J.J. Reneaux & The Mojos

Currently available from Brambus Records:

Cajun, Country and Blue

Tracks: Leve Tes Fenetres Haut (Raise Your Window High) 'Chafalaya Basin Ol' Muddy River Long and a Lonesome Cry All I Got is the Blues Je M'Endors Our Town Flames D'Enfer Julie Jean, Bad, Bad Girl By You on the Bayou Tonight Working for a Living (Living For Love) Tous Les Temps En Temps (Every Now and Then)

Known for an innovative approach to their music, J.J. Reneaux and the Mojos capture the rhythms and sounds of the Deep South. Combining traditional instrumentation with contemporary arrangements of original and cover songs, J.J. Reneaux and the Mojos bring a fresh sound to the Cajun, Creole, and country-blues music they love. Acclaimed for her dynamic vocal style, Reneaux is a singer-songwriter with a gift for telling stories in songs. Her music reflects her Cajun roots, as well as the influence of southern artists like Clifton Chenier, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams Sr., Fats Domino and Janis Joplin.

"When I was a kid growing up in Louisiana and southeast Texas, I'd listen to the traditional Cajun and Creole music at the fais-dodo house parties," J.J. says. "When that accordion, fiddle and guitar were cranking chanky-chank, you not only heard the music, you felt it."

"Late in the night, Mama would strum her Sears and Roebuck guitar and belt out Walkin' After Midnight or Your Cheatin' Heart with so much passion, she'd have people crying in their Dixie Beer. And stories? These people had beaucoup hard times and sorrow, but they had joy and humor too. They were happy to be alive, dancing and singing on a Saturday night."

The Mojos joined J.J. in 1993 for performances at festivals, clubs and colleges around the country. With the 1995 release of their first recording, Cajun, Country and Blue on the Swiss Brambus label, they will be reaching new audiences in Europe, Australia, Israel and North America. In 1996 they will tour in Europe and perform before international audiences at the summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hailing from Athens, Georgia, a city known around the world for its rock 'n' roll scene, The Mojos all bring unique talents to the group's music. Mark Maxwell (guitar/bass/mandolin) is a producer and owner of Maxwell Sound recording studio. He has been featured in Guitar Player magazine, and his jazz recording Window for a Groove has received critical acclaim.

Andy Carlson (fiddle/guitar/mandolin) is a noted studio musician and performer who has played with a diverse range of country, rock, blues and traditional music bands in the studio and on the stage. Carlson is equally at ease with classical music as he is with improvisational styles.

Matt Donaldson (drums/percussion/harmony vocals) provides the driving force behind the Mojos' energetic rhythms. A studio musician as well, Donaldson has backed many rock, country and jazz bands in the Southeast. Karen Ann Krieger (accordion/piano/harmony vocals) teaches and performs a wide range of music from classical to Creole. She has studied with Cajun accordion masters, such as Steve Riley, and tours internationally with American classical and popular artists.

The band draws its name from a good luck charm known in the South as a mojo. In Louisiana it is a positive gris-gris for the life force. It is this joy of living that J.J. Reneaux and The Mojos celebrate in their music. From zydeco and ballads to country-blues and originals, joie de vivre is at the heart of every concert.