Singer/songwriter Marc Broussard returns with ‘Bayou Soul’
As the son of the Boogie Kings guitarist and Louisiana Hall of Fame member Ted Broussard, singer and songwriter Marc Broussard was born with musical talent in his veins.
“My father found out I could sing when I was 5 years old and it all started with the song ‘Johnny B. Goode,’” Broussard said. “My dad and I were watching the movie Back to the Future and I saw Michael J. Fox perform the song and I became obsessed with it. I just kept singing that hook over and over again and the next day, my dad brought the lyrics home and taught me the words. I started singing in key while my dad was playing along and he put me on stage that weekend. That was pretty much the start of my music career.”
As a young boy, Broussard continued to accompany his father on gigs and quickly became acclimated to every aspect of the music scene.
“I would help my dad carry his amps and guitars backstage and wait until it was my time to shine. Once I was called out I would sing an Otis Redding song or Johnny B. Goode, get my three minutes of fame and pass out on the road back home. I was just a kid,” he said laughing.
At the age of 17, Broussard and his father started playing regular Friday night cover gigs at a club in Lafayette Louisiana. It was then that he knew he wanted to skip college and focus all of his efforts on singing and writing his own soulful music.
“After sitting idle working random jobs for a while, I got a call from a music manager in Lafayette asking if I could open for a band,” he said. “Of course I said yes and within six months I had an independent record deal. Six months from there I had a new record deal with Island Def Jam and a new independent album out...all the pieces kind of fell into place very rapidly, and I was only 20 years old.”
With the release of his debut album, Broussard spawned his first big hits “Where You Are” and “Home” that charted on Billboard’s Adult chart. “Home” was also incorporated into Kelly Clarkson’s live setlist during a tour in 2007. To date, Broussard has released over 10 studio albums and continues to write songs that he categorizes as “Bayou Soul.”
“My influences do sort of span the gamut but Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Brian McKnight, and James Taylor are probably the definitive list,” he said. “And I kinda categorize my music as a mixture of those things. The critics like to call it ‘Bayou Soul’ so, I guess that’s probably the closest label.”
Broussard, who’s currently on his way to perform in Savannah, says he’s looking forward to returning to the Hostess City and getting back out on the road again.
“I’m so ready,” he said. “Not being able to tour the last couple of years has been tough. But, I’ve written more music than any period of my life, a batch of about 60 songs that we’re ready to record and release,” he said. “We’re also getting ready to launch a fan club with the intention of dropping two new original songs every month as well as some live streaming concerts and some other content. But it’s exclusive to fan club members only. I wanted to connect more directly with my fans and say thanks for supporting me all these years. We don’t have a set date for the release yet but it’s in the near future.”
Broussard performs on Wed., Oct. 27.. For more info visit plantriverside.com/district-live
Liz Cooper & the Stampede are stampeding their way to Savannah
At the age of 18, singer, songwriter, and musician Liz Cooper was only halfway into her second semester in college when she decided to leave behind her family, friends, and a collegiate golf scholarship to pursue her dream - a music career in Nashville.
“I took a hard left turn and surprised everyone,” Cooper said with a chuckle. “But I had to follow my true passion and I’m glad that I did.”
Growing up primarily focused on perfecting her golf skills, Cooper thought she had her life figured out when she landed a full-ride golf scholarship her senior year in high school.
“Everyone, including myself, thought I would continue to go on to play golf,” she said. “I played so much that I didn’t have a lot of free time to do other things. But as a teenage girl I needed a way to escape my emotions. So, I picked up the guitar when I was 16.”
Crediting a wide range of influences for inspiring her to write, Cooper said she grew up listening to a lot of John Mayer and other modern day folk-singers along with her parents favorites: Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead.
“I became fascinated with these musicians just burying their souls into their lyrics,” she said. “I knew that I wanted to continue to learn more and write my own songs, so I dedicated all of my free time (when I wasn’t playing golf) learning to play. It was something that I kept close to myself.”
After graduating high school, Cooper attended college for a semester and a half before realizing that playing golf wasn’t truly where her heart belonged. Shocking everyone in her life, she decided to drop her golf scholarship, pack up her things, and head to Nashville.
“I got so burned out,” Cooper recalled, “I started to realize that golf was just my hobby, not really my true passion. But music was, and I felt like it was calling me. So, I went out on a limb and decided to just go for it. Everyone knew that I loved music but I don’t think anyone knew how serious I really was about it at the time.”
When Cooper arrived in Nashville, she only knew one person in the Music City, a friend of a friend of her dad’s who was nice enough to give her feedback on the songs she was writing. But, after spending more time there circulating the music scene, her social circle expanded and she developed a sense of community that made her feel right at home.
“I started doing literally anything I could to play, and eventually I started meeting people,” she said. “I was writing nonstop and playing gigs everywhere. Eventually I met my bandmates and we formed ‘the Stampede.’”
Liz Cooper & the Stampede blend an eclectic mix of psychedelic sounds, misty dream-folk, and rock n’ roll in their music.
“I’d call it folk-psychedelic rock,” Cooper said. “I feel like the style kind of touches on all three of those. It’s definitely a rock n’ roll show, but I think my influences definitely bring a folk vibe, but there’s also psychedelic and rock sounds from my bandmates as well.”
Liz Cooper & the Stampede will perform Sat., Oct. 3o. For more information visit plantriverside.com/district-live
