By Tim Ciesco Cavalier Daily Senior Writer
Cavalier Daily senior writer Tim Ciesco attended the UPC-sponsored Marc Broussard concert and interviewed Broussand: Start off with the soulful power of James Brown, the windpipes of Steven Tyler, the upbeat and smooth sound of Maroon 5 and a little bit of Cajun flavor. Mix the ingredients together and you get Island/Def Jam recording artist Marc Broussard, the most recent performer at Tuttle Lounge.
"We were really excited to bring Marc Broussard in," said Katie Coan, UPC co-chair for Tuttle Lounge. "When we choose what performers to bring in, we like to look for somebody who's up-and-coming."
After watching Broussard perform, it's impossible to say anything except "wow!" With his unique style of jazzy rock and an awesome, powerful voice, Broussard is more than just up-and-coming -- he's destined to be a star.
Broussard opened Friday night with the hot track "Blue Jeans" from his first album "Momentary Setback." With an upbeat and R&B flavor, Broussard belted out the song while strumming his guitar and busting out some James Brown-esque dance moves. After the noteworthy opening number, Broussard continued with other songs off his album as well as a few from his new album, due out in July. One of his new songs that stood out was "Rock Steady." The best way to describe the vibe of the song is John Mayer crossed with Aerosmith. It is sure to be a favorite when his album drops later this summer
As he performs, you sense his passion for the music in each word he sings, every note he plays and every move he makes. It doesn't hurt to have a great band as well. His band only further contributed to the vivacity of the show, especially his electric guitar player Joe Stark. Everything came together perfectly for what was easily one of the best shows that UPC has ever put together.
Q: How would you describe your music?
A: I call it soul music... it's from my heart, you know.
Q: In a lot of the articles I've read about you, it says that your dad played a huge role in your music career. How has he influenced you as an artist?
A: I think he's played a real big role just because he's my father. I'm a human being, and I'm a man before I'm an artist really. Because I play soul music, because I like music that's from my heart, it's directly from my life as a man, not as an artist. So for that, my dad has a huge influence and as far as music goes, it was him that exposed me to everything that I know.
Q: How has being from the South influenced your music?
A: Yo man, I love where I'm from. I love the place I live. You know, my music is not directly linked to many styles down there but it is... it does have that flavor; it does have that kind of tinge to it. I'm really proud of where I'm from and I try to maintain that integrity.
Q: What's the best part about performing live?
A: Just the fans showing up and giving it up and singing along with the words; there's no other feeling like that in the world; people really giving it up... it's a lot of fun
Q: What's in your CD player right now?
A: I listen to this kid Joseph Arthur, he's real bad, there's this other cat Clarence Greenwood... he goes by Citizen Cope, I listen to him a lot, he's got some good stuff
Q: What's something interesting about you that most people don't know?
A: I don't know. I'm not a very interesting person. I have a deviated septum for all you medical school kids and dentistry kids.
Q: What do you like to do when you're not performing or touring?
A: Just hang out with my family, you know, kick it and just chill, watch TV, I don't play video games at all
Q: What is the inspiration for your songs?
A: My life, just in general you know everyday life experiences. If I can tap into it and get inspired by it, hopefully a song will come out.
Q: What can fans expect from the next record?
A: The next record is HOT! It's a nice record. It's the first one with Island/Def Jam. You can be prepared to sit down and relax and enjoy some music, you know. I think that great records aren't made very often anymore and hopefully I've made a great record. I went in with the band and we tracked as a band and it came out really really really nice.
Q: What's the coolest part about being a recording artist?
A: The coolest thing about being a recording artist, I would have to say... just being like the CEO of a company in a sense because you're like the captain of the ship and you have all these people around you who you know are steering the ship and who are like working on the engine-like management and label and even my band and everybody involved with me on the road. It's a real challenge for me to maintain like not necessarily a superiority over those people but still maintain a narrow respect as well as being like cool enough to call my drummer up and say "yo I got a problem I need to talk to somebody." I've tried really hard to surround myself with positive people so that they can keep me positive. I get to deal with really really cool people on a daily basis.
Q: What's the best thing about Louisiana?
A: Oh man, the coolest thing about Louisiana is the people. I mean the people down there... it's a different flow, it's a different vibe, it's a different kind of dirt, you know what I mean. It's just the people, bottom line. They make Louisiana what it is -- it's a really happening place.
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