Cowboy Mouth emits positive vibes

Fred LeBlanc was born deaf.

For the first three years of his life, until he had an operation, he could not hear.

Music became his connection with the world.

It's remained so for the vocalist-drummer, lyricist and founder of the intriguing, and long-running, New Orleans rockers calling themselves Cowboy Mouth. (The name comes from a line in a play co-written by Sam Shepard and Patti Smith.)

'Before my operation, my parents would put my head on a speaker and crank up the volume,' he recalls. Show tunes, opera, other songs; they played whatever they could to try to elicit a reaction.

'I could sing before I could hear,' LeBlanc says. 'Music to me has always been my primary form of communication. When I'm sad, I sing. When I'm happy, I sing. When I'm angry, I sing. For me it's purely about communication, telling the world I exist and this is how I feel.'

Everyone in the band embraces the music in different ways. 'But as a band we all want people who come to the shows to leave feeling like they've been part of something special,' LeBlanc says. 'That might happen on stage or inside themselves using us, something we triggered.'

And, what a trigger!

The playing is nothing, if not inspired, a reflection, perhaps, of what LeBlanc calls a New Orleans' 'devil may care' attitude.

That philosophy became part of Cowboy Mouth even before the musicians realized it, he says. 'We became a celebratory rock 'n' roll organism.'

'People who come to our shows should expect to dance, scream, smile and leave covered in sweat and hopefully look at the world a little bit differently,' he says. 'We want to make 1,000 brand new best friends every night.'

Cowboy Mouth tries to make the vibe as positive as possible with their music. 'It's not like we are ÔUp With People' or anything. We deal with issues of life. When bad things happen, and they do, it's just part of life. It's not about whining and (complaining) and moaning. It's about ÔWhat will you do about it?' and ÔWhat can it teach me to make me strong?' '

LeBlanc enjoys the give-and-take at a concert. 'It's a great feeling when you look into the audience and somebody is 5 years old again - for whatever reason, they are having the time of their life. It's the very best feeling. It's kind of losing yourself to find yourself, which I think is the cornerstone of what it's all about.'

While Cowboy Mouth, in his view, offers 'good songs' and 'good stage presence,' he says the strength of the band is its audience. 'I always thought when you play a rock 'n' roll show it's not about being a Ôrock 'n' roll star.' It's not about trying to get, it's about trying to give. The audience, to me, is just as important an ingredient of the show as the band is.'

They all know what they are getting, he says - 'a very rockin', powerful, emotionally uplifting, raucous good time.'