One of the most recognizable figures in contemporary Louisiana music, Fred LeBlanc has been earning a living as a musician for three decades. While Fred is most famous for being the drummer and lead singer of Cowboy Mouth, his time with the New Orleans group was preceded by work with The Backbeats and Dash Rip Rock, then a brief solo career. Cowboy Mouth is still very active 25 years after forming in late 1990 – their last album was 2014’s Go! – and Fred still works as a producer and a solo artist when time permits.
Fred LeBlanc will make a rare New York City appearance at Hill Country Live (30 West 26th St.) on Dec. 4. In support of this Hill Country performance, I had to the opportunity to do some Q&A with Fred. His responses were spirited, as expected, and he also kindly provided some travel recommendations for those considering a visit to New Orleans or Southern Mississippi. Fred will be in front of the kit for this gig, handling guitar beyond vocal duties, and Cowboy Mouth hit “Jenny Says” ought to be part of the setlist.
For more info on Fred – who ought to have a new solo album out in the near-future – click on over to www.cowboymouth.com.
What do you remember most about the first time you played live in New York City?
Fred LeBlanc: I can’t really put a finger on the first actual time I played New York City. The thing I remember most about playing New York was playing a show one month after 9/11. If you have ever been to one of my band’s shows, you’ll know that it’s a very intense experience where I incite the audience to let themselves go. Needless to say, the floor were shaking and audience was more intense than they ever were in New York City for us that night. It was insane, intense, cathartic, and quite moving.
When did you first realize that you could drum and sing at the same time?
F: I’ve known it intuitively for as long as I can remember. Probably around the age of four or five.
Who was the first drummer/singer that showed that it was possible to do that? For me, personally, I’ll admit that it was the music video of “That’s What I Like About You” by The Romantics.
F: The way I do it, I never really saw anyone else who did the same thing. I saw the drummers that I loved, other singers that I love, and other drummer/singers who I loved. But I never saw anybody approach it quite like the way that I do.
For someone who hasn’t seen you live before, what should be expected from your upcoming show at Hill Country?
F: My acoustic shows tend to be of the same energy as a Cowboy Mouth show, but not quite as loud in terms of volume. I am who I am, and my energy is constant whether I play drums or acoustic guitar, and I will be doing the latter at this show.
Other than Hill Country, of course, what’s your favorite barbecue spot?
F: There’s a place called The Shed off of I-10 in South Mississippi that is glorious. Probably my favorite barbecue in the world.
What is it that keeps you in New Orleans all these years later?
F: I actually split my time between North Mississippi and New Orleans, because my kids live in North Mississippi with their mom. New Orleans always has been and always will be my home because I was raised there. Growing up listening to the sounds swirling in the air and the rhythm in the ground is something you just can’t find anywhere else. There’s a vibe there that speaks to my soul…Always has, always will.
For a New Yorker that hasn’t been to New Orleans before, where would you recommend going for a great night that’s full of great food and great music yet is light on tourists?
F: Frenchmen Street has been all the rage for years, but now I hear from other local musicians that it’s full of tourists…which is not to say that that is a bad thing. Quite the contrary, we’re very fortunate in New Orleans to have people who want to spend time and money in our city. So I would say Frenchmen Street is probably a great spot to hit. I enjoy hanging at the Mapleleaf, right next to Jacque-Emo’s restaurant on Oak Street uptown. I also hear that there’s a strip of venues brewing along Saint Claude Avenue that is beginning to get some heat…But I also love the vibe, food, and fun that can be found in the Warehouse District. You can’t really go wrong with any of those.
It’s been more than a decade since you left the major label world, but is there anything you miss about being on MCA or Atlantic?
F: I have to say that honestly I don’t miss anything about those days. They were full of stress, conflict, and needless worry, for a variety of reasons. I’m definitely enjoying now a lot more than then. But that’s just me.
Cowboy Mouth put out a new album last year. Will there be a Fred LeBlanc solo album anytime soon?
F: I’m going to start working on one after Mardi Gras. I’m not sure what it will be, but I’m feeling something.
When you’ve written a song, how do you know whether it’s destined to be a Cowboy Mouth song or solo material?
F: I don’t! I’ll present it to the band and see if they respond to it. If not, I’ll keep it for myself. I always see and hear songs in panorama — I can see them as well as hear them before I ever commit them to recording so that others might hear them as well. It’s an inspirational process that even after all these years I still don’t understand. But it’s also process that I thoroughly enjoy.
Given that you’ve released a spoken word album, do you have any plans for a memoir?
F: I don’t think so. The stories other people could tell about me are a lot more colorful than anything I could ever come up with about myself. And there’d probably be as much lies as truth in there as well!
With regards to your producer career, you got a gold record for that Deadeye Dick album. Are you still pursuing production projects?
F: When that song became a hit, I was thinking of producing as a side career. And while I enjoy it, I also know myself well enough to know that I’m a performer first and foremost. Producing is something I can do, performing is something I must do. If an itch for a project comes along, and the situation is good, then maybe I’ll do it.
When you’re not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?
F: I have two small children that I’m raising. Getting to spend as much time with them and to hopefully influence the direction of their lives for the better is my main thing in life – even before music.
Finally, Fred, any last words for the kids?
F: A friend of mine told me a great saying a while back that I found myself using a lot recently: “If you gotta eat a turd, don’t nibble it.”
-by Darren Paltrowitz