Vagabond Swing
Music should not simply be heard. Music is meant to be experienced. This is the ideal that inspires the eclectic, high-energy sound of the Lafayette, LA based band Vagabond Swing. The band creates the driving force behind their music with their uninhibited blending of styles and creativity. With their musical roots ranging from bluegrass to ska, the band produces a surprisingly smooth mixture of progressive Gypsy/Experimental/Circus-vibe/Swing tunes. Along with their melodic energy, the band members themselves bring on a show of vibrant, youthful spunk, which gives their performance a thrashing air of excitement.
They recently released Soundtrack to an Untimely Death (2011), their first full-length album, with Grammy Award winning engineer, Tony Daigle. Dabbling with both serious and playful themes, Soundtrack is a continuous movement of mutually complex and easy-listening songs. The record is broken into a five-chapter story, which effectively turns the entire piece into a multipart gypsy ballad. Band members include: Jon Stone (mandolin, vocals, percussion), Jesse Duplechain (guitar, melodica, background vocals), Bryan Webre (guitar, keys, programming, percussion, background vocals), Hayden Talley (upright bass), Josh LeBlanc (trumpet, keys, percussion, background vocals), Steven Pilcher (trumpet, keys, percussion, vocals), and Roy Durand (drums, vocals, percussion). The band’s varied musical background includes concentrations in folk/bluegrass/gypsy (Stone), punk/ska (Durand), classical/avant garde (Pilcher), and jazz (Duplechain, Webre, Talley, LeBlanc). LeBlanc is also bassist of the internationally know GIVERS.
Vagabond Swing has played with several renowned musicians, such as Snarky Puppy (Ropeadope Digital), Ghostland Observatory (Trashy Moped Recordings), GIVERS (Glassnote Records), Honky, Anders Osborne, Pork Dukes, Soul Rebels Brass Band, Fishtank Ensemble, Vermont Joy Parade, Caspian Hat Dance, The Iguanas, Danny Barnes, and Scott Birum. They headlined the UNO Film Festival and performed at Foburg Fest, French Quarter Festival, Gulf Brew Beer Festival, and Geronimo Festival. This year, they have played at Wakarusa and the 2011 Festival International de Louisiane. In May of 2011, the band successfully embarked on thier first national tour. Following their summer tour, Vagabond Swing will be supporting the New Orleans based Garage A Trois for a series of shows.
