Kickin’ back with hip boot joe

They’ve opened for the likes of Clint Black, Lonestar, Little River Band, Marc Broussard and Aaron Neville.

Their sound has been compared to Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban mixed with a little pop. The band describes it as a “unique brand of southern-fried country/rock.”

And now the small town Louisiana band is touring the Gulf Coast singing originals and country covers.

HipBootJoe – Lockport’s Travis Thibodaux (vocals, piano and guitar), Gonzales’ Brian Brignac (drums), Scott Sanchez (bass and acoustic guitar, percussions), Blake Harlow (acoustic and electric guitar) and Gram Rea (fiddle, acoustic guitar, harmonica, mandolin) and Paulina’s Darrin Brumley (guitar, banjo, keyboards, harmonica, mandolin) – is quickly becoming one of the state’s most talked about rising bands. The group has two CDs out and hopes to ink a deal to record more.

Despite their success touring, HipBootJoe hasn’t forgotten where home is.

On July 13, the band is appearing at the Cajun Country Event Center in Raceland. It’s the band’s second time performing there and Thibodaux says the group is anxious to play in their home state.

“I’m sure I probably had a little to do with it,” the Lockport native said of playing the Lafourche Parish gig. “I don’t handle the booking directly, but we played there one time. We had a lot of people show up.”

Thibodaux recalls his father’s cover band, Deuce of Hearts, playing regularly in the area when he was young. “I think a lot of people still recognize me from those days,” he said. “I hope that those people will show back up if they like (HipBootJoe) enough. It’s good to have a little influence like that but we hope the band stands on its own.”

Make no mistake, Thibodaux says, HipBootJoe is southern Louisiana born and bred – right down to the group’s name.

Derived from a Rea original tune, the name stems from a lyric about a Cajun walking through the swamp. On his feet, of course, is a pair of hip boots. When the group needed to come up with a name, HipBootJoe was suggested. After learning their original choice, Stone’s Throw, was copyrighted, everyone immediately agreed on its replacement.

“I don’t think people outside of Louisiana get it,” Thibodaux said, laughing. “It’s a special connection we will always have with south Louisiana.”

HipBootJoe celebrated its seven-year anniversary April 1 – no fooling.

Thibodaux has only been in the band for nearly two years, however. A resident of Memphis, he inherited his dad’s penchant for music. Prior to joining HipBootJoe, Thibodaux would commute to Nashville to record jingles and hunt for studio gigs. He returned to the Bayou State to stay closer to his son, and it was on an early trip back that he ran into HipBootJoe drummer Brignac, who was playing for Wayne Toups at the time.

“Many people don’t know this, but I had actually written the song ‘Take My Hand’ for Wayne Toups,” Thibodaux said. “I knew Brian because he used to play drums for Wayne.”

It was during the visit that Thibodaux, who was making plans to move back to the area and trying to form a band locally, caught Brignac and his group performing on Bourbon Street.

“We hadn’t seen each other in a long time so I sat in just like most musicians do,” Thibodaux said. “They were great. A part of me was like, ‘Wouldn’t that be cool to be able to get into a group like this?'”

At the end of the gig, the group hung out and started talking. Thibodaux spoke of his move to Tennessee, his plans to return to Louisiana and even sang for the gang. Then he returned to Memphis to begin packing.

“I got a call three days later. They said they really liked my singing and asked me if I would be interested in joining the band,” he said. “It has really worked out like I hoped it would. It wasn’t my intention that night (of joining that band). I just went to see them, and next thing I know, I’m in the band.”

HipBootJoe’s playlist was comprised of cover songs initially, but before long the band started writing and performing original material. As the playlist grew, so did HipBootJoe’s popularity. And as an opening act to some of today’s top performers, the band’s original songs are finding a broader audience.

“We seem to be getting a little more exposure. We’ve had a couple of CDs out now,” he said. “We’re working a little harder than the band first did when I started. We are traveling mostly on the Gulf Coast between Florida and Texas. Occasionally, we get up north a little.”

Thibodaux said performing the band’s own work live brings the most joy. The group’s two CDs, “HipBootJoe” (released in 2004) and “Louisiana State Line” (released last year), feature more of HipBootJoe’s style, he noted.

In a departure from the southern rock sound, the group released a gospel album, “Get Saved,” which they recorded with the Grammy-nominated Williams Brothers on Blackberry Records in 2005. The title song garnered national airplay and was nominated for the GMA’s Contemporary Gospel Song of the Year and Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year. HipBootJoe is included in three live CD and DVD performances – “SoulLink Live,” “SoulLink Live 2” and “SoulLink Live 3” – filmed at the Earthlink Theatre in Atlanta.

“Not to sound selfish, but we love to play our original songs,” Thibodaux said. “The point is to get known for those. The original songs are always fun to play live.”

The only downside to being onstage all the time, the band has learned, is finding free time. Down-time is generally spent doing something music-related, Thibodaux said.

“Lately, we have been traveling so much around the Gulf Coast that it’s pretty much music for all us,” he explained. “We’re always on the road. I can’t say one of us has a hobby. Even when we’re home, we’re getting everything together (to go back on the road). We have our own musical things we do when we get home. It’s putting together soundtracks and things like that.”

Although the current pace can be hectic, Thibodaux said HipBootJoe is committed to being around for a long time to come. “We only hope we can continue doing this,” he said. “We love music.”

HipBootJoe brings its southern-fried country/rock sound to the Cajun Country Truck Plaza in Raceland on July 13.