Musicpix.net

When posed with the challenge of describing your perfect world, some of us might begin with some sort of whining diatribe: “If only I had this, if only I had that…or if only my kid would straighten up… or if only so-and-so would drop off the face of the planet! But not Fred LaBlanc. No. Cowboy Mouth’s lead singer and bare footed drummer extraordinaire, stands up tall to this question even though he’s sometime's affectionately compared to the height challenged Tasmanian devil on stage.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Fr-e-e-e-e-d! (as his passionate fans scream) in his dressing room before Cowboy Mouth’s Indianapolis, Indiana performance to talk about the band’s ‘Enjoy Life Philosphy’ and their music. Not only was this interview insightful into Fred LeBlanc’s and Cowboy Mouth’s world, but it speaks volumes about Fred LaBlanc’s personality and overall character. The experience was extremely entertaining, enlightening and comfortable as we got to know Fred as he munched on some sort of tortilla pizza concoction. Fred eats while he shares his perspective:




MusicPix: After attending one of your shows, I skipped out feeling like I was 15 again and I felt so alive. It was like I just attended a revival. I felt this energy. I felt energy from you- I felt the energy from the audience. How do you do that?

Fred: “It’s not as much as “a how” as much it is the way that you approach it. A lot of people think that by exaggerating what they do in terms of celebrating themselves makes the crowd go nuts, and it does. But I think one thing that a lot of performers, especially rock performers, haven’t really done, and is what I heard in gospel churches growing up. It wasn’t a celebration of the preacher or the choir. It was the audience celebrating themselves, releasing their own emotions. When we’re all on stage, it’s not about the greater glory of Fred, or Paul, or John, or Sonya. When we get the audience to scream, to dance, or to go nuts, it’s more about celebrating themselves- their lives. If you’re alive, prove it. Let your voice be heard, that type of thing. And hopefully, by doing that, people can find something in themselves that they may have forgotten. It’s a complete release. That’s what I learned in a gospel church growin’ up. It wasn’t about trying to tell you what to do, or arbitrary standards of living, or rules that if you didn’t follow, you’d go to hell. It was always about releasing yourself; release your burdens so you can go to the next day, week, month, year. It wasn’t about following rules. Release yourself-release your burdens to feel better about yourself.”


MusicPix: That ties into Cowboy Mouth’s Enjoy Life Philosophy. Why is it important to you and how do you incorporate into your show?


Fred: “When the band got together, me, Paul, and John, we made a conscious decision to try to be something positive without being saccharine like ‘Up with People’, Everything’s OK…[animated in a happy-go lucky, valley girl voice] cause life is hard. Life is fucking hard. Most of the time the bad guys win. And most of the time, it’s tough. But instead of commiserating about it, as a lot of bands seemed to be doing at the time, we decided to celebrate our own victories, celebrate the little victories that everybody has everyday- Getting up, dealing with life, dealing with your significant other, dealing with your job. To find the parts in there that you enjoy so that you can celebrate and amplify those. I’m a very big believer that you are either a part of the problem or a part of the solution. I wanted to make sure that the music we are playing is a part of the solution as opposed to being part of the problem.”





Fred: “Life’s hard enough, why make it harder? I was born relatively late in my parent’s marriage and so they were children of the depression and they came up with a very rigid standard of life. And as I got older, raised by parents who were from the first part of the 20th century, and I grew up in the second part of the century, and all the supposed rules of conduct then I realized that they all were lies. Basically, you just make it up as you go along and try not to screw up. It was doing that, I just figured out, that it was more important for me as a human being to express what’s inside in a positive way, as opposed to being angry and spreadin’ the shit- and shit flows downstream. So, when we talked together [as a band] we talked a lot about focused on being positive, and it’s worked out. On one hand, its worked out cause it’s given us a steady career and it’s given us a fanatical fan base for 15 years. On the flip side, you’re dealing with an industry that you know, you give them the choice of filet mignon, and McDonalds, they’re gonna sell more McDonald’s. I look at us as filet mignon by the way… [big laugh]. Just quality. Asking an audience to participate. Asking an audience to give up of themselves. Asking an audience to think. Asking an audience to step out of who they are and what’s expected of them as human beings. At the end of this band, or at the end of my life, I want to able to say that my little insignificant corner of the world might be a little better for something that I, or Cowboy Mouth has done or given to people. It’s great. Life’s too short to do anything else.”



