Lousiana Zydeco Band Marches To Its Own Beat

Lousiana (Top40 Charts/ Travis Matte website) - When Travis Matte formed Travis Matte and the Zydeco Kingpins he wanted the band to be different.

That started with the sound. It continued with producing a CD—before the band had a single gig.

"People found it strange that I did a CD before first playing shows," says Matte. "But I chose to do it that way to be able to give festivals, clubs, events, club DJs and radio stations the CD to show what we do."

The strategy worked.
"We got more radio play than bands that have been doing this for 10 years," says Matte, who started in music on the fiddle, but now plays the accordion.
Before he knew it, the band got calls from clubs and festivals, built a following and became local favorites.
"All of a sudden we were the most requested band on the largest Cajun/Zydeco station in the world—KBON 101.1 in Eunice (La.)," says Matte.

Zydeco is a form of American folk music. It began in the 20th century in southwest Louisiana. Travis Matte and the Zydeco Kingpins mixes Zydeco with rock and hip hop to create a unique sound.

"We are not the traditional Zydeco group and our fans range from typical Zydeco to people who would have never listened to Zydeco music," says Matte. "That's the buzz with our group. We're pulling new listeners to Zydeco that traditional Zydeco artist would have never pulled."

The band has its own merchandise: T-shirts, boxers, hats, BBQ aprons, thongs and more, all featuring an original song.

Travis Matte and the Zydeco Kingpins band is busy playing nightclubs and festivals. The goal now: to become well known outside Louisiana and to sell CDs.

After that: Matte is hoping to land a contract with a major record label.