Lakeport >> Tom Rigney and Flambeau have had an exciting year. Not long after their last appearance in Lakeport for the 2015 Summer Concert Series, PBS aired an hour-long concert for the network’s series, Music Gone Public. By fall, 60 stations had picked it up. As winter rolled in, 100 stations were airing the concert.
Tom Rigney and Flambeau almost weren’t part of the show. The band was getting ready to film a concert for a new DVD when Rigney hired an old friend, Peter Berkow, to produce and direct. Turned out, Berkow was also producing Music Gone Public and he was in the final stages of putting together the lineup. Rigney, naturally, was interested in snagging a spot on the show.
Berkow came in to help with the band’s DVD. The moment he saw them live and saw what the cameras were capturing, he knew he had to get them on PBS. When the band took a break, he stepped out on stage to announce that Tom Rigney and Flambeau would be on television. The fans knew the band had scored the slot before Rigney did. Not that he was upset about it. When he heard, he thought to himself, “mission accomplished.”
It was the first national television appearance for Rigney’s band, and it gave them unparalleled exposure. Soon, Rigney was receiving phone calls from people across the country who had never heard his music before. There were calls from Boston, North Carolina, Nashville — all locations where the concert had aired. “I just feel like there are all these pockets of new fans out there who only know us through the PBS concert,” he said.
Tom Rigney and Flambeau perform a mix of music, though much of it could be called south Louisiana dance music. Many songs have a Cajun influence, thanks to Rigney’s fiddle. And through his work with Queen Ida, he has a history with zydeco.
“I’m not a purist so elements of both styles creep into my music,” he explained.
Overall, there are numerous elements to the band’s sound, including rock and roll, blues and boogie woogie piano. The group mixes everything together until they have what Rigney likes to call “musical gumbo.”
There’s something infectious about Tom Rigney and Flambeau and it’s not just their music. Rigney attributes their growing popularity to his band members, all of who have been in the music business for over 30 years, and yet they still love to play. Fans can pick up on this attitude. “There’s a lot of energy and interaction between the musicians on stage,” Rigney said. “It tends to be very exciting to watch.”
Rigney’s style of music isn’t the most popular, which also likely factors into their popularity. They don’t play the same songs that everyone already knows. Their music keeps people on their toes. He weaves through songs expertly, taking people from happy dance beats to emotional, melancholy numbers. “There’s something just very rich about the combination of roots music styles that I’ve put together that just seems to appeal to people, even if it’s not something they would have thought of themselves,” said Rigney.
He’s performed for Concerts in the Park numerous times over the years, and the band is always excited to make return trips. But even if you’ve already seen them multiple times, the band has plenty of new material.
Rigney recently released a CD with Michael Doucet, a Grammy winner and perhaps most famous Cajun fiddle player in the world. The band has a wealth of fresh songs to pull from that album.
Tom Rigney and Flambeau will be returning to Library Park tonight for the Summer Concert Series. The show is from 6-8:30 p.m..
“We’re delighted to be invited back,” Rigney said. “We always like seeing all our old friends at Clear Lake.”
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