MusicPix: On that note of giving back, can you tell us about Drive fa da Tribe?


Fred: “Drive fa da tribe is a golf tournament put together to raise money for a summer camp for kids with Cerebral Palsy. It allows kids with CP to go have the summer camp experience. It lasts for about a week. It allows the kids to experience a little normalcy, or as close to it as possible. It’s been something that’s been near and dear to our hearts for awhile. Paul, our rhythm guitar player’s buddy, started it and it turned into this big thing. Well, it takes money. And the guy that was putting it on, it became too expensive, cause he was just going out of pocket. So we decided to do something-we decided to help out. We’re doing a golf tournament the day after the Jazz Fest in New Orleans. We do an acoustic show on the course and a rock show later in a little club in town.”




MusicPix: How do you guys do an acoustic show?

Fred: “Uhh, it’s different. I don’t really play the drums in an acoustic show. It’s a little more song oriented. It still has the energy I think because of the chemistry of the performers. Me, John, Paul, we’ve always had chemistry. I think that’s why we’ve all fought to keep this thing together because chemistry is a rare thing. You can have the greatest musicians in the world, but if you don’t have chemistry, you just don’t gel. Who knows why? Certain people gel and certain people don’t. We lucked into this chemistry and it’s like Whoa, this is really good. It’s sustained us for 15 years.”

MusicPix: You talk about the fight….what types of things do you have to fight? The energy to get out there when you’re not feeling well and the like?

Fred: “What it takes to be in rock band is just gettin’ along with each other. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. It’s the will to do it. Fighting for a long time against the music industry’s perceptions of what could and couldn’t work…oh no, you can’t have a drummer as a lead singer, Oh no…you can’t have more than one lead singer, oh sorry.”

MusicPix: Was Rare Earth by any chance one of your influences?

Fred: “Not as much. The main reason I stopped playing drums behind people was because I was in a Rockabilly cover band that I played in for about a year from 1982/3 something like that… with Tulane kids and me. The lead singer was a big guy, kinda like me. He used to do this Elvis thing and his pants would fall down and every night there would be this butt crack in my face. It was like… I ain’t never playing in back of anybody! It was more a personal thing than anything… but uh, it worked out for me.” Ha Ha Ha…

MusicPix: “You mentioned earlier the good in life, the bad in life, and working things out and also the Rockabilly thing plays into this… we understand that Joe Ely is one of your idols.”

Fred: "Joe Ely is the king."

MusicPix: It was surprising to me because one my personal favorites is Love and Danger, a really dark album- living life. You live the good and you live the bad- and he does such an exceptional job of telling the dark side and that’s the antithesis of what Cowboy Mouth is.

Fred: “Actually, John and I are Joe Ely fans–the Musta Notta Gotta Lotta Tour, it was like, Oh my God, this is awesome! We were trying to be skinny-tie, new wavers before that..ha ha. But this guy looks like he’s having a ball up there. Hell with this new wave crap. We both were in separate bands at the time, but we both always had that energy with us. And then when Griff joined, it was just this chemistry, it was just this chemistry happened within a space of 5 seconds, it was just magic. Uh oh, now what? Being in a band, it seems every single person will come up to you and will say that you’re the reason that they’re big, you’re the reason for that. You know, the road is littered with people who used to be in bands that were great (count the people) who that couldn’t get it together anywhere else. We’ve been around long enough… as gifted as we are with all the solo projects that everybody does…. But Cowboy Mouth is a very special thing. I think that’s why we given it the benefit of the doubt so many times times.”

