PRESS KIT
PHONE: 510 526-1048 (office) EMAIL: tomrigney9@gmail.com
Tom Rigney is one of the premier American Roots Music fiddle players on the planet. His band–
Tom Rigney and Flambeau–specializes in blazing Cajun and Zydeco two-steps, low-down Blues, funky New Orleans grooves, Boogie Woogie piano, and Roots Rock and Roll. Much of the repertoire is original music written by Rigney, but they mix in some classics from the Cajun/New Orleans songbook.
Flambeau showcases Rigney’s fiery, virtuoso fiddling, his charismatic stage presence, and his range and originality as a composer. He and Flambeau have forged a unique sound that blends American Roots styles into something original and HOT–mixing irresistible grooves with deep musicality and spectacular soloing. Rigney’s high-energy showmanship pulls the audience into his performances and makes them feel they are a part of the music and the show.
Says MGP series producer Peter Berkow, “The mission of “Music Gone Public” is to present “an alternative to the assembly line music machine” we are all fed up with. I was looking for the very best of roots music I could find. I knew that public television viewers would see Tom Rigney’s fiery Cajun and blues musicas a fresh alternative to the bland fare we all hear on corporate radio and television.”
PHOTOS
CLICK to link to HIGH RESOLUTION photos that can be downloaded
EPK in PDF FORMAT: ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT PDF
TOM RIGNEY BIO in .DOC format
REVIEWS:
”The surprise of the festival came from Tom Rigney and Flambeau. THEY SET FIRE TO THE TENT!
Clint Eastwood’s twin paid us a visit, and he plays the violin. God, he has an incredible amount of energy! Tom and his band’s performance was THE revelation of the festival. Even the headliner’s performance could not eclipse the incredible punch of Tom Rigney and Flambeau.”
JEAN-PIERRE LHOIR, MUSIC IN BELGIUM
“The absolute definition of killer stuff. Wonderful real music for real ears looking for new kicks, the master shines when he does his thing.”
CHRIS SPECTOR, MIDWEST RECORD
“Tom Rigney plays the violin and MAN can he play! High, low, moans, screams, etc., all from that fiddle. He is in my mind one of the cleanest, smoothest fiddle players I’ve ever heard. He somehow adjusts that instrument to the right genre. The band is made up of talented artists who are themselves impressive. These guys are good, fiery, talented, and hot. The originals here have the feel of classics.
THE CRITICAL REVIEW
”Tom Rigney is a world class fiddler–he wields a fiery bow with power, precision and exquisite taste.”
Jim Beal, Jr., SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
“Cajun Fandango is a perfect pairing of two of Cajun-roots music’s finest musicians. Kicking up a positive storm they are joined on this wonderful release by Rigney’s band, Flambeau–guitarist Danny Caron (Marcia Ball, Clifton Chenier), Caroline Dahl on keys, Steve Parks on bass, and Brent Rampone on drums. The resulting band sound is bouncing, banging, thigh-slapping brilliance.
ELMORE MAGAZINE (Review of the Michael Doucet/Tom Rigney CD, “Cajun Fandango”)
“Playing with Tom is really fun. There are hardly EVER two fiddle players from different bands playing together. We have two different styles, California West Coast style and Louisiana Gulf Coast style, and it just fits like a glove–we just go for the source and whatever comes out is usually better than either one of us would have originally thought! The live show is filled with songs we never get tired of playing–there is a lot of improvisation and it evolves every time we play. The songs flow–not fixed, not like a fly in amberMICHAEL DOUCET–
“Tom Rigney has written exacting music that requires a high level of skill to play and absolutely no effort to listen to. Try to sit still while Rigney’s guys play -I dare you! Try to pretend that they are not unabashedly beautiful, wistful, haunting or mirthful–these guys are great! ” – Peter Coyote
“If Ry Cooder’s out of the budget, you might come calling for a guy named Tom Rigney. The Bay Area fiddle player is an all-American eclectic and his instrumental album, Chasin’ The Devil, is moody evocative, original and energetic.” – Inside Report
“Rigney’s lack of “purity” is a big part of the fun. Even though Back Porch Blues, to a large degree, a shout out to the 1920s and 1930s, the fact that Rigney doesn’t forget about the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s adds to the intrigue. An excellent CD that Rigney should be proud to have in his catalog.” – All Music Guide
“Cajun Fandango is a perfect pairing of two of Cajun-roots music’s finest musicians. Kicking up a positive storm they are joined on this wonderful release by guitarist Danny Caron (Marcia Ball, Clifton Chenier), Caroline Dahl on keys, Steve Parks, Bass, and Brent Rampone on drums. The resulting band sound is bouncing, banging, thigh-slapping brilliance. This is an outfit with clear attitude and a joy de vivre that pours from the disc.” – Ian Patience, Elmore Magazine
“Epic jam sessions between BeauSoleil’s Michael Doucet and Flambeau’s Tom Rigney eventually materialized into this fiery twin fiddle record for the rest of world to hear. Doucet brought several Cajun tunes, including three new originals; Rigney contributed the rest, including three of his own, for a wide and varied listen. The ingenious title track, a Doucet masterpiece, shifts between a scorching gypsy section and a sweeter Cajun melody. “Marie Catin” opens the proceedings much like a starter’s pistol—with a loud bang.
But don’t expect Rigney to hang back and only second Doucet on the Cajun numbers because he’s not within spitting distance of I-10. He kicks off “Maman Rosin” and “Oh Pauline,” alternates melodies with Doucet and is a lightning bolt in every fiddle storm where bow thrashing and squealing, electrifying high notes are the norm. But it’s not all about swashbuckling fiddling. On “Oh Pauline,” the two achieve a harmonic soulful ness together, especially towards the end when most of the band drops out and Doucet and Rigney accentuate the tune’s beauty.
Rigney’s groove-bound originals are genre hopping. “Chasing the Devil” is a solid Cajun two-step; the turbo-charged “Swamp Fever” mixes a gypsy motif and minor blues chord changes over a zydeco rhythm section. Two J.J. Cale tunes appear here, the darkly amusing “Last Will and Testament” and the road trip friendly “Call Me the Breeze.” Flambeau guitarist Danny Caron practically lights his fingers on fire in several places while Caroline Dahl motors on ivories.” – Dan Willging, OFFBEAT
“Two of the finest fiddlers in the music world, Michael Doucet and Tom Rigney, have convened for a dream session consisting of Cajun, blues, and roots music. Cajun Fandango (Parhelion Records) finds Doucet, the longtime leader of Beausoleil, joining forces with Rigney, founder of the Swamp Rock band, The Sundogs, and current leader of Flambeau, headlining a spirited session of Cajun two-steps and waltzes and deep blues numbers, backed by an excellent band, Flambeau .” – Grahame Clarke, Blues Bytes
