The entire quarter-century arc of Cowboy Mouth’s career practically can be summed up as a thumbing of the band’s nose at recording industry convention.
Since its foundation in the late ’80s, the freewheeling New Orleans ensemble has maintained a reputation as purveyors of fun-loving, rowdy, energetic music with a distinctly N’Awlins vibe. Like a lot of Crescent City music, Cowboy Mouth didn’t fit neatly within genre lines, blending elements of everything from blues and punk to rockabilly and pop.
If you go
* What: Cowboy Mouth at Riverbend. * When: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 6. * Where: Bud Light Stage, Riverfront Parkway. * Admission: $39 wristband (if purchased today, June 4); $55 at the gates; $25 one-night wristband. * Phone: 423-756-2211. * Festival website: www.riverbendfestival.com. * Artist website: www.cowboymouth.com.
Studio discography
1992: “Word of Mouth” 1994: “It Means Escape” 1996: “Are You With Me” / “Word of Mouth (Remix)” 1998: “Mercyland” 2000: “Easy” 2003: “Uh-Oh” 2006: “Voodoo Shoppe” 2008: “Fearless” 2012: “This Train ” 2014: “Go!”
Despite its lack of easy categorization, fans from all along the band’s “Austin to Boston” touring circuit flocked to live shows. There, they were wooed by charismatic frontman Fred LeBlanc, who was notorious for his ability to bank the fires of a crowd’s enthusiasm to such a fever pitch that some likened the experience to being “like a tent revival without the religion.”