ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT

Click these photos to link to high resolution versions

Tom Rigney, the fiery, electrifying violinist/composer, joins forces with some of the finest musicians on the San Francisco roots music scene to form Tom Rigney and Flambeau, a band that will tear the roof off of anyplace that has one and raise the spirits of everyone around. Rigney, now in his second decade at the helm of Flambeau, has in recent years become one of the premier blues and roots music violinists in the world. Flambeau showcases his passionate, virtuoso fiddling, his commanding stage presence, his range, depth, and originality as a composer, and of course, those notorious red boots! His bandmates are veterans of the great bands of Charles Brown, Queen Ida, Clifton Chenier, and many others, and together they generate enough heat and energy to ignite a dance floor or lift an audience to its feet.

Flambeau specializes in fiery Cajun and zydeco two-steps, low-down blues, funky New Orleans grooves, and heartbreakingly beautiful ballads and waltzes. Their high energy live show features tight ensemble playing, deeply infectious grooves, and spectacular soloing, all delivered with warmth, humor, and passionate intensity. Most of the repertoire is composed by Rigney, but they also mix in a few classics from the Cajun/zydeco/New Orleans songbook. And if, along the way, you pick up a trace of Rigney’s Irish roots or a little Boogie Woogie and roots Rock and Roll, it just makes the musical gumbo that much tastier. In the past decade Rigney’s skills as a composer have broadened and deepened, and he is today writing some of the most evocative and powerfully uplifting music you will hear anywhere. And Rigney’s charismatic stage presence and high-energy delivery draw the audience into his performances and make them feel that they are an integral part of the music and the show.

Voted Best Cajun/Zydeco Band of 2004 by the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame, Tom Rigney and Flambeau have been making some serious noise on the American Roots Music scene for over a decade. Flambeau has been tearing things up at festivals, dances, and concerts all over the place--from the Ft. Lauderdale Cajun Crawfish Festival to the Edmonton Blues Festival to the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee to the Alaska State Fair, to the Spring Bues Festival in Ecaussinnes, Belgium. They have become audience favorites at numerous annual festivals, community concerts, and performing arts centers. Their debut CD, Red Boots and Rice, was released on the Parhelion label in early 2000, following up Rigney’s critically acclaimed 1998 solo album, Chasing the Devil. Since then they have released eight CDs of new material, including a live CD and DVD video recorded at the beautiful Throckmorton Theatre, in Mill Valley, CA. And, along the way, Rigney has released two Blues violin albums (one of which--2009's Back Porch Blues--climbed all the way to Number 1 on the XM/Sirius Satellite Radio's Bluesville Chart, B.B. King's Top 15 Blues Picks to Click) and an all Swing album (2010's Swing State) that have garnered buckets of airplay and rave rewiews from critics and fans alike. 2009 also saw the release of the rockin', rootsy Americana CD Serious Fun, that caused outbreaks of dance frenzy all over the U.S.A.

In 2011 Tom Rigney was crowned Emperor of the great Sacramento Jazz Festival and reigned over a weekend-long party with thousands of his loyal subjects. On the day of his coronation, the streets of Sacramento filled with crowds of people celebrating his arrival. Men cheered, women wept, children were advised to stay at home. Later that same day, Parhelion Records released a new CD by Tom Rigney and Flambeau, an all Blues CD titled Don't Fight It. It also climbed to Number One on the XM/Sirius Bluesville Chart.

2012 saw the release of two new CDs--the eclectic Americana release You're the One, and the blues compilation CD, Back Streets. Both discs have received rave reviews and serious attention from radio programmers.

In 2014 Tom Rigney and Flambeau released a new live DVD video and live CD, both titled Swamp Fever--Live at Three Stages. The new video was selected to be part of a new PBS music series--Music Gone Public--premiering nationally in 2015.

Here is what Bill Wax, the esteemed Program Director of XM/Sirius Radio's Bluesville Channel recently had to say: "I have been doing this channel for all 11 years of its existence and your music seems to create more response than any other artist we have played over all those years. It is great to see the audience get that excited over an artist’s music.  You have made us sound great and all we have had to do is spin some sides from your disc. You are all top notch players and it is a pleasure to let others hear your music."

Tom Rigney is a true American original and his great band, Flambeau, is one of the hottest bands on the American Roots Music scene. This is a band you have to hear!

DANNY CARON: Electric guitar. Danny is one of the finest guitarists on the blues/roots music circuit--a master of many musical styles, whose inspired improvisation and fiery soloing make him an excellent foil for Rigney. Prior to joining Flambeau, Danny was the guitarist and bandleader for the legendary bluesman, Charles Brown. He toured the world with Charles for twelve years, until Charles' death in 1999. In addition to his work with Charles Brown, Danny has also performed with Clifton Chenier, Marcia Ball, Maria Muldaur, and countless other blues and roots artists. Find out more about him at www.dannycaron.com.

CAROLINE DAHL: Piano Caroline has been with Flambeau since 2001. She brings a strong element of Boogie Woogie and New Orleans-style piano playing to the band, in addition to burning up the more traditional Cajun and zydeco tunes. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, she has spent the past twenty years as a mainstay of the Bay Area blues and roots music scene, earning a reputation as a brilliant soloist, an exciting stage presence, and a strong ensemble player. Find out more about her at www.carolinedahl.com.

BRENT RAMPONE: Drums. Brent is the newest member of Flambeau, having joined the band in 2006. He is a powerhouse drummer who plays with clarity, precision, and fire. His grooves have an infectious, upbeat quality that is a powerful part of Flambeau's rhythmic signature. In a career spanning more than two decades Brent has performed, recorded, and toured with a wide range of roots, rock, and country artists, including Maria Muldaur, Billy C Farlow, and many others.

STEVE PARKS: Electric bass. Steve is the other half of Flambeau's great rhythm section. He is the ideal bassist for roots music, with a deep and unerring groove sense, a big tone, and a dedication to playing the bass line that locks down the groove. Originally from New Orleans, he has worked with numerous blues and R-and-B artists around the San Francisco scene for over twenty years.

For an editable WORD version of the TOM RIGNEY AND FLAMBEAU BIO, Click HERE