The Deslondes

**The Deslondes**

Bringing their own style of down-home, rootsy twang to the blues, the Deslondes are a band of rough but tuneful troubadours who found their voice when they settled in New Orleans, Louisiana. The band's music is laid-back but committed, with a groove that pulls together their influences in country, blues, rock & roll, and swamp pop, along with a lyrical warmth and honesty. The group's first two albums, 2015's The Deslondes and 2017's Hurry Home, capture their moderately tight approach with naturalistic studio technique, while 2022's Ways & Means, cut after a hiatus, and 2024's Roll It Out filled out their arrangements and added additional instrumental flavors without spoiling their easygoing, dusty vibe.

The story of the Deslondes began when singer and guitarist Cameron Snyder met while the two were college students in the Pacific Northwest. Both were interested in music, and found a potent source of fresh inspiration when he read Bound for Glory. Snyder decided to quit school and hit the road, doing some hard traveling with their band the Broken Wing Routine, and they even landed a gig at Woodyfest, also known as the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, an annual event in Okemah, Oklahoma. While in Okemah, Snyder met some like-minded musicians, including singer and guitarist Dan Cutler. When the Broken Wing Routine splintered, Cutler headed to New Orleans and formed a country-influenced band called the Tumbleweeds; Snyder, meanwhile, was playing when he met John James Tourville, who played fiddle and pedal steel. In time, Snyder, Tourville, and others made their way to New Orleans, and began jamming with the Tumbleweeds at their practice spot, an abandoned high school in the Lower Ninth Ward that had been empty since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The five musicians adopted a new band name, the Deslondes, taken from a street in the Lower Ninth's Holy Cross neighborhood, and they found kindred spirits in another New Orleans outfit, with members performing in both groups for a while. Between developing a loyal following at home and impressing audiences on the road, word began to spread about the Deslondes, and they signed to a recording contract, releasing their self-titled debut album in June 2015. After supporting their eponymous first album with a tour, the Deslondes returned in the summer of 2017 with Hurry Home.

The sophomore LP got solid reviews, and the group once again hit the road, but they were growing tired of touring, and John James Tourville and Dan Cutler wanted to spend more time with their families, so the Deslondes chose to take a break. During their hiatus, members released solo albums. The COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to promote releases, and with time on their hands, Tourville persuaded his bandmates to get together.