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The sounds of Carl Perkins, The Surfaris and Chuck Berry have filled area streets and businesses for five years, and locals have only one more chance to hear them – at least for a year.
A 9 a.m. show at Thibodeauxville marks The Americanos’ last scheduled gig in the city where they started. At the end of the month, frontman Brent Melancon is taking a job performing blues and jazz at a steakhouse in Bucharest, Romania. He said he will miss the group but plans to come back to it.
“We have, I wouldn’t say a following, but people come out to the shows. … We’ve forged a good sound, for sure – unique, I really think one of the most unique bands around here,” he said.
As the name suggests, The Americanos’ repertoire consists of music originating in the United States. The band formed when the original drummer Rusty Bouvier approached singer and guitarist Melancon after seeing him perform live. With the addition of upright bass-player Chris Giovanni, the group played a variety of genres, including reggae and classic rock. Melancon suggested trying ’50s and ’60s music, so The Americanos evolved into a rockabilly and surf band.
One of The Americanos’ early gigs was at Beck’s Bar in Raceland, where they were hired to entertain an older crowd who frequented the establishment for happy hour. However, the group also proved popular with the bar’s younger patrons, Melancon said.
“By 11:30 at night, everybody’d be dancing together,” he recalled. “That’s one thing I like about the rockabilly and the surfing stuff: It’s such a happy, good sound, but it’s so versatile. It’s all ages.”
When two of the original members left to pursue other interests, Philip Roddy became the new drummer and Matt Sylvest took over the upright bass. Melancon said that having a small group makes organizing practices and dividing payments easier and that only three members are necessary for The Americanos.
“I feel with the style of picking I do – that Chet Atkins style, finger picking stuff – you cover a rhythm and a melody,” he said. “I’ve heard plenty of comments that we sound full with our three-piece band.”
Money and time constraints have prevented the band from releasing an album, but a few songs can be heard at www.reverbnation.com/theamericanos. Last month, The Americanos performed at Houma’s Voice of the Wetlands Festival, getting the crowd on their feet with fast-paced instrumental surf music by artists such as Dick Dale.
“I’ve played in all kinds of different bands, and it’s more fun to play that kind of music and have people actually dancing. I have my own project with blues, and people just stand there looking at you,” Melancon said.
Sometimes the group covers Louisiana-themed songs such as “Iko, Iko” or Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya.” Other times, a set will include Johnny Cash, Little Richard, or blues and funk. But Melancon stops short of covering one artist popular with young adults, particularly college students:
“I love when I just finished playing ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ and they ask me if I know some Dave Matthews. ‘Yeah, I know Dave from Mathews. But isn’t he from Cut Off?’”
This is the group’s second year at Thibodeauxville. In addition to local gigs, The Americanos have performed at Phil Brady’s Bar and Grill in Baton Rouge, and on the night of Nov. 9, they play at Lakeview Park in Eunice.
“I always see smiles on people’s faces when we’re playing,” Melancon said. “People need music; people need entertainment, especially in times like today.”
Melancon said if he decided to tour, he would rather stick with his band’s genre than the music he performs as a soloist. Playing blues, he said, often means late nights in smoke-filled bars, but “the rockabilly scene’s a lot different. Rockabilly gigs are car shows, rockabilly festivals, tattoo conventions.”
Apart from occasionally wearing Hawaiian shirts, The Americanos focus more on their sound than achieving a certain look. Melancon expressed frustration that some people ignore roots music and emphasized the importance of music to the state’s economy and culture. While in Romania, he expects to write songs about the South, especially life in Louisiana.
Melancon said that after some of the group’s fans married and had children, they stopped attending performances, so the band has taken on a newer audience. As he has been for several years, Melancon is determined to continue his music career.
“It’s always been my passion, always been my dream. … We all just want to play. I don’t care if we play at Jazz Fest or if we play at that pavilion (at Peltier Park in Thibodaux), as long as we’re playing,” he said.
He hopes to revive the group when he returns from Bucharest, possibly by recording original songs or traveling to California, where The Americanos’ genre is popular. Even if the band doesn’t work out, he said he wants to pursue that type of music.
“All kinds of different walks of life, styles of people digging it … that rockabilly and that surf stuff, it’s timeless. People are always going to love that stuff.”
Brent Melancon (vocals and guitar), Rusty Bouvier (drums) and Chris Giovanni (upright bass), founding members of The Americanos, are pictured. Bouvier and Giovanni have moved on to other ventures, replaced by Philip Roddy and Matt Sylvest, respectively. The Americanos play their last show before a hiatus Nov. 9 at Thibodeauxville.
