After earning its spot at this year’s Groovin’ through a Battle of the Bands competition, The Dulac Smack is looking forward to Friday night’s performance at the Baton Rouge River Center. The band, who recently released its E.P., “Chicken & Rice,” has no plans of slowing down any time soon. The Daily Reveille sat down with The Dulac Smack to discuss its Groovin’ performance and history as a band.
The Daily Reveille: Tell us a little bit about the band.
Gabriel Delaney (lead singer/bassist): We are a four piece blues, rock ’n roll outfit all from Houma, Louisiana, except for Jordan, our keyboard player. We’re all childhood friends, went to high school together. Some of us have been friends since we were in diapers. We’re pretty much all trying to grow up together in this band, I guess, and make our marks as brothers.
TDR: You won a Battle of the Bands competition to earn your spot at Groovin’. How was that?
Jordan Anderson (keyboard): It was fun, it was a great experience. It was a pretty day, we went out to the Parade Ground. They really had great bands there. Last interview, we mentioned The Chambers, and they were really good. We really liked how they rocked too. It was pretty close, but after we won, it got crazy. I missed the whole NASCAR champagne spill, but with just water bottles. I missed it all, but apparently they had a huge celebration. ESPN’s “[College] GameDay” was out on the other side, and we walked over — it was fun.
Matt Meche (drums): It was the Ole Miss game. The only reason I remember that is because I brought a girl, and she’s from Ole Miss.
TDR: Did you all attend LSU?
GD: Everyone except Matt. Matt went to Baton Rouge Community College and moved back home and goes to Nicholls State now, but everyone else in the band attended LSU.
TDR: What’s it like to be returning to play at a University event?
GD: For us, if it’s a university event, it’s usually sorority or fraternity related, so this almost seems more prestigious than that because it’s not just a couple of kids who thought we were cool, but we kind of earned this through the Battle of the Bands. We feel like this is kind of one of the first times that we deserve to be here. We never really get the chance to win something as a band.
TDR: What songs will you be playing for Groovin’?
JA: Deep fried rock ’n roll.
GD: We might get squirrelly and pull out a Young the Giant song, just throw them a curve.
Ethan Belanger(guitar): We’re thinking they could cover one of ours whenever we do that.
TDR: Are you all fans of any of the other bands playing there?
GD: Oh yeah, I’m not going to lie. I learned a Parachute song when it came out and played it for my girlfriend. I was a huge fan of Young the Giant’s first record. I haven’t heard too much of the new one on Alt Nation. Alt Nation seems to still be playing “Cough Syrup” and “My Body” for some reason. My girlfriend is actually a way bigger fan than I could ever hope to be.
TDR: You all have a fun sound. How did you develop that style?
GD: It’s just from listening to really good influences. We go back to Zeppelin, The Who and The [Rolling] Stones. We try and take their energy and that in turn, is just some good, deep fried rock ’n roll.
MM: Everybody stop saying that. By the way, this is Jordan.
JA: No, it wasn’t. Don’t let him lie to you.
GD: It mostly comes from wanting to hear fun music. We play stuff we want to hear, and we only really listen to the classics and kind of that motown era of soul music and everything from the 1920s to the 1970s. People were being true to what they were feeling and what they themselves wanted to hear. I mean I guess, for me, that’s where it comes from. I make the music I wish I could hear on the radio everyday, and it’s stuff that I want to dance to.
TDR: What’s been the best part of your experience as a band so far?
JA: I think the best part has been just knowing where we started, and even before the four guys, before I even got in the band, started, to where we are now. It’s good to know that progress has been made and it’s not all for nothing. We get up there and jam every night, not knowing if it’s catching or not, and then sometimes you’ll get moments of solidarity where you realize ‘Oh wait, we might actually have a following.’ We don’t really think about it in terms of people we can get to like us, we’ve just always wanted to play music.
TDR: What challenges have you faced as a band?
GD: Just like everyday simple things that bands face. Trying to record, trying to get your music out. We recently, just this year, started getting out of state to play shows in Texas, Alabama and Mississippi and stuff. I mean, The Dulac Smack is only about a year or so old, but we’ve been in a band for years now, and it’s only been a little bit since we’ve been able to branch out to larger audiences. Just simple everyday stuff like booking with people that don’t know you and don’t really give a crap unless you’re playing on the radio every day. The general daily struggle of trying to find new ears.
TDR: What’s next after Groovin’?
GD: We’re gonna make the follow up to our “Chicken & Rice.” We’re thinking maybe “Beans & Sides.” If that doesn’t work out, we’re going to make a full-length album and try to drop that later this year. Just more shows, more stuff around Baton Rouge, some festivals and stuff. We’re doing a radio campaign right now throughout college radio stations around the U.S. and Canada, I believe too. Making more of a push and trying to make it on Sirius Satellite Radio, more radio in general.
EB: Basically continue that grind to get the music to new ears.
GD: We love where we’re at now, and we love all the fans in the Baton Rouge area. We’re just going to try and get some new stuff out there — keep the mixtapes dropping.
TDR: Anything else you’d like to add?
JA: Really just that we’re grateful to have the opportunity to play at the River Center. I don’t know how many bands around here can say that, so just to get the little set we have to play at a big place like that downtown is really fun, so we’re pretty stoked to be able to do it.
GD: And to play for my girlfriend’s favorite band. You don’t get that opportunity.