Local Musician Review: Marc Broussard

Full disclosure: I am a HUGE Marc Broussard fan. There, now on to business! :)

I first heard of Marc from my niece a few years ago. My first thought was, "who?". Then I listened to some tunes on his Myspace page...I was hooked! Such soul, such life, such a gorgeous voice..and he was HOW old?

Marc released his debut album, "Momentary Setback" in 2002 at the age of 20 but he is no stranger to music. Marc is the son of acclaimed Louisiana Hall of Fame Guitarist and former member of The Boogie Kings, Ted Broussard. Marc has been on and off the stage since age 5. It's obviously in his blood! Multiple albums have succeeded but my favorite is the "Must be the Water EP". It's only 5 songs but I feel they are some of the best 5 songs Marc has ever done. So New Orleans, so Louisiana, so US!

Marc is one of those artists who does actually talk to his fans, appreciates them and never forgets that fans are the reason he is where he is. Music may be his life but he'll tell you the bigger part of his life is his wife, Sonya and his three young children. Marc's family are important and that is just another example of his down home attitude. What is more important around here than family!??

The Broussards hail from Carencro, La (also the name of one of Marc's albums!) I would call Marc's music a blend of rock, soul, R&B, and definiately southern jazz. Seriously, whan a man busts out a washboard on stage, you KNOW it's going to be a good show!

Marc and his band put on one hell of a show and if you ever get the opportunity to see one, I HIGHLY Suggest you do so! His bandmates are equally talented and fabulous! I'll be the tall brunette in the front singing along and dancing!

I also respect Marc because he openly talks about his political beliefs on Twitter. He is a staunch conservative and proud of it. At a time when many in the public eye would hide their beliefs, Marc stands up for what he believes in. Be forewarned, if you instigate a twitter argument, he will come right back at you with facts, so be prepared!

You can learn more about Marc from his website. You can also keep up with him on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace.

Rock Steady Marc!!

4 years ago today...

Our world was turned upside down.

Generally, we don't publish blog posts on the weekend, but I thought surely we could not let the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina come and go and not say a few words.

We all have our memories of where we were that day. What WERE you doing that day? Did you leave? Did you stay? Myself, I was hunkered down in Tallahassee, FL with my husband as I was 9 mos pregnant and we had decided it'd probably NOT be a great idea to stay that pregnant! Thankfully my hard headed little boy waited yet another month and was born, a week late, in Slidell Memorial Hospital. Things were BARELY up and running for the city, but we had a home and a hospital.

Today we remember the lives lost on that horrible day, when the inevitable happened. We know it can happen, we know it has happened and could happen again. Every year it's the same risk, the same possibilities that this season we could see a Category 5 storm ruin our hometowns.

But we accept these risks. We acknowledge these risks as something one has to deal with to live down here. For many of us, although we complain, we know deep down we'd be hard pressed to actually move away if given the chance. And when we do, we keep coming back at least to visit! Louisiana is in our blood, our soul, our hearts. We simply can't just turn our backs on her.

Hurricane season is scary down here (and I want everyone to NOT SAY "at least it's been quiet this year" because those are some famous last words--so just zip it now!) and we pay more in house insurances for several months than some people in other parts pay per year! But we do it. We keep on plugging because that is what makes us unique. (Or hardheaded....whatever!)

We have the best music, the best food, the best art and the best people. Sure, we have our downfalls--crooked politicians, a city built underwater, and streets that even old timers can get lost on---but overall, the good outweighs the bad and once Louisiana has her grip on you, you will never get out!

So today we not only mourn the lives lost on that horrific day when we saw our cities go underwater and treasured memories lost; but we celebrate our future, a better rebuilding, a better growth, a better tomorrow.

I leave you with words to one of my favorite Marc Broussard songs, "Must be the Water" Seriously, download his entire "Must be the water" EP CD. Louisiana music at it's finest.

Long live Louisiana, and stay safe everyone!!

~~Amy

Seen a lot of people come through New Orleans
Get down in the Easy for a change of scene
Now the word is out all over this old town
The big town party's coming, we gonna throw one down

Must be the water
Mississippi River is alive
Must be New Orleans
More than just an alligator bite

Known around the world for the crawfish meat
Got everybody jammin' to the Creole beat
Coming far and wide just to see the show
Just rockin' on the Bayou, so let everybody know

Gotta be the water
Make you play all day, jam all night
Down in New Orleans
Swamp water make me lose my mind

No matter where you from, you ain't seen nothing yet
'Til you come around, party down in Lafayette
My brother serve you up with that etouffee
Just ask for any Broussard if you come this way

Gotta be the water
Make you play all day, jam all night
Must be New Orleans
Swamp water make you lose your mind

No matter if you fly here, drive here, come in on a train
Guarantee that when you leave you won't be the same
If the ladies don't get you, then the hospitality will
If anybody asks then you can say for real

Something in the water
Make you play all day, jam all night
Come on, jump on in, you know the water's fine

C'mon everybody sing
(it's a party jam session)

Benjy Davis Project in May and June---Anyone Wanna Go?

Hey guys! Here at Handmade Louisiana, we not only support handmade artisans but we support local musicians! So, is anyone interested in going with me to see the Benjy Davis Project?
May 7th, in Hammond at Chevy's, Time and Tickets TBA.
Also, June 20th, in Mandeville at Howlin' Wolf.

Anyone up for going? I'm going to hit at least one of the show! These guys are awesome! :)

Support your local musicians!!

~~Amy

Don't Forget Local Musicians!

Hey ya'll! While this blog mostly focuses on local handmade artisans, we should not forget local musicians also!!
I had the great pleasure of seeing Marc Broussard again last night, live in concert and it was great! He's a super awesome guy, spent time with the fans and even gave us an impromptu concert when we mentioned that we had always wanted to hear a particular song live! It was awesome and he sat down and played several of the 'secret songs' (the songs at the end of the album not listed in the track list..the ones true fans know!) for us! I did record them but out of respect for his family (his son was playing in the background of the video) I've made them private on YouTube.
Anyways, he's from Lafayette and is a fantastic musician and seems like a great guy! (I invited him to come on Blockhead Radio one day...we'll see!!!LOL) :)

So my long winded, stalkerish point is, if you know of any local musicians who need some air time, please not only refer them to this blog so we can list them, but refer them to Blockhead Radio, where they play only indie music and support indie musicians!

Musicians are very much artisans in their craft and deserve our local support as well!! Our only rule is their material be mostly PG-13! (That is also Blockhead Radio's rule!) :)

So keep on rocking locally guys! Hey, remember when The Imagination Movers were just a local band playing little gigs in the park? Now kids around the world are obsessed with them!

Louisiana has awesome talent and abilities...let's show em!

Sample of Marc's awesomeness: