(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)January 17, 2008

(Mahwah) – Direct from Louisiana, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys bring a Cajun celebration to the Sharp Theater on the campus of Ramapo College of New Jersey Saturday, February 16 at 8 p.m.

When Cajuns go out on the weekend looking for a band that will recharge their pride and identity, they find it in Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys.  Steve Riley grew up in the prairie town of Mamou where French is spoken on the street, the national holiday is Mardi Gras and a poor family is one without a fiddler or accordion player.  He plays a single-row diatonic instrument made by his cousin, famed accordionist Marc Savoy.  Riley concentrated on learning Savoy’s fiery, intricate style and the music of the Balfa Brothers.  At age 15, this young prodigy was noticed by Dewey Balfa, who invited Riley to join his band.  Under Balfa’s guidance, he grew as a performer, learning hundreds of French songs and how to sing them in Balfa’s singular hurts-so-good style, and taking up the fiddle as well.  In 1988, he and David Greely formed the Mamou Playboys, which rapidly gained prominence on the international folk scene.

Tickets for Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys cost $28, $25 and $22 for adults, $18 for children under 17 and a five percent discount for senior citizens. The Sharp Theater is located at the Angelica and Russ Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts on the Ramapo College campus.  For more information call 201.684.7844.

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

###

About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

Press Release Archives

| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |