Baton Rouge-based band BURNHOUSE will be lighting up Varsity Theatre this Friday.
The band’s debut album release show on at 9 p.m. will offer listeners a set of tracks from the self-titled album.
University mass communication freshman Jude Housewright serves as BURNHOUSE’s drummer and said the band’s sound is a bit of everything.
“We’ll hit country then alternative and pop and then heavy [but] not too heavy … If everyone listened to this album there would be at least one song they enjoyed,” he said.
Baton Rouge Community College marketing sophomore Michael Rayburn plays the parts of lead vocalist and bassist.
“Our genre is like heavy-pop-rock-country,” he said. “That’s what I would call us, because everybody can listen to us.”
The band later found their guitarist, Sean Labat and BURNHOUSE was formed.
“You get a lot of sound from just a three piece band,” Rayburn said. “We can play songs that an eight piece band can play with no problem. I like the fact that we can surprise people with a small amount of instruments that can perform big songs and play big shows.”
This is the first time the band will be play their self-titled album in front of a live audience. It clocks in at around 50 minutes. With a two hour set time, the band plans to play covers of other songs in between original tracks.
Housewright and Rayburn were both raised around music as both of their fathers played in a band. When the pair became old enough the two started playing with their fathers. Eventually, the two realized their musical potential and soon left their fathers to truly pursue their careers in music with Labat.
The group began playing covers at local restaurants. Which led the group to play more and more restaurants, and soon began working on “BURNHOUSE.”
“Varsity will be the biggest show we’ve played and it’ll have the biggest crowd we’ve played for to date,” Housewright said.
The band is a very close knit group since they are just a three man band. They’ve spent a lot of time perfecting the songs together. Housewright said the band has many goals to accomplish. This is just the beginning of BURNHOUSE’s journey.
“It may be cliche to say that I’m living the dream, but I am. I’m doing what I love with my best friend. I wouldn’t trade this for anything,” Rayburn said.
Doors open at 8 p.m. on Friday Feb. 5. The show will begin at 9 p.m.