The Name of the Band Is Cowboy Mouth

Talk about a motley crew: John Thomas Griffith (lead guitar, vocals) sports a 10-gallon cowboy hat, Regina Zernay (bass) wears a bustier and jeans, Vance DeGeneres (rhythm guitar) bears a striking resemblance to his sister Ellen, and frontman Fred LeBlanc (drums, lead vocals) is a veritable force of nature in his shorts and T-shirt (picture the sweaty love child of Matt Damon and Jack Black). Together, this oddball quartet are called Cowboy Mouth, and at this July 7, 2007 show at the Roxy in Los Angeles, the New Orleans-based band tore the proverbial roof off the sucker in a blistering 16-song set that kept the crowd bouncing. Not that the audience had any choice: LeBlanc (whose routinely-delivered signature query “are you with me?” would almost seem like a threat were it not for his Zig Ziglar-like self-empowering patter—exhorting all to embrace the moment) at one point simply stopped mid-song and walked out into the sea of people to assist two fans who made the mistake of planting their fannies on chairs. While Cowboy Mouth's style is an infectious gumbo of country, rock, pop, and punk, the unifying thread is LeBlanc's driving (and commanding) work with the sticks on tunes such as “Glad to Be Alive,” “Joe Strummer” (about a guy who had to let his girlfriend go because she was unfamiliar with the late lead singer of The Clash), “Tell the Girl,” “Everybody Loves Jill,” “This Much Fun,” and “Jenny Says.” On a quieter note, “The Avenue” is a loving look forward to the return of Mardi Gras in post-Katrina New Orleans. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, DVD extras include a soundcheck with four bonus songs, including “Kelly Ripa.” Highly recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)