Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Ricky and I grew up in a very musical home. Our Father was a country singer and guitar player in the local Toronto music scene in the 80’s and 90’s and also lead music teams at church. From a young age that passion stirred in us and we were exposed to a lot of classic rock, country, blues… I remember listening to Ray Charles when I was a kid, just completely entranced. When a lot of my friends were out playing, I was locked in my room learning and practising guitar, writing songs, and studying my favorite bands and artists. My deep appreciation and love for rock and roll hasn’t left me for as far back as I can remember. – DT
Q: Can you describe the musical style of Louisiana Child in three words?
A: Gritty, adventurous and memorable. – RT
Q: How do you stay connected with your fans, and what role do they play in shaping your musical journey?
A: I would say the way we stay connected with our fans is by word of mouth and through social media. They play a role by coming to our shows and giving us feedback. But to be honest, the people that see us play typically like our stuff. So we just keep doing what we do and strive to do better. – JL
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Cocaine Cowboy’. Is there a story behind it?
A: Yeah, it’s story about how addiction is haunting and the battle that one goes through to try to defeat it and get to the other side. In todays society there are so many temptations that can be detrimental, whether it be drugs, alcohol, gambling, social media etc… it makes it difficult to not give in. I think alot of people can relate to that struggle. –CM
Q: What is your favorite verse from the song and why?
A: I think my favorite verse at the moment is in verse 3. “Cocaine cowboy… your deals, they don’t come cheap. Black hole sun, to swallow some of the remaining me.” I think it’s an interesting idea to look at addiction and substance abuse like making a deal with the devil… a bounty hunter that starts chasing us the moment the want of something becomes the need of something. Offering up our soul, money, time… everything for momentary pleasure. We give Soundgarden a nod with the next line… I always saw the black hole sun as a perfect symbolic picture of hopelessness. Every time we choose to give our self to any sort of addiction, it’s like that black hole swallows a little bit more of our real identity and leaves a nothingness behind. A numbness. – DT
Q: Can you walk us through the creative process of producing the song, “Cocaine Cowboy”?
A: Like most of our songs, Cocaine Cowboy is the offspring of a creative moment where the entire band just sort of sunk into a riff. We tend to start with the music and build from there. As the song matured, we started to realize it had a deeper meaning encouraged by the heavy sounds and convicting lyrics. From paper to studio, the song came alive as it held onto this message of overcoming addiction. Composed with layers of guitars and vocals, steady toms and accents, we owe a lot of this to our producer, George Panagopoulos, who could hear beyond the original structure of the song and challenged us to go deeper with it. –RT
Q: What has been the most memorable concert or performance for Louisiana Child so far?
A: I feel our most memorable shows have been playing at the Horseshoe Tavern because it’s such a great sounding room, the crowd is always bumpin, the people that work there are great and so many amazing bands have played there .Such as, The Rolling Stones, the Tragically Hip, the Police, the Band, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, the Strokes, Linkin Park, the Foo Fighters and hundreds more. So when all those things come together it makes it very memorable for us.
Q: Reflecting on your body of work, each song holding its unique significance, could you share a particular track that stands out to you personally? What makes that specific tune special, and why does it hold a place of pride in your musical journey?
A: “Walk Away Slow” is the song that stands out for me. It’s the first song the band brought to life. I love the chorus riff and the energy it creates when we play it live. – CM
Q: Exploring the diverse creative processes within the music industry is always fascinating. Could you provide insight into Louisiana Child”s unique approach to crafting music? From the initial spark of an idea to the finished song, how do you navigate the creative journey and bring its musical concepts to life?
A: That’s a really great question. I feel like it’s always a little bit different with us. But traditionally it starts with music over lyrics. Jean-Marc or I will bring a riff, or idea for instrumentation and we will spend time jamming to it. We’ve seen over playing with each other consistently over a few years, that ability to be spontaneous and read each other has dramatically improved. It’s really special actually, I don’t think there’s any feeling quite like it. We’ll be playing a new line… Ricky’s drums will come in and it’s exactly what’s needed. Chris comes in with a bass like that smooths it all out… I’ll start singing gibberish to find the melody and after an hour we’ve got the bones of our newest song. That’s usually how it happens with us, anyways. – DT
Q: As we wrap up our conversation, looking ahead, what aspirations or dreams do you have for Louisiana Child, and what message would you like to share with your fans as they continue to accompany you on this musical journey?
A: Louisiana Child are just four guys from different walks of life, different experiences and sometimes even different styles. We believe that’s what makes us special. Our music is like a wide net being cast into a vast ocean. Our fans don’t necessarily subscribe to a certain type of music or sound. They are drawn to the experience of music. They want to rock, sing, dance and, sometimes just sit and reflect. If our music can leave people feeling something positive, we know we’ve done our job. The future is bright for Louisiana Child and we look forward to releasing more songs, new merch and playing more cities around the GTA and beyond. –RT
