With a new album, Cover Yo Ass! on its way and another blinding performance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, it seemed the perfect time to catch up with Fred LeBlanc, the band’s lead singer and drummer and find out more about the illustrious and fun Cowboy Mouth.
Can we start with a brief background check? How did Cowboy Mouth come into being, and what bands and pathways brought you all together?
Fred LeBlanc: Cowboy Mouth actually came out of the incestuous punk rock/new music scene in Nola during the late 80s/early 90s. John was the lead singer of a successful band called Red Rockers that toured with the likes of the Go-Go’s, U2, Men at Work, et al. When the Rockers fizzled in the late 80s, John moved back to New Orleans where I was in the process of leaving my own successful touring band, Dash Rip Rock at the time. One thing led to another, and we ended up putting together the monster that is Cowboy Mouth, continuing to record and tour to this day!
Can you describe the music you make and what is the signature sound of the band, if there is one?
FLB:At the very heart of it, CM is basically New Orleans rock and roll. VERY influenced by the town we come from in terms of realizing that the “roll” is AS important as the “rock.”
And specifically looking at your latest album, the brilliantly titled, ‘Cover Yo’ Azz!’ can you tell me what lies in store for the listener?
FLB: Mostly just a lot of fun. We didn’t really want to go for the obvious in terms of picking songs that would be the most likely songs to cover, hence things like our bluegrass take on “Fat Bottomed Girls “by Queen and our full-on rocking version of The Replacements pop nugget “Can’t Hardly Wait.” Although, according to a rare bootleg, that was the way the Replacements originally learned it. I had always loved that version of the song and felt it was a shame that more people didn’t hear it like that.
How did you come to select the songs you chose to cover, and how did you work out what new style to set them in? Which song was the most fun to rework?
FLB: The most fun song for me personally was “The Real Me” by The Who. Occasionally, John would try to sing it during sound check, but it’s not one of those songs that you can just pick up because the arrangement is a lot more complex than it seems to be. After hearing how great he would sound singing it, I approached him about recording it for fun. He came back to me with the idea of doing a full-on covers album. At the time, my attitude wasn’t “why” as much as “why not?” At this stage in our lives and careers, if something isn’t fun, then it’s not really worth doing. This seemed like it would be a lot of fun. And it was!
There was no real rhyme or reason for choosing the songs we decided to put on this album, but when we had picked 10, I realized there was a really excellent balance there. So we stopped, and this is where we are.
You seem to be a regular fixture at the Annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; how did that come about?
FLB: We have been incredibly fortunate to have been included in the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival every single year we’ve been together as a band since 1991. It truly is an honor, as well as being the greatest party on planet Earth! Quint Davis and everyone else involved have been nothing but generous to us over the years. I like to think that our specific brand of New Orleans-flavored life-affirming rock ‘n’ roll is something they feel adds to the overall experience. But really, we are just happy to be a part of the whole thing.
As a regular band on the festival lineup, what other great musicians have you met, and what stories and anecdotes have you collected along the way?
FLB: Oh Lord, I would never be able to tell you everything and everyone I’ve met over the years. And if I told you one person or one story or one group, there be a thousand that I left out that would be just as unique and interesting. I will say that we designed the Cowboy Mouth show to be an EXPERIENCE, whether in a nightclub or festival setting. I like to believe that people leave our shows feeling better than they have in a long time. At least, that’s the goal!
And where next for Cowboy Mouth? What does the future hold, and what would you like it to have in store for you?
FLB: Who knows?!? I didn’t think this band would last a month when we first started, and here we are 35 years later and still going strong! I learned a long time ago not to make any real plans and just to take everything as it comes. It should be interesting and a hell of a lot of fun!
Website
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
