{"id":921,"date":"2023-07-18T12:13:04","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T17:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/?p=921"},"modified":"2023-07-19T21:35:21","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T02:35:21","slug":"chris-leblanc-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/chris-leblanc-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Leblanc, part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"newor-before-content\" id=\"newor-3311546062\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8687276566169212\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8687276566169212\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"8064447764\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>At the conclusion of the first part of our discussions with Chris Leblanc, he had just found out his wife was pregnant. He was being courted by reps from RCA Records. They had flown him and his band out to California to showcase for executives and discuss his future with RCA. After much thought, Chris actually decided against signing with them. He took stock of his life and his surroundings, and what his life was soon to be with a child on the way. And he felt as though the security of a future where he was at the wheel was more appealing than the promises of strangers from another place. Chris surmised, \u201cI don\u2019t know man. I might have chased millions, but I ain\u2019t chasing carrots.\u201d This did not have an effect on his momentum. He was still performing constantly. And he had two records under his belt propelling him. However, with a child on the way and intimate knowledge of the rigors of recording a studio album, he needed to find something that appeased both his discipline as a musician and his requirements as a father. Something to consider was the advance in technology during his life up until this point. Electronics had become smaller and more powerful. ADAT\u2019s and mixing boards were no longer necessary elements of album production. A friend of his encouraged him to consider doing an acoustic album. The idea was a non-invasive one, so to speak. And his friend could facilitate his needs with a laptop, Protools, and a few mics. He found himself at a church in downtown Baton Rouge, in an adjoining chapel room, starting a new chapter in his music career near the pulpit. He did two to three takes of each tune using just his acoustic and a couple of metal slide guitars. In three and a half hours, he had made a record. With some help from a few producer friends, the best tunes were picked. Everything was mixed and mastered and a new record, Son of the South was born. \u201cIt\u2019s probably one of my favorite. I just love what it is. It just sounded really honest and I believed it. When you listen to it, you believe it.\u201d On it was a mixture of originals and covers from Randy Neuman, Robert Johnson and Taj Majal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where Chris saw himself in five years before the birth of his son wasn\u2019t where he saw himself in five years after his birth. But he still very much desired to be a full-time musician. Acoustic gigs and band gigs prevented him from ever feeling stuck or stagnant. He was also writing new songs constantly, trying them out with his band to see what sticks. He enjoyed opportunities to play festivals and occasions opening up for anyone and everyone. His band shared stages with people like ZZ Top, Hank Williams Jr, Leon Russel, Buddy Guy, and Brett Michaels, playing for tens of thousands of people at a time. He liked being the first music in the room. Another thing that appeased his demands for progress was time spent in his home studio. He was able to cut a few new songs in there, keeping things moving. But what he had wasn\u2019t quite enough for an album. Presonus, retailers of professional production and recording equipment, were sponsoring Chris at the time. And they would attend his performances, capturing the live recordings. The material they gathered, coupled with the seven songs Chris and his band cut in his home studio culminated in the production of his fourth album, Starshine, in 2005. This was a unique offering to his fans because it combined studio cut material and live material in the same body of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having several albums and performing for such large crowds did two things. For fans and peers in the music business, it legitimized his existence in the field. For Chris, it left him with a feeling of accomplishment; one that instilled a sense that things were constantly building. For those of us that are ambitious, this feeling brings a gratifying calmness. And not only that, Chris has always considered his music career a living thing. He has never wanted to see this precious living thing grow sluggish. Both his life and his career have always manifested themselves in adventure. Where he\u2019s going in his life is revealed to him as he goes along, with music as \u201cman\u2019s best friend\u201d right alongside him. He always played regardless of what it was at the time or what it would become. \u201cIf it\u2019s not living, then it\u2019s dead. And I don\u2019t want my career dead. I want my career\u2026 whatever it is\u2026 you got management or you don\u2019t have management. You\u2019ve got a record deal or you don\u2019t have a record deal. Or this guy\u2019s playing with you or he\u2019s not. Or you got this new guy that\u2019s playing with you that\u2019s a lot of fun. You know, it\u2019s all of those things that I\u2019ve always found interesting in bands that I love and in music that I love. I love that part of the music industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We discussed the age-old question of originals versus covers. Because covers have always been a part of his career. Personally, no matter the intended trajectory of a band, they are a necessary element and are undoubtedly instrumental in the initial growth of anyone who plays. Chris agreed that they help open the crowd\u2019s eyes and ears to your talent and help usher in an open mind for one\u2019s original material. He pointed out that perhaps some refuse to play originals because they simply aren\u2019t good enough to pull it off. At any rate, to play a good cover is proof positive of talent in its own right. As Chris went on to point out, the Beatles, Ray Charles, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin were all cover bands at their essence. \u201cThe greatest rock and roll bands ever were fucking cover bands! Let\u2019s be real. People go, oh I\u2019m not gonna play cover music. Because playing cover music\u2026 You better be pretty fucking good. When you go see a band, there\u2019s a lot of bands you go see and they\u2019re great playing their own music. But how do you really get the level of a band? When you see them cover a song that you thought was like, fucking crazy. Like you just played me Green Gasoline. They\u2019re fucking cool, right? The first thing I ever saw of this band was them covering Highway Star by Deep Purple. And I\u2019m like, these mother fuckers are ridiculous! They\u2019re bad\u2026 fucking\u2026 ass! That\u2019s how you realize, these mother fuckers are great! They just played Highway Star? You go play Highway Star mother fucker. Good luck! They\u2019re badass bruh! Yes! Yes! You\u2019re like fuck dude, that\u2019s\u2026 that\u2019s tough! That\u2019s how you realize, you\u2019re like man, they\u2019re badass. That to me is like the fucking sign of greatness; when somebody picks a tune and goes and destroys it.\u201d He went on to cite the importance of picking something that\u2019s worth playing; a song that makes people say \u2018I forgot how much I love that song\u2019. He also pointed out that bands should pick something that\u2019s not outside their wheelhouse, and something that other bands aren\u2019t playing. As for his, he\u2019s always been fond of the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, or Lazy Lester. As for me, I like the idea of looking for things that aren\u2019t covered. I come from a generation where there was a B-side. And on occasion, these B-sides would have a gem. And I am fond of the concept of showing others the obscure, overlooked gem. