Relax, Cajun Band Isn’t All Talk

The sight of couples waltzing and two-stepping at a Cajun dance concert is as natural as fans devouring beer and hot dogs at a ballgame. But except for those who rebel and spill over into the aisles, there will be no dancing when Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys perform Saturday night at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

This modern, sit-down venue is a world away from the old-time Cajun dance halls, bars and restaurants that line the streets of Lafayette, La., the tradition-steeped hometown of Riley. It’s hard to imagine fully enjoying the highly infectious rhythms of Cajun music while remaining in your seat.

Not to worry.

The accordionist-singer sounded anything but disapproving when asked about the seemingly inappropriate pairing of the theater and his band. Rather, he viewed it as an opportunity to connect with an audience on a different, perhaps deeper, level.

No dancing, no problem.

“We just take a different approach when playing concerts where everyone sits instead of dances,” Riley said by phone from his home. “We do a lot more talking and explain things about our culture, like the difference between Cajun and zydeco, or how two fiddles were prominent before the accordion came to Louisiana. And I’ll talk about the meaning behind some of the songs,” which are all sung in French.

“It’s still a lot of fun, and, actually, it’s more of a challenge to try and reach some of the folks out there. My purpose is not only to play music but to teach people about our culture and history and why we continue to play this style of music.”

Along with Riley, the quintet features original fiddler David Greeley, plus its newest members, bassist Peter Schwarz, drummer Kevin Dugas and guitarist Jimmy Domengeaux. They formed in 1988 as practitioners of spicy but traditional Cajun music and have released five albums on the folk- and roots-minded Rounder record label.

Their 1993 release, “Trace of Time,” was nominated for a Grammy, and their latest, 1995’s “La Toussaint,” was named best Cajun album of the year by both Offbeat magazine and the National Assn. of Independent Record Distributors.

The group has overhauled its sound with the release of the contemporary-minded “La Toussaint” (“All Saints’ Day”), for the first time including original compositions, which number half a dozen.

The 13-song collection does include such expected traditional pieces as Doc Guidry’s “La Valse D’Amitie” and “Deux Valses a Wayne Perry,” the latter defined by its odd meter, acoustic guitar and twin fiddles. But listeners may be surprised by the addition of two rockin’ zydeco tunes, electric guitar leads, walking bass lines and the triple-row accordion (rather than the single row, ten-button diatonic instrument).

This change has been viewed as a disconcerting, radical departure by some of the purists in Riley’s hometown. You’ll get no apologies from Riley, though. He says that kind of experimentation is essential for a band to evolve and keep its music fresh-sounding.

“I think for us it was a natural progression that started about five years ago,” said Riley. “Our first change was replacing our original drummer with Kevin, who’s been playing Louisiana music all of his life. Then a couple of years ago, Jimmy replaced Kevin Barzas because he [Barzas] played only rhythm, and we were looking for someone who could play lead on both acoustic and electric guitars.”

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In between these two personnel changes, Schwarz climbed aboard as bassist, and in 1993, Riley was introduced to the two-row accordion while touring in England.

“This agent over there had this two-row accordion, and I started playing it in the van, and eventually he let me take it home,” recalled Riley. “I was really impressed by how much more you can do with it, all the chromatic runs, blues scales . . . the different sharps and flats. Later, I moved from the two- to three-row, and it’s been wonderful.

“So adding together all of these different dimensions, plus writing our own material, has expanded our style and repertoire. We’ve grown, and we’re playing to younger audiences now, too, so we try to mix it up and play more of that upbeat zydeco stuff.”

Nonetheless, Riley mentioned that the band has recorded a collection of traditional Cajun tunes set for release on the independent Swallow Records label sometime around April.

“It’s one more traditional record before we do more of this wild new stuff,” he said with a laugh. “We’re looking to release two albums this year, including another nontraditional one that most likely will include some songs in English.”

Riley, who grew up in the southern Louisiana prairie town of Mamou, took up the accordion as a teenager. He was influenced by his second cousin, accordionist Marc Savoy, and the music of Iry LeJeune and the Balfa Brothers. It was in fact the legendary Dewey Balfa, who died in 1992, who taught Riley how to play the fiddle, and Riley joined Balfa’s band before turning 16.

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Still, it was his close relationship with his grandfather, Burke Guillory, that made the longest lasting impression on a young Riley.

“I think he had a lot to do with me playing music,” said Riley, who is French on his mother’s side and Irish on his father’s. “He bought me a triangle [instrument] when I was 5, and he took me to all the [music] festivals and taught me how to sing. I was actually closer to him than to my parents at that young age.

“When he passed away, my interest in music kind of died along with him. But I kept a bunch of his things that my grandma thought I should have, like some jewelry, books and records. Well, one day I played this old Balfa Brothers record of his. I was about 13 at the time, and that lit the spark once again.”

His parents soon thereafter bought him a secondhand accordion from Savoy, and he has never looked back.

Passing on his love of Cajun music to new generations is something that’s important to Riley, who is 27. And he hopes to dispel a few myths in the process.

“A lot of people out there have these ideas about how we dress and what we look like,” he said. “Some even think we use these fake accents and have alligators in our backyard. Can you believe it?”

“Man, Cajun music is authentic. It’s part of our roots, our heritage. I just try to do it justice by getting up there on stage, telling some stories and playing our songs the best that I know how.”

* Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys perform Saturday night at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. 8 p.m. $19-23. (714) 854-4646.