good times are indeed rolling again. Fresh off the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (that most Crescent City of music events), Cowboy Mouth is more committed than ever to sharing the spirit of their home. Such a heart-on-sleeve approach has inspired critics to compare the band’s shows to a religious experience.
“Yeah, without the religion,” LeBlanc quips. “It’s that we’re very intense and very interactive,” he explains. Add high-energy and hard-rocking to that list. And yet “we don’t ask the audience to just get out there and observe our genius,” the drummer says. “Our goal is to get them involved.”
So does that mean the band breaks a sweat trying to invent catchy tunes with pop hooks sure to inspire sing-alongs? Not quite. Cowboy Mouth is just as true to its Southern-rock roots and its card-carrying-New-Orleans-rock-band status.
“The best songs,” LeBlanc notes, “are truly inspired.” Anthemic New Orleans rockers revel in festival season
Cowboy Mouth plays The Biltmore Ave. Stage 9-10:30 p.m. on Saturday.
