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Hungry after a night out, Jacob “Snapper” Naquin and his bandmates stopped at Wal-Mart on the eve of their first show, but all they could find to eat were frozen fish sticks.
Thus, the formerly unnamed group became Snapper and the Fishsticks just in time for the gig.
Since attracting a following in 2003 as students at Nicholls State University, Snapper and the Fishsticks have gained exposure outside of Thibodaux, such as at bars in Baton Rouge. They have performed at restaurants, fairs, banquet halls and aboard New Orleans’ Creole Queen riverboat.
Four members eventually turned into nine, including a three-piece horn section featuring saxophonist Josh Hollenbeck, trombone player Ben Robichaux, and Adam Foret on trumpet.
“I think it gives us a big, full sound, and it allows us to cover a lot more music,” said vocalist Naquin. “When we were a four- or five-piece, we couldn’t really do the Earth, Wind and Fire stuff because we couldn’t get those big horns.”
Also in the band are bassist Brandon Guillot and the two original members besides Naquin, drummer Matt Dunn and lead guitarist Pete Cassagne.
Guitarist Jacob Hebert cited Dave Matthews as a major influence on Snapper and the Fishsticks but added that the group’s nine different personalities and backgrounds make sticking to one genre impossible.
“We kind of get jam band-ish, and it just branches out from there,” he said. “There are too many hard-headed individuals in this band to go back to just playing one style of music.”
Along with the alternative and classic rock covers are ’60s soul and ’70s funk, plus modern pop hits and zydeco. Samples on www.snapperandthefishsticks.com show the group’s diversity, ranging from Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” to The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.” The band adjusts setlists before and during performances to accommodate a wide range of fans and keep their interest.
“We’re always doing that, adding new stuff just so we don’t get bored and so our audience doesn’t say, ‘Oh, we’ve heard that a thousand times,’” Naquin said.
One original song, the Jack Johnson-esque “Lost My Mind,” can be heard on the group’s MySpace page, but Snapper and the Fishsticks’ main focus is adding their own flavor to songs by other artists.
“We truly cover songs; we don’t duplicate them,” said keyboardist Nic Schaff, who also plays tuba, harmonica and accordion.
Hebert’s favorite shows are those held after football games, while Naquin enjoys any gig with a large crowd, such as the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk, which drew thousands of people last month in Metairie. But the members promise a quality performance for any size audience.
“Right now, the focus for us is just to have fun playing music,” said Hebert. “If we go out and there are only 50 people in the audience, we’re going to give you the same show as if there are 600 people in the audience.”
He called Snapper and the Fishsticks “a different kind of party band,” saying the group’s talent, cohesiveness and inclusion of brass instruments set it apart from other local cover bands. Naquin added that they include horns even on songs that did not originally have them.
Band members range from 23 to 32. Schaff said that most of the group’s fans are within the same bracket but that performances reach all ages:
“We got a request for a senior citizens’ social in Houma recently, and then we play a high school prom every year. I think that leaves us open to everyone, really.”
Following several private functions, including a few weddings and Christmas parties and a corporate event in Houston, the band welcomes 2014 with its third annual New Year’s Eve celebration. The event, in its second year under Schaff’s production company, is held at Harang Auditorium in Thibodaux.
Doors open at 8 p.m., with Snapper and the Fishsticks taking the stage at 9 p.m. Peppers Pizzeria serves slices, but guests must bring their own alcohol. Tickets for the 18-and-up event are $25 at www.thibnye.com or $30 at the door, and 10 percent of the ticket sales go to the Hope Refuge School for orphans in Uganda.
Naquin, who said he once swore to never be in a wedding band, is now open to any gig. He said the group has played at ceremonies in New Orleans, leading guests in second lines from the church to the reception or the reception to Bourbon Street.
Though Snapper and the Fishsticks have taken on more private events than bar rooms lately, they have not lost their roots. They headlined last year’s Boogie on the Bayou Festival in Thibodaux and, this September, helped kick off Nicholls’ Homecoming Week.
“We like any performance that just has a lot of energy, where everyone’s dancing and having a good time,” Schaff said. “Anytime someone’s having a good time, we’re having a good time.”
– bridget@gumboguide.com
Snapper and the Fishsticks, a nine-member band with a three-piece horn section, perform a New Year’s Eve concert at Harang Auditorium. THe group covers a wide array of music and has played gigs ranging from high-school proms to a senior citizen’s social.
