Biography
Named after a swamp fish native to Louisiana, the Bluerunners function chiefly as a Cajun rock & roll ensemble, though they also deliver traditional Cajun pieces, blues numbers, and funk grooves. Their sound resists easy classification. Observers have compared them to Los Lobos, with the sole distinction that French rather than Spanish serves as their vocal language.
The French surnames of founders Steven Le Blanc and Mark Meaux immediately signal their Cajun roots, as does their origin in Lafayette, LA, the central point of southwestern Louisiana’s Cajun region. Numerous songs appear in French, among them the traditional “Ossun 2 Step,” yet most compositions originate with Meaux or Le Blanc. Their cultural background surfaces throughout the music, joined by an unmistakably fresh approach evident less in subject matter than in performance style. The clearest appreciation of this distinctive, wide-ranging sound comes from simply listening.
Current members include Will Golden, Adrian Huval, Cal Stevenson, and Chris Courville, while earlier lineups featured Frank Kincel and Bennie Hasha. The band’s self-titled debut album appeared in 1991, offering thoroughly danceable material; in Cajun territory, any recording that fails to inspire dancing might as well be tossed into the nearest bayou for the alligators.
Their 1996 follow-up, The Chateau Chuck, documents swift artistic growth. The group drives hard with interlocking traditional Cajun instruments—fiddle and triangle—offset by wailing saxophone and steel guitar, producing strong dance tracks such as “Burn Up the Night.”
Issued in 1998, To the Country presents a fully identifiable blend of traditional and avant-garde elements, often within the same track. “Landslide” exemplifies their rapid-fire hybridization through the exchange of acoustic fiddle and electric steel guitar, while “Au Bout Du Chemin” and “The Longest Day” occupy the opposite pole; the music remains consistently engaging and continues to improve.
Le Grand Bleu, released in 2001, features former regular member Steve Le Blanc on mandolin and fiddle. He collaborates with Cajun soul brother Michael Doucet and Mark Meaux to create striking fiddle passages, supported by Huval’s expressive accordion. Sonny Landreth contributes slide guitar and Russ Broussard adds guest drums, with Golden’s saxophone and steel guitar, Stevenson’s bass, and Courville’s drumming completing the vigorous dance sound. Spanning “Tout Ca Qui Reste” through “On and On,” the album stands as a first-rate statement of the Bluerunners at peak form.
The French surnames of founders Steven Le Blanc and Mark Meaux immediately signal their Cajun roots, as does their origin in Lafayette, LA, the central point of southwestern Louisiana’s Cajun region. Numerous songs appear in French, among them the traditional “Ossun 2 Step,” yet most compositions originate with Meaux or Le Blanc. Their cultural background surfaces throughout the music, joined by an unmistakably fresh approach evident less in subject matter than in performance style. The clearest appreciation of this distinctive, wide-ranging sound comes from simply listening.
Current members include Will Golden, Adrian Huval, Cal Stevenson, and Chris Courville, while earlier lineups featured Frank Kincel and Bennie Hasha. The band’s self-titled debut album appeared in 1991, offering thoroughly danceable material; in Cajun territory, any recording that fails to inspire dancing might as well be tossed into the nearest bayou for the alligators.
Their 1996 follow-up, The Chateau Chuck, documents swift artistic growth. The group drives hard with interlocking traditional Cajun instruments—fiddle and triangle—offset by wailing saxophone and steel guitar, producing strong dance tracks such as “Burn Up the Night.”
Issued in 1998, To the Country presents a fully identifiable blend of traditional and avant-garde elements, often within the same track. “Landslide” exemplifies their rapid-fire hybridization through the exchange of acoustic fiddle and electric steel guitar, while “Au Bout Du Chemin” and “The Longest Day” occupy the opposite pole; the music remains consistently engaging and continues to improve.
Le Grand Bleu, released in 2001, features former regular member Steve Le Blanc on mandolin and fiddle. He collaborates with Cajun soul brother Michael Doucet and Mark Meaux to create striking fiddle passages, supported by Huval’s expressive accordion. Sonny Landreth contributes slide guitar and Russ Broussard adds guest drums, with Golden’s saxophone and steel guitar, Stevenson’s bass, and Courville’s drumming completing the vigorous dance sound. Spanning “Tout Ca Qui Reste” through “On and On,” the album stands as a first-rate statement of the Bluerunners at peak form.
Albums
