The Pine Leaf Boys is a Cajun and Creole band from South Louisiana. Members include: Wilson Savoy, Cajun accordion and vocals; Courtney Granger, fiddle and vocals; Jon Bertrand, guitars; Drew Simon, drums and vocals; Thomas David, bass.The band is known for playing traditional Cajun and Creole music from Southwest Louisiana, inspired by bands dating from the 1920s such as Amédé Ardoin to modern bands such as the Mamou Playboys, Jason Frey, Paul Daigle and Cajun Gold all the way up to Wayne
Toups. The Pine Leaf Boys are an “international Cajun band,” performing many shows each year in Europe.
Four-time Grammy-Nominated, world-renown Pine Leaf Boys have made a name for presenting their own inimitable brand of Cajun music with youthful exuberance. Hailing from the 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 in The New York Times 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 fashion 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.
The Pine Leaf Boys have been invited on two occasions by the U.S. State Department to tour the world and present true music to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jerusalem in 2009 and again to Latvia, Denmark, and Slovenia is 2010. The variety and energy they release evolves through their shows, bringing multi-faceted angles to Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco.
Their mission is to present the beautiful, powerful music of their ancestors and present the real Cajun music to the world and prove that it is still thriving and full of life. The Pine Leaf Boys have preserved the traditional Cajun sound, while allowing it to breathe and stretch with those who play it.
The accordionist in the group is Wilson Savoy who plays Cajun accordion and vocals. He was born and raised near Eunice, Louisiana in 1982. Wilson began playing boogie-woogie piano at ten years old after becoming becoming completely enthused about the wild-piano-playing Louisiana-native, Jerry Lee Lewis.
While in his early teens, Wilson’s father, Marc, gave him a homemade accordion built from the wood of a Sassafras tree that his grandfather planted. Wilson intensely studied the styles of his musicial heroes Amede Ardoin and Iry Lejeune, as well as his father (known well for being one of the masters of the Cajun accordion) and soon developed a style of his own, full of punch, 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 Church 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. In 2010, Wilson had a speaking role in the HBO Series “Tremé” playing himself.
Their schedule includes:
April 27: Festival International,time 7:30pm
April 28: Jazz Festival : New Orleans, Fais Do Do Stage
May 2: Mercredi Show,Pelican Park | Carencro, LA
May 4: Live @ 5, Baton Rouge, LA
May 5-6: Artosphere: Arkansas Arts & Nature Festival
Fayetteville, Arkansas
May 12: Affiliated for the Blind Festival, Lafayette, LA
June 1: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, LA
June 2: La Poussiere, Breaux Bridge, LA
June 7-8: Strawberry Park, Preston CT
June 9: Stone Mountain Arts Center, Brownfield Maine
June 13: US State Department Tour of Central Asia
Kyrghistan
June 14-18: US State Department Tour of Central Asia
Kyrghistan
June 19-25: US State Department Tour of Central Asia
Uzbekistan
June 26-July 1st: US State Department Tour of Central Asia Tajikistan
For further information on bookings in Louisiana: wilsonsavoy@gmail.com
For all bookings outside of Louisiana: mattg@folkloreproductions.com