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time of our meeting, Chris had been one busy guy. In April, May, and June (of \u201923), he was playing four to six gigs a week. These consisted of both solo acoustic shows and performances with his full band. In ten weeks, he had played over fifty shows. He called it \u201cbringing medicine to the people\u201d. He expressed his desire to be able to look back on all of this without regret; without the regret of not having put forth the effort. And this effort, in his eyes, is of a selfless nature. These gigs do equate to a monetary denomination which pays his bills. But the currency of this man, as any friend will tell you, is touching human lives. Living a life of service, essentially, comes with its own sacrifices. That night, he said, &#8220;I want to stay home, eat a steak and have some drinks. But you know where I\u2019m going? I\u2019m going out to play.\u201d At this point in his life, he is taken to reflection frequently. He has a reached a point in his career where the fight has subsided, in a manner of speaking. It has become a place of comfort. Among other things, we discussed his direction from here and what, if any, areas would he consider outside of his comfort zone. You can hear his answers in the podcast episode titled Chris Leblanc part 2 by selecting your streaming service below. I do thank you for reading, as Chris has an incredible energy and humble presence that most certainly deserves our praise. Take care everyone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Author: David Trahan<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Neworleansmusicians.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<center><div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCJYroaE-LdzB0f5JarBpDTQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Press here to check out our YOUTUBE music videos and interviews.<\/a><\/div><\/center>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<style>\n.podcast-grid {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(120px, 1fr));\n  gap: 16px;\n  max-width: 900px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n}\n\n.podcast-grid a {\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  justify-content: center;\n  width: 120px;\n  height: 120px;\n}\n\n.podcast-grid img {\n  width: 100%;\n  height: 100%;\n  object-fit: contain;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"podcast-grid\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.podbean.com\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/NOM-Webstream.png\" alt=\"Podbean Webstream\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/6PB9BrQJeNHQ60LN74fblW\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Spotify-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Spotify\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/neworleansmusicians-com-podcast\/id1617150338\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Apple-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Apple Podcasts\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL25ld29ybGVhbnNtdXNpY2lhbnMvZmVlZC54bWw\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Google-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Google Podcasts\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pandora.com\/podcast\/neworleansmusicianscom-podcast\/PC:1000695788\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pandora-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Pandora\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/52c3514e-bb93-4c25-b2fa-0d4f08ea4109\/neworleansmusicians-com-podcast\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Amazon-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Amazon Music\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/podchaser.com\/neworleansmusic\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/podchaser-pro-150x150.png\" alt=\"Podchaser\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/deezer.page.link\/7QZHqLVw48CswV2f8\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Deezer-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Deezer\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/pi\/pbblog-w4xtz-1ca786\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Podbean-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Podbean\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"http:\/\/tun.in\/plga7\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Tune-In-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"TuneIn\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/338-neworleansmusicianscom-pod-94946699\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/iHeart-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"iHeartRadio\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/lnns.co\/t4Wrf71b3ou\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Listennotes-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Listen Notes\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/podcastaddict.com\/podcast\/3896004\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Podcast-Addict-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Podcast Addict\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/pca.st\/podcast\/78218050-d6ea-013a-d9ad-0acc26574db2\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pocket-Casts-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Pocket Casts\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/overcast.fm\/itunes1617150338\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Overcast-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Overcast\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/player.fm\/series\/neworleansmusicianscom-podcast\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Player-FM-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Player FM\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/castbox.fm\/channel\/id5002864\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Castbox-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Castbox\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.audacy.com\/podcast\/neworleansmusicianscom-podcast-52860\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/audacy-150x150.png\" alt=\"Audacy\">\n<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"newor-after-content\" id=\"newor-1985850417\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8687276566169212\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8687276566169212\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"8064447764\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the conclusion of the first part of our discussions with Chris Leblanc, he had just found out his wife was pregnant. He was being courted by reps from RCA Records. They had flown him and his band out to California to showcase for executives and discuss his future with RCA. After much thought, Chris [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"templates\/template-full-width.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[600,35,591,281,36,60,65,41,34,58,597,599,598],"class_list":["post-921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-acoustic-album","tag-bands","tag-chris-leblanc","tag-david-trahan","tag-indie","tag-louisiana","tag-louisiana-music","tag-music","tag-musicians","tag-neworleansmusicians-com","tag-rca-records","tag-son-of-the-south","tag-starshine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=921"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":929,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921\/revisions\/929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}