News - #7 MARCH, 1997

New Record Due in April Get your advance order in now for our new all-Cajun release on Swallow Records (e-mail Schwarzy@aol.com to get an order form in the mail)! Recorded at the legendary La Louisiane Studio and mixed in Austin, Texas, this epic CD clocks in at 65 minutes (the cassette has fewer cuts). You'll recognize some songs from our live show, others are old favorites. We even added new originals and Steve's solo work. Randall Foreman (of Scott Playboy fame) joined us on steel guitar for a couple, while Tony Daigle engineered. It's so good we can't even think up a title that will do it justice! Any suggestions? Record Release Party Swallow Records and the Playboys invite you to Eunice Saturday April 12th to celebrate the new record's release. If you thought the "Live!" record party was fun (September '93), be sure to catch this one too! The location of this event is still to be determined. New Year's Eve in Chicago The Old Town School of Folk Music squeezed in the New Year with the Playboys in charge of the countdown. The respondent crowd endured our psycho-Cajun version of "Auld Lang Syne" (as well as Peter's on-stage phone call from his fiancée). One online reviewer called it "the greatest Cajun dance" he had ever attended. Mardi Gras, Lundi Froid Sunday at the Boucherie was a thrill when Belton Richard sat in for a few tunes! Monday night in Mamou was another big party, as predicted, even though we couldn't even feel our fingers! The streets were packed. Steve's mother almost stole the show with her triangle performance. Tony Balfa didn't do so bad on the 'tit fer either. Mercifully, the sun warmed up Tuesday and we had a great holiday (yes we had the day off!). MPs Blow Through California Other than being perched on a bridge a couple hundred feet above the San Francisco Bay with gale force winds, we had a great trip. Believe us, those semi-trucks can blow over! Fortunately the bad weather didn't seem to stop the dancers. Nearly every show was packed! The philharmonic gig in Irvine brought the following comment from the LA Times: "...what will make this band worth watching in the years to come is its recent movement toward material that applies a tradition-steeped sensibility and skills to songs that can reach out to a contemporary, pop-grounded audience." Wow! Look out Mr. Matthews, Hootie, Phish-heads: here we come! Hurrah for the Donations Thanks to all who mailed in $2 for this years' (snail-mail) newsletters! If you haven't gotten around to it yet, you can still send a $2 donation to: Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys Newsletter, P.O. Box 53926, Lafayette, LA 70505-3926. Keep in mind, you can also access (for free!) our Internet web page (http://harp.rounder.com/mamouplayboys.html) or e-mail us (Schwarzy@aol.com). Highlights of the Month Our evening in the studio with Randall Foreman, cutting the new record, was an unforgettable experience. You'll hear what we mean. We had a great time after the Super Bowl with Eddie Batos playing the keys at the Ash Grove in Santa Monica. -Sincerely, The Mamou Playboys back to news