Their sound has been described as "a mix of gypsy swing, big band jazz and cross-genre Americana music".

Fellow students Jonathan Konya and Connor Forsyth left New Orleans for Austin to join the band that was to become The Belleville Outfit.

When the original bassist Jeff Brown retired from the Belleville Outfit to pursue a career riding sharks in the pacific, Forsyth brought in Nigel Frye, a talented bassist he knew from Tulsa, Oklahoma who had previously quit music all together, and was living out his life as a meat inspector.

After releasing Wanderin' in February 2008 and Time to Stand in May 2009, the band was nominated for "best new and emerging artist" by the Americana Music Association.

Although the band was based in Austin, The Belleville Outfit is named for New Orleans, Louisiana, where Rob, Jon, and Connor met while studying the business of music management.

Marshall Hood formed The DesChamps Band in March 2002 with friends Rob Teter and The Belleville Outfit's original bassist Jeff Brown.

Phoebe Hunt, Conor Forsyth and Jonathan Konya were invited to perform as special guests that evening.

A few days later, Teter, Marshall Hood & Brown, along with Hunt, Forsyth and Konya played as The Belleville Outfit at MerleFest.

Although they performed and recorded mainly their own original material, The Belleville Outfit included songs from the Uncle Walt's Band in their shows as well as each of their CDs.