Raised of reclaimed lumber, sunken cypress and bousillage, that unique-to-Cajun Country building material comprising Spanish moss and mud used by Acadian settlers to insulate their austere dwellings, The Lost Bayou Ramblers' frontman's dwelling takes center stage. Photo by Robin May
Photo by Robin May
Louis Michot, fiddler/front man for The Lost Bayou Ramblers, is profiled in a New York Times article focusing on his funky, homemade home near Arnaudville - an edifice raised of reclaimed lumber, sunken cypress and bousillage, that unique-to-Cajun Country building material comprising Spanish moss and mud used by Acadian settlers to insulate their austere dwellings.
Scion of a musical family of judges, politicians and culture keepers, Michot built the house in Arnaudville entirely by hand with the help of friends and family. The article, "Song Man With a New Métier," focuses mainly on the house and, by extension, Michot's dedication to preserving those unique cultural ways of South Louisiana's Francophone natives. It's fair to call him a renaissance man; according to the article, Michot is also the founder of the Cultural Research Institute of Acadiana, a nonprofit that collects heirloom seeds and the oral histories of gardeners and subsistence farmers.
Read the whole article here.
Read more about The Lost Bayou Ramblers and their latest record in our April 18, 2012 LivingIND cover story, "Jolie Blon Steps Aside for Mammoth Waltz."