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For many New Brunswick based families of Acadian heritage music can be part of the glue that holds them together. Having married into an Acadian family, I can attest to the veracity of that statement. For James Small who manages and promotes Moncton area Acadian music and dance group La Famile Arseneault that very "musical family" aspect has been something of a roadblock at times when trying to advance the career of the 10 person troupe.

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"Believe it or not, I've had booking agents and industry people say 'Oh, it's just a singing Acadian family or it's a family act, who wants to see that?' Did they ever say that to the Osmonds or the Jackson 5? I sure hope not. They were family acts too," he says.

Small and his wife's family of singing and dancing siblings have overcome that and many other hurdles as they find their place in New Brunswick's music scene. The good news is that it looks like 2008 will be a payoff year for an outfit that has put a lot of hard work into what they do.

Having just released their third full-length CD of original material, La Famille Arseneault are gearing up for a busy summer season of festival and lucrative corporate gigs. They're also making plans to embark on their dream of touring France, a dream that may be closer to reality than the group had ever imagined.

The new disc Un Bouli Acadien is the most polished of the group's three discs and came about with the support of Music NB whom Small credits as one of a New Brunswick musicians best friends.

"We applied for some grant money thinking if we got a bit of what we were asking for that would be great and it would help us with a few little things," he says. "We finance these things ourselves so there's some stuff we'd like to do to make a better presentation, but being self-financed we have to cut a few corners here and there. When we saw the amount Music NB had given us as a grant we were thrilled. That allowed us to put some extra money into the recording, our website and our promotions. That help has really helped our career. I don't have to shake the tree as much to find gigs."

Recorded at Studio Belliveau under the guidance of fellow Acadian musician Georges Belliveau (Bois Joli), Un Bouli Acadien is a mix of contemporary Acadian folk with traditional tunes scattered about. Building on the Acadian theme, Small explains that 'un Bouli' is an Acadian version of a stew or boiled dinner. Having 10 musicians who play differing styles and a wide array of instruments La Famille Arseneault are something of a musical Bouli with everybody adding their own flavour to the pot.

Building on the success of their previous two discs, La Famille Arseneault are hoping the new record will put them in the company of other successful Acadians like producer Georges Belliveau's Bois Joli, 1755 and Les Muses. If the band's summer itinerary is any indication, they may well be on their way. The band has bookings across the Maritime provinces and into New England as they hit the summer festival circuit. They've also received strong support from local French radio and are entering into the "local celebrity" phase of their career.

"It's starting to happen now that when we go to the Sobey's people stop us and tell us they heard us on the radio or saw us play a show. It's very nice, but at the same time a bit odd because it's so new and so unexpected."

The live show is perhaps the key element of La Famille Arseneault's plan. It's a musical review of sorts that celebrates the Acadian musical tradition. Small and the members of the group have dedicated themselves to countless hours of rehearsals and those efforts are now showing dividend.

"There are some nights when there are 10 or more of us crammed into a garage in the middle of the winter when we ask ourselves why we're doing this," he says. "But come showtime we've got an audience and we've got our costumes on and we're ready to hit the stage, we know that's what we do this for. My wife's family has taught me a lot about fighting for what you believe in. Acadians have this great spirit where they celebrate each other and fight for what's theirs because they've had so much taken away. When you hear of roadblocks in fishing communities after the government cuts quotas, the people fight against it. I'm an Anglophone and I'm not familiar with those tactics but I really respect that people would fight for what they believe is theirs. We believe that this group is good and has a chance to really do something so we fight for this. We work hard."

While the live show celebrates the Acadian experience it has been formatted as a bilingual presentation to not only celebrate the experience but to share it as well. This helps the group plan precious corporate and festival bookings. The festival experience is paying off as well as La Famille Arseneault are inching closer and closer to landing the funding that will see them hit the festival circuit in the land of their forefathers. Acadian music has been doing well at festivals throughout France and Small indicates that booking across the pond may materialize as early as the fall of this year.

For more on La Famille Arseneault visit them online at www.famillearseneault.com If your New Brunswick based act or event would like to be featured in this column please contact the columnist at oneyearofnbmusic@yahoo.ca