Cowboy Mouth's primal scream

Everybody’s got a primal scream locked up inside they just can’t let out, right? Reason enough to go to Cowboy Mouth — they’ll do it for you. I think the fomenting of public catharsis is what comes naturally to this band. Cowboy Mouth is a good-time rock-and-roll quartet out of New Orleans that is fronted by a drummer. Fred LeBlanc is a wild man, comfortable in that well-fed sleeveless way of the Southern rebel rouser, and he sings the band’s songs from a full sit-down drum kit that is literally Cowboy Mouth’s front line. Audience participation is encouraged. “Sing like your life depends on it,” LeBlanc was heard to yell at a crowd once, “because tonight, it will.”

Blame it on Hootie and the Blowfish: they broke Cowboy Mouth out of oblivion in 1995 when they invited them to tag along as the opening act of their world tour. Otherwise, the band has been around for about 25 years, during which they had a radio hit, a catchy power-pop tune called “Jenny Says.” The two original members at present are LeBlanc and cofounder John Thomas Griffith on guitar. They’ve cycled through at least ten other band members over the years, at least four of which have been women bass players.

Cowboy Mouth may be writing the book on how to grow old while on the road, but their 11 studio albums have not gone entirely unnoticed. A few years ago, they were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Yes, they are from the Big Easy, but don’t listen for any of that gumbo influence in their sound. No Zydeco, no R&B. Just your basic post-grunge-meets-indie-rock show. A final thought: I’ve always thought of Cowboy Mouth as a festival act built for the larger concert stages. To see them in a smaller nightclub almost puts the whole steamin’ show in your lap. Perfection.

Behind the Wagon also performs.