From the press:
"The fabulous Pine Leaf Boys hail from the soggy prairies and bayous of southwest Louisiana and play the traditional Cajun and Creole music of that region with a youthful vitality that gives an extra kick to that already vibrant music. All twentysomethings, the Boys are thoroughly steeped in Louisiana roots, but are already prolific writers and innovators who love to mess with things. On the quintet's latest, Blues De Musicien (Arhoolie), for instance, fiddler Cedric Watson's Creole blues tune "Ma Petite Femme" is goosed by Wilson Savoy's raucous piano pounding and Jon Bertrand's sizzling electric guitar. Watson's scorching version of Canray Fontenot's "Jig Cajin" rocks hard, as does Savoy's "Pine Leaf Boogie," propelled by wild shouts and Bertrand's snaky guitar. Watson has so mastered the nuances of the late fiddle icon Canray Fontenot, as well as some of his mannerisms, that you can almost see Fontenot's trademark grin glittering on Watson's face when he plays." - Rick Mason, City Pages, Minneapolis, MN
"The live performances of the Pine Leaf Boys are a revelation of anarchy and reverence and manic exuberance funneled through traditional musical forms. Imagine a wide river, storm-tossed and swollen with rain, staying within the banks but cutting a deep channel. Or, imagine a vintage tube amplifier driven to its electrical limit. A Pine Leaf performance is like that. Full-throttle and wide open, The Pine Leaf Boys heat the tubes of the old music until they break up into the sweetest distortion imaginable." - Josh Caffery, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
"I went to hear and dance to the Pine Leaf Boys last night here in
Atlanta. I think they are one of the best new young bands from the genre
that I have heard in a very long time. Cedric Watson (fiddler
extraordinaire) and Wilson Savoy (brilliant - accordion, vocals, and
fiddle) capture the soul of so many of the older artists, including
musicians such as Canray Fontenot through Danny and Edward Poullard (to
whom they recorded an homage on their CD entitled La Musique). Their music
is infused with such enthusiasm and energy..." - Local review of show in Atlanta, Georgia
"THE STAGE is covered in people: It's the end of a set and the band has hurriedly pulled folks out of the front rows. You can't see the drummer, girls have surrounded the guitar player, and one guy is shouting in the singer's mike...
"Everything about the Pine Leaf Boys on its surface goes against the traditional notions of Cajun music, which on record and in performance often sounds like the forlorn music of days gone by... but it all comes from an exploration of the roots of their music, "We're trying to go back as far as we can for inspiration, " Watson says. - Alex Rawls
WILSON
SAVOY, accordion & fiddle
& vocals, has known Cajun
music since he was a child growing up on a
farm near Eunice, Louisiana. At the age of 15, Wilson’s
father gave him an accordion that he built from the wood of a Sassafras tree
that was planted the same day his grandfather was
born, and died the same year as his grandfather.
At the age of 18, Wilson began touring the world with his parents, Ann and Marc Savoy, and his brother, Joel Savoy, in the Savoy Family Band. Wilson attended LSU and studied Communications, and upon completing his
minor in German, Wilson moved to Lafayette to be closer to the music that he so loved.
By age 21, Wilson was touring around the United States and France teaching accordion at music camps such as Augusta, Fiddle Tunes, and Tikendalc'h in Bretagne, France. Wilson's accordion style is influenced heavily by blues and improvisation, as his role models are Amédé Ardoin, Iry
LeJeune, Lawrence Walker, and his father, Marc Savoy,
but enjoys and continues to be influenced by old
and modern Cajun, Soul, and Blues ranging from traditional and modern
Cajun and Zydeco to Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis piano styles.
Wilson has received an honorary state grant to study
fiddle with the brilliant fiddle legend, Ken Smith. Together with Cedric Watson, Wilson plays twin fiddle inspired by Ken Smith, Mike Doucet, Lionel Leloux, and David Greely.
Wilson Savoy, le Grand, qui aussi s'appelle 'Wiltar'
à l'âge de 15 ans, a sauvé un bus entier rempli de Mexicains
sans defense lorsque ce même bus était
sur le point de plonge dans le Fleuve. C'est à
ce moment là, sans la moindre hesitation,
que Wilson a sauté pour sauver tout ces gens
de la noyade. Parmi les autres faits notoires de
la vie de ce heros, il a egalement trouvé
le remède miracle contre l'ennui! Bravo
Wilson!
CEDRIC
WATSON, fiddle & accordion
& vocals, has studied les vieilles styles
of Canray Fontenot and Bébé Carrière.
Cedric lives, breathes, and eats Cajun, Creole, and
Zydeco music and introduces a heap of new arrangements
and original songs to the group. Cedric studies ancient
French and ballads of Blind Uncle Gaspard and Edius
Naquin and adds a fantastic new energy and style to
the Pine Leaf Boys, carrying his weight by playing
the accordion, drums, and guitar. Cedric adds a fanastic
element to the Pine Leaf Boys through his thoughtful
adaptions of these ballads and incredible fiddle styles
of his heros.
