Every member of the Baton Rouge band Speak Easy has a role on stage and another one behind the scenes.
“We like keeping everything in-house,” Drake Dugas said. “It’s fun that way. We get to work together a lot more.”
Dugas is the Speak Easy drummer. He and Speak Easy lead guitarist Patrick Ross Campesi are founding members of the band.
Both Dugas and Campesi also write and produce Speak Easy’s original music.
“The main thing is just balance,” Campesi said. “Having everything be a collective unit, as far as the sound goes, but also being able to tell a story with the dynamics of the song.”
Speak Easy has 10 original songs and counting.
At any given show, you’ll hear about an hour’s worth of the band’s debut album, “It’s All in Your Head.” The rest of the band’s live set is a mix of covers with a Speak Easy filter and purpose.
Each member of the band has a solo in their funky cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” That’s how they introduce themselves. And the band says goodbye by closing with Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.” 
The band has a few other on-stage traditions when playing original songs at gigs.
“We all have this thing in ‘Santiago’ during the chorus on one specific beat we all try to jump up at the same time, and like time it all together,” John Bajor said. “If you take a picture, it’d be like a freeze frame at the end of an ’80s movie.”
In addition to playing bass, Bajor manages the band by acting as a booking agent.
Madison Delacroix sings and runs the Speak Easy TikTok. Her voice, coupled with the band’s sound gives off a Blondie and Cage The Elephant vibe.
Katelyn Chopin plays rhythm guitar and creates all the album artwork. She and the rest of the group are proud of the way they use their talents to keep creative control over every aspect of what they do.
“It’s more our thing,” Chopin said. “We’re making it.”
Speak Easy regularly plays places like Phil Brady’s, Uncle Earl’s and The Revelry. The band’s next gig is scheduled for 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17 at The Revelry, 3347 Highland Rd. in Baton Rouge. 
Speak Easy released its newest single, a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” to streaming platforms on Friday, Nov. 25.

Gallery • 2 Photos

Photo by Charlie Ewing III

The members of Speak Easy pose for a photo. From left to right: Drake Dugas, a 2022 Southeastern University alumnus; John Bajor, an LSU computer science junior; Madison Delacroix, a 2021 LSU alumna; Katelyn Chopin, an LSU digital marketing senior; and Patrick Ross Campesi, a 2020 LSU alumus.