"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   Rue Vermilion Revival, a special album release of Lost Bayou Ramblers' first show from 1999, will raise money for those affected by recent flooding in South Louisiana.   Rue Vermilion Revival will be released via Bandcamp.com on Wednesday, August 24.  Bandcamp will feature the fundraiser live recording, which will be available as a two track download, or locally on a limited edition cassette tape. Proceeds will go to those affected by the historic floods in Louisiana.   On Friday, August 26, Lost Bayou Ramblers will hold a roving fundraiser beginning at 6pm at Lagniappe Records (313 Jefferson Street) then continuing to Rêve Coffee (200 Jefferson Street) and Jefferson Street Pub (500 Jefferson Street) and finally ending at the site of their original performance, The Garage at 205 W. Vermilion Street.   Recorded live at Café Rue Vermilion, Lafayette Louisiana, on August 27, 1999. Engineered by Louis Michot Mastered by Kirkland Middleton. Cover photo (recovered from flood) by Tommy Michot   Musicians: Louis Michot (fiddle, vocals) Andre Michot (accordion) Matthew Doucet (fiddle) David Michot (guitar) Chris Keating (upright bass) Gary Hernandez (clarinet) Adam Cohen (t-fer) Thad Duplechin (frottoir) -------   One August night in 1999, I ventured over to Café Rue Vermilion in downtown Lafayette, Louisiana to hear a newly formed band fronted by brothers Louis and Andre Michot. What I witnessed that night, I realize now, was more than the first public performance of the Lost Bayou Ramblers—it was a happening; a watershed moment that continues to change the contours of Cajun music.     Louis had recently returned to Louisiana from busking across Maritime Canada, where he honed his fiddling and French-language skills. Back in Lafayette, Andre spent the summer in his living room with a borrowed accordion, figuring out the melodies he had played for years as the guitarist in his father's family band, Les Freres Michot. When the two brothers reunited in Lafayette in August of 1999, a new collaboration was born. Louis eagerly booked their first gig and the duo threw together a rag-tag band comprised of family and friends. During last minute preparations, the late Ryan Domingue asked Louis, ""What's the name of the band?"" They had yet to form an identity. Domingue offered ""Lost Bayou Ramblers.""   I arrived early for the show with cheap beer in tow. Andre and I retreated into the warm night air to share conversation and a Red Dog tallboy. We watched as hipsters, dreadlocked hippies, and Cajun music aficionados filed into the venue. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee was as strong as the acoustic music filling the café. The sound was raw and unvarnished. The set list, derived from old-school Cajun classics and debuted original songs by Louis and Andre, was driven by youthful exuberance.   Café Rue Vermilion couldn't contain the Lost Bayou Ramblers that night. When the band launched into the enchanting strains of the Cajun Mardi Gras song, all of the patrons followed Louis and the band into the streets of Lafayette. We invaded downtown restaurants and bars--singing, chanting, and playing--evoking the cultural right-of-way of the courir de Mardi Gras. I went home bewitched. Today, after thousands of shows in 40 states and 8 countries, and countless collaborations between the band and I, the spell the Lost Bayou Ramblers cast on me has yet to wear off.   Rue Vermilion Revival represents an act of cultural renewal--taking the old and making it new. Louis had the foresight to record the first Lost Bayou Ramblers performance, made available to the public here for the first time. We hope that this recording offers some joy and sonic inspiration for our south Louisiana neighbors working to revive their homes and livelihoods in the wake of floodwaters. Proceeds from the sale of Rue Vermilion Revival go directly to flood relief.     Ryan André Brasseaux August 18, 2016 Yale University"
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