MusicPix: You express the Joe Ely story so well in your online journal. I could see how your thinking can come out in your music because I could feel your words. You talked about Joe and running into him again. What do you expect to say to him?

Fred: “I’ll say, hey Joe, how ya been? He’ll say, Hey Fred, What’s up? He’ll say, Playin’ gigs, what have you been doing? I’ll say, playin’ gigs… Musicians are like anybody. It’s a dam good job and we want to keep the job. And we’re just trying to do something creative within that. The magic of music isn’t in the people who play it; as much as in the people who hear it. The first time I heard The Clash, it was the first band that I heard that sounded like I felt. These guys were putting it out there, yada-yada- they had their own issues, blagh-blagh-blagh but it was magic to me, it was transcendant. I guess with our music, with what we try to do with the show, is to create that transcendence not with just the music. To let people know that it’s OK to lose your mind. It’s OK to be just a silly as you wanna be. There aren’t many places in the world these days that allow you to do that.”



MusicPix: What about Bo Diddley’s “Keep it simple and think of church and you’ll be all right” philosophy? How’d you bump into that?

Fred: “Yeah, we opened for him. We opened up and we were his backing band. It was like one of our first shows ever when the band first got together in Charlotte. But he was only supposed to play an hour but he had so much fun that he ended up playing two and half hours. That was legendary for me. I was just insane about Bo Diddley as a kid. Once again, hearing the music and putting it to my world, and hearing what somebody else did, it was like this emotional life preserver. And that was one of the music’s, as what I interpreted, as this life affirming release. And all the guy did was just sing about himself. Bo Diddley this. Bo Diddley that. I’m Bo Diddley. Everybody loves Bo Diddley. OK, you know, I just saw a lot of humor in that. He said to us as after the show when somebody asked him for some advice he said, “Keep it simple and think of church, and that’s all you really need.” However I try to verbally pontificate on that will just be obsolete… Keep it simple and think of church, that’s all you need. Period.”


MusicPix: Your crowds are getting bigger. Last year, I read that you played to a million people! What’s that feel like? What’s that do for you?

Fred: “That’s all? Let’s go for 2 million next year. You can’t think about. Wow, I played for a million people. Holy shit !?$#&;@!!! If I think about it, WOW, I played for a million people, I’d freak out. I don’t view our shows as us getting on stage and performing for this vast, different distant audience. I’ve always viewed our shows, as us and 1,000 buddies comin’ in. The audience is a much as a part of our shows as us. It’s not like we’re going to bestow our genius upon you, and you will listen and adore us…and you will listen…oh no, no, no.”

MusicPix: That spins into how did the Tootsie Roll & Spoon Toss get started at your shows?

Fred: “It just happened one night. I should have written a song about treasury bonds or something life that. Or a deed to a Maserati. [Breaks into singing a lyric… A deed to a Maserati] It’s just something that happened kinda organically. Those tootsie rolls can hurt. Little chocolate bullets. But it’s fun. People enjoy it. It’s very interactive. We’re an very interactive band. We don’t want the audience to be afraid to do anything. It’s once again, just celebrate. There’s nothin’ wrong with that!”



MusicPix: Your tour bus…you’re currently in the fourth year of a marketing sponsorship with New Orleans' own Southern Comfort. How did this relationship come about?

Fred: “It was a natural fit since they are a New Orleans based company, a buddy of mine asked me if we’d be interested in a free bus. So I was like, hell yeah. So they give a free tour bus, and they cover it with a wrap that basically says Cowboy Mouth and Southern Comfort. They don’t ask that much of us- they are very generous and it’s a very beneficial relationship. I drink the stuff. It was like, OK, I can do this. And, the line I always say about Southern Comfort is, they’re the best record company that we never had. In 20 years of being in the music industry, they are the only people that I’ve met that have done exactly what they said they were going to do, period. Period. I love ‘em. It’s not only is a business relationship, it’s a personal relationship. They’ve been very good to us. Very kind.”

