Portland, Oregon's The New Iberians have been gigging around the Pacific Northwest for almost two decades, expanding their range into the Bay Area, Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Washington State. Long stretches of highway provide fertile ground for working out new tunes, this, the band's 4th CD, is the net result of a lot of miles, a lot of hotel rooms, and a fair amount of beer. Some people have taken issue to the New Iberians calling themselves a Zydeco band, but with a line-up of rubboard and squeezebox, guitar, bass, drums and harmonica, it's difficult to fit them into any other musical slot. The band's own take is that they're just a transplanted Louisiana bar band, greasing the dance floors of the Pacific Northwest. Be that as it may, here's nine new original tunes by Stumptown's hardest working bunch! The title song is creole for a popular southern mixed drink: “Pingaddamidy,” a potent combo of high-proof alcohol and Kool-Ade. “Are You Ready” is a Cajunesque fiddle tune (sans fiddle) which illustrates what you can do with just three chords and a scrap of seventh grade French. We move on to a subject near and dear to the band’s hearts, or stomaches, with “The Barbecue Song.” Next is “Mercy,” a a fast two-step ala Gus Cannon, and then “Port Soleil,” a sad/sweet memorial to a Gulf Coast fishing village and Hurricane Katrina. The next two tunes are love songs of a sort- “Sweet Sunday” is a Muscle Shoals inspired ode to banked desire, and “Place in the Sun” is another two-stepper Cajun fiddle tune about young love. Finally we arrive at Bourbon Street in time for “Second Line”. The New Iberians are Chicago born Evan Shlaes on Accordion and vocals, who wrote all the tunes and co-produced the CD with WC Handy award winner Terry Robb. Also on vocals is Bass player Linc McGrath (backups and Lead on “Port Soleil”), and Harmonica player Claes Almroth (backups and Lead on “Place in the Sun”). Rounding out the band is the ever twangy Clark Salisbury on guitar, the artful Fred Ingram on Drums (he does the album design for the band’s CD’s) and the legendary Paul Bassette on rubboard, the band’s Cajun Enforcer.