Named for the giant flying cockroach every Louisianan knows too well, the Palmetto Bug Stompers began life as a street band. As OffBeat told it, they were “primarily a street band until the Old Point Bar in Algiers decided to give them a shot at playing indoors. They’ve been packing them in ever since.” At the helm is Washboard Chaz Leary, whose delightful stage presence and deep knowledge of country blues made him an internationally recognized figure long before the Bugs came together.
Biography
The Bugs That Make You Swing
"They play in a rough-hewn style that’s suited to the streets, a sound that they favor as a matter of choice."
— OffBeatThe band’s current lineup pairs Leary’s washboard and vocals with Robert Snow on acoustic bass, John Rodli on guitar and vocals, Will Smith on trumpet and vocals, Paul Robertson on trombone, and Bruce Brackman on clarinet. Earlier chairs were held by the late cornetist Jack Fine — a veteran of New York, Paris, and the French Quarter — trombonist Scotty Hill, and guitarist Seva Venet. Their driving, danceable swing has made them favorites of Lindy Hop dancers nationwide, with appearances at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Festival, and Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing.
"Asking if New Orleans will go on is like asking if mold will go on."
— New Orleans writer Rex Rose, quoted in OffBeatOn record, the Bugs have released five albums: the self-titled Palmetto Bug Stompers (2003), Ol’ New Orleans Home (2006), Live @ D.B.A. (2009), Sugar Blues (2016), and Stomping Our Way Into Your Hearts (2019). Live, they remain a fixture of the Frenchmen Street scene, holding down regular gigs at the Spotted Cat and d.b.a. — and on any given Friday night, you can still find them making the room move the way only a New Orleans street band can.
