Some musicians pull their sound from the environment they live in. For Dax Riggs, Louisiana is where his musical trunks are rooted. Riggs will perform at The Varsity Theatre on Friday at 9 p.m. Riggs is no stranger to Baton Rouge. He played at The Spanish Moon in December and Chelsea’s in November. “I like the idea of ‘swamp rock,'” he said, describing his musical style. Riggs said he is just one of many musicians inspired by the environment of Southern Louisiana. Riggs was born in Indiana, but his music began in Houma with the band Acid Bath, and continues throughout South Louisiana with Agents of Oblivion and Deadboy and the Elephantmen – Riggs’s previous project. The singer-songwriter now goes by his own name and released “We Sing of Only Blood or Love” in August. Riggs said his compositions are more about songwriting than in past projects. While he said his lyrics come from a spiritual place, they are dark in tone. “It’s just a real feeling of unrest,” he said. “It comes from a real place, a feeling of ‘am I going insane?'” Riggs said he is just trying to make some “soul-jamming” music. “It would be an extremely dark world for me without music,” he said. “It’s important for me that it’s real above all else.” This is evident in Riggs’s opening track on his solo record entitled “Demon Tied to a Chair in My Brain.” For the Friday night show, Riggs will be doing a set that will be half acoustic and half stripped-down drums and guitars. Riggs has also been known to play some covers in his set, including a Richard Thompson song “Wall of Death,” which he recorded for his album. “He’s one of the best songwriters alive, and it felt right, almost like it was ‘my’ song,” he said. Riggs said through all the projects he has been in, he still feels like he is playing one long song that is ever evolving. Riggs said he changes how he plays and expresses songs on stage sometimes to keep his songs “living and breathing.” “If the music didn’t change, it wouldn’t be alive,” he said. “[Each song] becomes more real the more I play it.” Drew Cothern, theater junior, has been a fan of Riggs since Acid Bath, but it is the musician’s lyrics and voice that keeps Cothern listening. “He manages to plunge into the dark depths of the soul like no other singer I’ve ever heard,” he said. Cothern said Riggs’s voice is “earth-quakingly deep and pained yet strikingly beautiful.” Harrison Norman, electrical engineering sophomore, has also connected with Riggs through his voice. “He has one of the most unique and haunting voices,” he said. “It can give you chills [during] one line while being uniquely soft the next.” Derek Harbor, business junior, said he sees Riggs every time he comes to Baton Rouge. “He’s always developing his style,” Harbor said. “I still listen to all of his old bands and am looking forward to his new record. He’s one of my favorite artists.” Riggs is performing with The Bravery on Friday night. Tickets are $15.
—-Contact Adam Pfleider at [email protected].