MusicPix: What about Oscar the Grouch? I enjoyed reading about your affinity for the grouch.

Fred: “When I was born, I was born deaf. I have some deformities in my ear canal that couldn’t be fixed because my lungs weren’t fully developed. Before I came of age, my folks used to lay my head on stereo speakers and they would just crank it up…they’d play show tunes and opera, so I could actually sing before I could talk. I was a pretty musical kid. I liked the idea of Oscar the Grouch cause he told off everybody, lived the way he wanted to live, and got away with it. And I thought, hey, that’s for me! All’s I wanted for Christmas was a garbage can. So my mom thought she was getting off easy- Santa’s just bringing this kid a garbage can- whoo-whoo….we’re saving money! So, it was great until I turned it over and started beating it and they kind of reconsidered the idea. It didn’t seem like such a good idea. It was great. I mean, I’ve got people who give me Oscar the Grouch t-shirts and stuffed animals. I love it. It’s fun. I’m way past the age of Sesame Street. I’ve moved on to The Electric Company. It’s great! It’s genuine. I think it’s just another hook. It reminds people of what I do.”

MusicPix: What about up and coming Bands? Who do you like?

Fred: “I was with a band a couple of weeks ago called The Silver Tide… really really good. A band out of Nashville called, Lucky Black-very good. One of my favorite bands out of Athens Georgia, they broke up for awhile but reformed, have a new album out and they’re called Five Eight. Great. Their lead singer is one of the best singers I’ve heard in my life. They’re just a ferocious little rock and roll band. Those are my fav’s.”

MusicPix: You’ve played with a lot of different people. Who?

Fred: “We did a couple of arena tours with Bare Naked Ladies during their moment of glory a while back. A lot of bands don’t take us on tour because they don’t like to play in back of us. That’s what Rob Thomas of MatchBox told us…cause we go pretty far back. It’s like Rob, why don’t you give us a few shows? You’ve sold millions of records, why don’t you let us play with you? And he said, No Man, I’m not playing’ after you. He’s like, Nope. So that’s always been the issue.”

MusicPix: So you’re doing a Rock The Boat thing. You’re sold out and don’t have a destination yet?

Fred: “Those things are just insane. 4 days. It leaves out of New Orleans this year. It’s like a big cruise with a bunch of rock bands. And we’re one of the main five or main four. We’ve done it like three years in a row. The first year, we were the first band on the first night and it just set the tone. People just started partying. The next year, they wanted us to wait. It worked, but not quite as well. So from now on, we’re going to be first band playing. It’s great. The Sister Hazel guys put it together. They assume the financial responsibly for the whole thing. It’s great for us. It’s been a lot of fun. Surprisingly, it’s been something that’s turned a lot of people on to us.”

MusicPix: You do so many shows. What do you do to relax? What else do you do?

Fred: “We all do solo stuff on the side. John and Paul have a thing they do acoustically. They do living room shows, and I do it too. But it’s hard for me to play 90 minutes acoustic and then singing my ass off for 2 hours. But it’s fun. When I’m home, I just like to try to keep up with my life. It was a rugged year. Last year, everybody in the band lost at least one person significant to them. It was really just one of those years where everybody was just getting pounded. When we’re home, like right now, we’re working on a new album, called The Voodoo Shop, a friend of Paul’s, who actually lives above a Voodoo Shop. We got another song called Joe Strummer about the lead singer in The Clash. We gotta another song called Winds Me Up. We’re going to play new stuff tonight. But it’s working on a new record. For me? I love doing this. I won’t be able to do it forever. So I’m going to do as much of this as I can, while I can. There’s time to grow old, there’s time to be shoved in the ground in a box later. But right now, I do what I want. In life, you realize that you make up you own set of rules as you go along, and everybody has a different set of them.”




MusicPix: Do you think you’ll ever publish a book?

