All Photos: Alan Mercer
I love featuring new and GREAT talent! I am introducing one of the best and most talented singer/songwriters I have ever met this week. 24 year old Louisiana native Rod Melancon is ready to join the ranks of Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. His first album, ‘My Family Name’ is the best record of the year by a new artist as far as I’m concerned. Recorded in Los Angeles, and produced by bass player and multi- instrumentalist, Chad Watson, who has worked with the likes of Charlie Rich and Janis Ian and Richard Barron, who engineered and also plays accordion on this disc and has worked with Elliot Smith, Joe Henry, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlelwood. The sound is spare, rich and deep. With studio support from Dean Parks on steel guitar, Don Heffington on drums, Vern Monnett on lead guitar. The sound of this record sticks close to its roots and keeps the focus on Rod's rich voice and his lyrics laced with Bayou and south Louisiana imagery.
As an upcoming singer-songwriter, Rod represents a new breed who are drawing from Townes Van Zandt and Kris Kristofferson. He tells his stories from character perspective rather than from the worms-eye view of the tortured, self-inflicted angst poet. The result is themes that echo Johnny Cash's early Sun recordings and Mickey Newbury's focus on characters and story. There are familiar enough melodies which sound newly born and song structure that leans on lyrics rather than hooks. Beneath it all is room for great acoustic and electric instrumentation from bluegrass mandolins to big sounding Duane Eddy-like electric guitars.
While other American kids were living in suburbs during the 90's, Rod was absorbing the Louisiana Bayou and his Cajun heritage and traditional southern manners from his father's family. His mother, a high school theater arts teacher, gave Rod a taste for Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner and Jack Kerouac. From her, he learned about drama, story and literature. He credits her for teaching him most specifically about symbolism, which he uses so eloquently in his songs.
Rod came to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting but changed his mind five years ago on a Christmas visit to his family home. It was during the holidays that he gave his grandfather a life-changing gift, A Hank Williams disc. When he saw his grandfather's tears as he listened to the timeless music, Rod knew he wanted to write songs that could bring the same feeling to others. Ironically and perhaps not coincidentally, his parents gave him an acoustic guitar that same Christmas. He came back to Los Angeles and began to learn guitar and write songs. The songs flowed out of him with a passion he'd never known before.
As times change and mainstream country music continues to go through its ups and downs with its own chronic and bland pop-leaning identity struggle, Rod is finding a strong following in Los Angeles for real country music through the local ‘Americana’ scene represented by venues like The Echo. It is young artists like Rod who are the future of timeless American music and what is slowly becoming a resurgence of the early 70's singer-songwriter outlaw movement.
AM: Rod, when I listen to your album I go into another world.
RM: Yeah, that’s the kind of stuff I love. That comes from my love of film too.
AM: Are you a musician who loves film?
RM: Oh yeah. I love film. A lot of musicians say they grew up listening to Hank Williams but I learned about that music through movies. I learned about Hank Williams through ‘The Last Picture Show.’
AM: Wow! That is exciting! Did you like ‘The Last Picture Show’?
RM: Yes, it’s one of my favorite films. I like a lot of films from the 70's like Terrence Malick's 'Badlands’. All my favorite films create a mood so that’s what I want to happen with my music.
AM: Did you write all the music on your album?
RM: Yes I wrote all of it except 'Kind Woman’ which is a Buffalo Springfield song. Everything else is original.
AM: Were you writing songs as a kid?
RM: No, I moved out to LA when I was almost 19. My Mom was a theater teacher so I came out here with my mind in acting. Then I got a guitar from my family so I slowly started messing with it. It’s still a relatively new thing for me. It’s all I’ve been doing now a days.
AM: Do you know how many songs you have written so far?
RM: I don’t know. That’s a good question. Some of them I wrote once and didn’t think they were very good and I forgot about them. Probably about 40 songs all together. I put the ones I felt were worthy of recording on my album.
AM: Who are some of your more contemporary musical influences?
RM: The reason I knew about the movie ‘Badlands’ is because Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’ album is based on that story of Charles Starkweather. I went into a different world listening to ‘Nebraska.’ This album is one of my biggest influences as far as the sound and the stories go. It’s my favorite album ever.
AM: So you are acting as different characters in your songs.
RM: Yes.
AM: Do you know where the concepts are coming from?
RM: I’m sure they are inspired by things I read and see or they are just something I kind of come up with. I write a lot of my songs in character. When I wrote the song ‘South Louisiana’ I put this snuff under my lip and it made me talk and sing a certain way and that’s how I wrote that whole song with that stupid thing in my mouth. (Laughter)
AM: You walk a thin line between method actor and musician. When you say you write in character that sounds like an actor.
RM: It even sounds strange coming out of my mouth!
AM: I like that about you. It’s what sets you apart and that’s what any artist needs.
RM: That’s a good point! I’m sure a little bit of me is injected in all my songs which makes them feel personal. It’s hard not to put a little bit of yourself into a song. People can feel when it’s personal. That’s what my heroes do. That’s where the power is.
AM: Tell me a couple more musical influences.
RM: Towns Van Zant and Kris Kristofferson and some guys I’ve met out here who aren’t as big as those guys but who are just as good. Bob Woodruff and Dan Janisch are local guys who have been around a long time and are very good. Another big influence on me is my Mom who is a high school theater teacher. She explained the symbolism in a Tennessee Williams play, like when the mirror breaks in 'A Streetcar Named Desire.’ My Mom actually plays a big part in my writing. I like using symbolism. My Mom is a pioneer in a sense. When I was in tenth grade we did 'The Laramie Project’ in a small town in South Louisiana. You could have heard a pin drop. At the time it didn’t seem like that big of a deal to me but now thinking back it was a big deal. That’s my Mom!
AM: What a great influence! Do you think she helped you be more courageous?
RM: Yes, extremely. It made me open minded in my personal life and as an artist.
AM: How do you see your career progressing?
RM: I’m going to be on the road a lot and being somewhat financially stable so I can feel OK. I also want to write plays and short stories. I want to do a lot of different things like that. I think songwriting is the very beginning.
AM: What about making a film with your music?
RM: I would be interested in writing and directing a film.
AM: What about starring in it?
RM: I don’t know. That makes me a little nervous. When I first moved out here I spent so much time trying to prove myself as an actor. I had good things happen. I booked a feature film but it would be weird for me to go back into that. I’m sure I would. I talk like I wouldn’t but I’m sure I would! Sometimes I watch a film and I’m right back to wanting to do it again. I’m sure I will. It’s inevitable.
AM: Right now you’re going to Nashville. Tell me about that!
RM: I’m going to record a couple songs with the producer Dave Cobb. He has produced Jamey Johnson who is the only Country Music Star who records country music. That gets me excited. Dave has also worked with Shooter Jennings and has done a song with George Jones. I think it’s going to be a good fit. I’m just happy to be associated with him.
To learn more about Rod Melancon visit his web site http://www.rodmelancon.com/
