Louis Michot
We’re very excited to be speaking today with acclaimed fiddler, songwriter and lead vocalist for Grammy-winning sensation Lost Bayou Ramblers, Louis Michot; greetings and salutations, Louis! Before we meander down the proverbial musical Q&A pathway - and now that autumn is nigh upon us - how was your summer of ‘23? The summer was long and hot! But we made the most of it with a Midwest tour thru Chicago, St. Louis, Little Rock, Memphis, and Houston, plus a July residency at The Maple Leaf in New Orleans. Now the weather has finally turned and we’re enjoying some good outdoor venues. Major congratulations on the freshly-minted new release of your debut solo album Rêve du Troubadour! Can you talk about some of the things which inspired this incredible solo turn? I never really meant to make a solo album, but I had been recording my own new material throughout the pandemic, and when it came time where I asked some of my fellow Lost Bayou Ramblers and Melody Makers to come record some tracks, they convinced me that this new material was more of a solo project than anything, and I finally embraced my own name and decided to move forward with Rêve du Troubadour. We’re big admirers of the gem of a tune Boscoyo Fleaux which is from the new album. This song also happens to be the very first single off of Rêve du Troubadour. What made this little gem the perfect choice to introduce listeners to the new LP? Boscoyo Fleaux is avery personal experience, about me walking alone into the swamp across the street from my house, and the
metaphorical meaning of me walking out alone creatively. It speaks of my beliefs, and how one has to navigate life standing in both confidence and humility. The song also narrates my creative process, and uses animal imagery to represent the spiritual lessons I’ve experienced along the way, and the song is bookended by the call of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, the bird my father has been searching for since the 1970s. He and his colleagues have recently published evidence that has helped keep the species off the extinction list, which I also liken to the Louisiana French Language and how it can be really hard to find as a living language if one doesn’t know where to look. What was it like working alongside such collaborators and special guests such as Bombino and Leyla McCalla on Rêve du Troubadour? When I first recorded Le Cas de Marguerite, I knew immediately that my dream guest would be Bombino, but that it would be highly unlikely to have him perform on the track as he lives in Niger, Africa. But alas, he came to Louisiana a few months later to perform on tour, and agreed to come record and even stayed at the house for a few days! I then got Leyla McCalla to join me on vocals on that same track, and lay down some cello on Souvenir de Porto Ricoalong with String Noiseand Bryan Webre. Even though Leyla and I have become close friends over the years, it still took until the very end of the recording window to find a time that worked for both of us, as we’re both parents to three children and have full touring schedules. I was also thrilled to have guests such as Quintron, Shardé Thomas of Rising Stars Fife and Drum, Dikcie Landry, Langhorne Slim, String Noise, and Corey Ledet join in on the album. Did you have any jitters branching off from the Lost Bayou Ramblers to create Rêve du Troubadour?
