Louisiana’s finest, the three time Grammy-Nominated Pine Leaf Boys have made a name for presenting their own inimitable brand of Cajun music with youthful exuberance. Hailing from southwest Louisiana, the Pine Leaf Boys, known for their wild shows and thoughtful arrangements, have breathed new life into Cajun music, reviving ancient songs and bringing them to the bandstand.
Being described as, “… the link that connects the young and the old generations,” and, “the best new, energetic, and fun Cajun band in a very long time,” the Pine Leaf Boys play the old-fashioned dance hall standards while making a priority to bring many of the more obscure songs of past masters into their repertoire and play them with gusto. Their mission is to present the real Cajun music of their ancestors to the world and prove that it is still thriving and full of life.
All five members, in their early 20s — Wilson Savoy, Courtney Granger, Jon Bertrand, Drew Simon, and Thomas David — have been steeped in music since childhood. Hailing from farms and villages in Cajun country, the Pine Leaf Boys have been making a name for themselves not only for their youth, but also by preserving the traditional Cajun sound while allowing it to breathe and stretch. They present their music on twin fiddles, accordion, bass, and drum.
Wilson Savoy, who plays Cajun accordion and sings, was born and raised near Eunice, Louisiana. He is heavily inspired by high-energy Cajun accordion playing from his father, Iry LeJeune, Amede Ardoin and many others.
Steeped in Cajun music as a child from his parents, Marc and Ann Savoy, as well as friends of the family, such as the legendary Dennis McGee and Dewey Balfa, Wilson learned songs many years before he even touched the accordion or the fiddle. In his early teens, his father gave him a homemade accordion built from the wood of a Sasaffras tree that his grandfather planted. Wilson intensely studied the styles of Amede Ardoin and Iry Lejeune, as well as his father and soon developed a style of his own, full of punch, Creole syncopation, and energy.
When not on the bandstand, Wilson is a frequent visitor at jam sessions at his father’s music store or the Blue Moon Saloon, or he is teaching at music camps all over the world including Fiddle Tunes, Augusta, and Tikendalch in France. Wilson has played in many groups over the years like the White Mule Boys, the Red Stick Ramblers, the Savoy-Family Band, the Chuch Point Aces avec Paul Daigle and Mitch Reed, and his heart has always been with Cajun music. In 2006, Wilson debuted in the film “All the King’s Men” as a piano player alongside actor Sean Penn.
The Pine Leaf Boys new smashing live CD has just been released by the Jazz Festival 2009 Recordings and is available for purchase.
Their performance dates for January 2010 are:
Jan 1,Blue Moon Saloon,8 PM, Lafayette
Jan 2, La Poussiere, 7pm-11pm
Jan 8, 10, Rosendale Cafe, Rosendale, NY
Jan 9, 10,Let’s Zydeco at Connoly’s, NYC
Jan 15, Farmington, NM, San Juan College
Jan 16, Denver, CO, Swallow Hill Music Hall
Jan 17 Denver, CO, Swallow Hill Music Hall
Jan 21, Las Cruces, NM, NMSU Music Recital
Jan 22, Socorro, NM, New Mexico Tech
Jan 23, Clovis, NM, Clovis Civic Center
Jan 24, Albuquerque, NM, South Broadway
Jan 30, Mt Pleasant, MI, Finch Fieldhouse
For further information: Mitch Greenhill, mitchgh@verizon.net, 310- 451-0767