Cedric's fantastic interpretations of melody
and master improvisational skills are untouched by
any Creole fiddler today. Typically, Cedric and Wilson will switch accordion and fiddle during a show, and bring forward a unique sound to the Pine Leaf Boys.
Cedric Watson a étudié les vieux styles de Canray Fontenot et Bébé Carrière pendant qu'il a été un enfant élevé à Sealy, Texas, mais il y a quelque chose que un tas du monde ne sache pas. Cedric a noué un groupe Bee-Bop en 1991 avec ses trois meilleurs amis. Ensemble ils ont tous poussé les afros, inspiré par les frères Jackson 5. Il a commencé à faire une vie pour lui-même, mais à l'âge de 15, il a fait son idée que le jour est venu d'arrêter chanter les chansons bee-bop et de suivre son rêve d'être un musicien Creole. Aujourd'hui, il n'y a personne qui peut toucher ses arts improvisateurs maîtres.
DREW
SIMON, drums& vocals, Drew Simon was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana and developed an interest in Cajun music in his late teens. At 18, he started playing drums and singing with his brother in a local group called Acadien. Soon after, he learned how to play the accordion, guitar, and bass and developed a great passion for singing some of the forgotten cajun classics by the likes of Belton Richard, Lawrence Walker, Philip Alleman, Vorence Barzas and the Balfa Brothers.
Drew is strictly a traditionalist, playing and singing in a style which has been described as a "simple, older, blue collared cajun." As he sits behind the drumset or the accordion, he hopes to bring back some of the memories, spirit, and soul of a generation long ago, of Cajun musicians who told their life sorrows and pains through their music. He is currently a student at UL-Lafayette in Anthropology.
Drew Simon est né et été élevé près de Lafayette, mais pour Drew, les choses sont toujours à la renverse. Comme Merlin le magicien, Drew vit sa vie à la renverse, qui veut dire que quand il est né, il est mort comme un petit bébé, et quand il va être naître, il sera un vieux homme à la fin de sa vie. Ouais, on sait que c'est un peu compliqué, cette condition, mais c'est par rapport à ça que Drew a l'esprit d'un vieux Cajun, comme ses sentiments et sa passion quand il chante. Sa voix émotionnelle se donne les frissons à lui-même, mais sa voix perçante donne les frissons et les larmes de passé à son public qui crie seulement... "Drew!"
JON
BERTRAND, guitars, was raised
in the thriving hub of Jeff Davis Parish that is Pine
Island or Crapeauville where he began life as a cowboy.
He began playing guitar and quickly became a rhythm
machine, playing with Dexter Ardoin, Cory McCauley,
and the Lost Bayou Ramblers.
Jon's major influences
are Cory McCauley, Harry Choates, the Hackberry
Ramblers, Iry LeJeune, Austin Pitre, and Sonny Meaux.
Jon completed his studies at UL in French and today
lives with the rest of the Pine Leaf Boys in Lafayette,
LA. Jon is a rocker, and he is influenced by many
groups, not just Cajun.
Jon
Bertand est un homme qui ne joue pas par les règles.
Il joue sûrement de la guitare, mais il y n'a pas
un tas de monde qui sait que Jon est actuellement
un homme qui a commencé sa carrière comme
un strip-teaseuse. Tout le temps en temps, on peut
voir Jon entrain d'enlever ses vêtements pour
faire crier son public. Mais la plus grande surprise est... "Il est actuellement une femme."
BLAKE MILLER, bass,
was grown in the humble town of Iota. The oldest of
two children, Blake began playing accordion at a very
young age and supernaturally became fluent on the
10-button box. Limited by the diatonic squeeze box,
Blake shifted his focus to the fiddle and, "practiced
fiddle for hours a day while his accordion sat on
the shelf," according to his dad, Brünò.
Before even graduating high school in 2005, Blake
became renown as the 'sought-after' musician of Louisiana
for accordion, fiddle, and rhythm/lead guitar. Now,
equipped with the holy trinity of Cajun instruments,
Blake adds a new dynamic to the Pine Leaf Boys as
a rhythm machine, solid as a Sherman tank but twice
as deadly, an accompanying second-fiddle player, with
harmonies more beautiful than a butterfly in a jar
of honey, and bass, with walks and syncopated riffs
funkier than a week-old graton.
"One thing I love about the Pine Leaf Boys is
how they all switch off on their instruments throughout the show... one
minute you see Wilson on accordion, then he moves to the fiddle, and Cedric
takes his place. Their shows are spontaneous and fun to see." - local
fan in Lafayette