79rs Gang – Fire On The Bayou (LP)

It is an accomplishment to be celebrated any time that a new Mardi Gras Indian record comes out—and doubly so when it is the younger generation of Indians stepping up to the mic with songs and tambourines.

So props and respect to Big Chief Romeo of the 9th Ward Hunters, Big Chief Jermaine of the 7th Ward Creole Hunters, and the diabolical masterminds at Sinking City Records.

As the 79rs Gang their record, Fiyo On The Bayou can stand up to the classics of the genre. It is a straight up Indian record with vocals and assorted percussion, including tambourine, bottle, congas and bass drum, among others.

The tribes behind the singers beat Indian polyrhythms that keep a steady, never faltering tempo. Big Chief Romeo and Big Chief Jermaine can work their voices to add a high, tense, slightly nasal bray that cuts above the percussion and rings out on the street.

There are a couple new songs here, including a signifying song called “Drama” where both chiefs sing about how great, tough and pretty their gangs are. It’s an exciting song where Big Chief Jermaine can barely contain himself when he sings, “On Mardi Gras Day we put them all to shame/I still can’t believe I got an Indian gang.”

There are also updates of “Shallow Water,” “Indian Red” and a version of “Two Way Pocky Way” called “Eh Paka Way.”

They do a great job of keeping to the themes of these songs while updating them to the current Indians, stories and places. There are tales of “On St. Joseph’s Night/we got trapped in a hole” and “laying that feather down/with needle and thread/don’t need no glue/you know it’s true.”

Their version of “Indian Red” is particularly moving as everyone’s unison voices blend in a powerful and affecting way.

All the songs here can be added to the soundtrack of Mardi Gras and will sound fresh whether waiting for parades on Saint Charles Avenue, partying in the Marigny, or while waiting for Indians to come out across town from Second and Dryades to Pauger and Marais.