Fred: “I don’t know. I just do that stuff for my own amusement and enjoyment. It’s just another creative outlet. You can’t just be married to one thing when it comes to expressing creativity. What we all do is to try to express our creativity in different ways which allows us to get those things out of ourselves but also to bring the richness of ourselves back to the band. This new album, we’ve actually been writing together as opposed to writing individually and bringing songs back to the band and it’s worked out really well.”


MusicPix: What’s Fred’s Perfect World? You talk about 15 years of Cowboy Mouth’s evolution; we’ve seen you playing in front of 750 to 50,000 people at a Rib America Festival. Would you want to play in more arenas, get lots of radio play? Be more famous? Or are you comfortable in your own skin? What’s Fred’s perfect world?

Fred: “Hmmmm….[long pause] I guess, when I was younger I had the dreams of playing in front of arena sized audiences- the million dollars- all the crap they show you on MTV/VH1… I think if I would have been exposed to the staff at an early age, I wouldn’t have probably appreciated it, so perfect world…. This ain’t a bad life. I can’t really complain. Would I like to play to bigger crowds? Yea, but I’m thankful for the crowds that we have. Would I like to make a million dollars? Yea, but I can pay my bills. Apart from that, I’m a drummer who gets to play up front, sing lead, with some really great musicians and we have great chemistry, and people absolutely LUUUUVVVV us! I can’t really think of a better way to live…can you?”

MusicPix: You talked earlier about The Clash, as being a band that sounded like you felt. For me it was Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, and Sly & The Family Stone.

Fred: “I love Springsteen but it was like my older brother’s music. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge Springsteen fan. Miami Steve actually played with us at a festival one time- that was fun. Again, don’t get me wrong, I used to live and breathe Bruce. But at the same time, The Clash was the first band that I discovered by myself. Being that age and having that visceral effect. Like Nirvana in the 90’s…or something like that.

There’s something very ‘Springsteenian’ in what we do, our shows being more positively focused instead of negatively focused. I can listen to Nirvana, Marylyn Manson, and Slipknot and enjoy it for what it is. But at the same time, it just not what I choose to do. I don’t want to put a bullet in my head. I don’t want to sing about my misery all the time to where it completely envelops me. I want to put out something positive in the world. With that feeling you put out, it definitely comes back to you. Regardless of whatever religious or spiritual beliefs you have, it’s common sense. If you put something positive stuff out there (enough) positive stuff is going to come back to you. It’s just the way it is. Its just nature. If you shit all over people, that’s what going to happen, you’re ultimately going to get that on yourself. So, I think being conscious of doing that in a very public forum, is something that I think that people appreciate, people enjoy, and people will come back for. If you make people feel good- make people feel good about themselves, you get to validate their own existence, even if it’s just for a moment, and celebrate it, it’s a feeling that feels pretty dam good. People want to come back to that. People want to feel that. It’s like I said before about the McDonalds, or a snickers bar, you feel good for a second, but it’s something that becomes addictive in a negative way that you have to pry yourself from. People come to a Cowboy Mouth show and they leave feeling exhilarated. It’s a great thing to be able to put that out into the world. I used to wonder, cause I’ve seen a lot of bands that we’ve played with. It used to be a band joke, “You want to be famous, come open for us. We had Hootie, Bare Naked Ladies, Matchbox 20, a hell, The Black Crows, all sorts of bands-huge bands of the 90’s…Maroon 5 opened for us too. You want to get famous, come open for Cowboy Mouth. It used to kind of bug me a little bit. I wouldn’t be bothered by these people’s success, like it should be me instead of them or any of that crap… most of them are friends…you can’t begrudge somebody when that’s what they choose to do. But at the same time, I’m not sure I want to be the biggest, but I know that I wanted to be the best. And there are some nights, when I play when I feel like we’re the best fuckin’ rock and roll band in the world. And that’s what I wanted as a kid. So no matter how high or low we go…we’ve played arenas… that’s the easiest show in the book. Playing the small clubs, that’s hard work.

As far as my perfect world? This is it. It’ll get better. It will just be more perfect.”


By Gwyn Tyme
w/Steve Mitchell