Additional Details

Additional details

Been Together Since: 2001

Sounds Like: Wild-hearted Americana.

Members

Bob Oldreive -- vocals, guitars
April Rapier -- vocals, mandolin, guitar, piano, banjo
Paul Kiteck -- fiddle, mandolin
Bill Browder -- vocals, guitars
Robert Knetsch -- bass, percussion, drums

MP3S

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Firefly

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Galveston

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Colorado Cajun

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Now That You're Gone

Audio Interview

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Track #1

Discography

Nowhere But Gone, 2003
Dance Hall Incident, 2007

Where To Buy

• iTunes

Review

Sugar Bayou began working on Dance Hall Incident 2½ years ago and officially unveiled the disc in October at a Mucky Duck release party. But the long gestation period wasn't due to a lack of creativity or commitment.

It was, according to band member April Rapier, the result of "an embarrassment of riches in terms of material."

The eclectic acoustic outfit also went through a few personnel changes that, in turn, shifted the musical direction.

The current Sugar Bayou lineup includes Rapier on vocals, guitar and mandolin; Bob Oldreive on vocals and guitar; Paul Kiteck (fiddle); Robert Knetsch (bass); and Bill Browder (guitar and vocals).

"We wanted to reflect a little bit of what we sound like onstage. It's taken us all this time," Oldreive says.

"The project stalled. We started gigging, and we started developing a different sound."

The chemistry sparkles throughout Dance Hall Incident, which stands tall amid the year's best local releases. It's a surprising, vibrant collection of instrumentation and thoughtful vocals.

It's tempting to label Sugar Bayou a bluegrass band, and indeed, there are pockets of that earthy sound (Leavin' for Austin, the gorgeous Faith Train) showcased amid the disc's 16 tracks.

But that's hardly the disc's defining sound. Dance With You is an early standout, a romantic, Cajun-spiced ode to long-term love that would sound great on radio. Oldreive wrote the song in 1989 and rediscovered it while digging through old material.

He's Just Weak is a bluesy charmer topped by Rapier's sassy vocal, and Funny Thing About Love has a jazzy supper-club glow.

There's fire in feisty instrumental Salt Creek, and Galveston's bouncy lyrics name-check the Strand, the Balinese Room and the Heights.

"It's snapshots of where we've been, and kind of where we're going, too," Rapier says of the record. "We don't fit neatly into any particular category.

"I feel like the less limits you impose on your life and your music and your art or whatever it is you do, the more opportunities fly your way."

The band's freewheeling credo also attracted some impressive guests, including Paul English, Floyd Domino and Mary Cutrufello. Prolific producer Lloyd "Freakin' " Maines plays dobro and steel on several tracks.

And though the mix is hard to pin down, it seems to have found a receptive local home.

"Every kind of music informs what we do," Rapier says.

"I think people think it's refreshing. Our songs don't sound alike. It's easy for me to brag on this band. Any club I've called has said, `Bring it on.' "

-- Joey Guerra | November 29, 2007