Sexy Southern sensation

It’s nearly 7 p.m. on a Wednesday night and the streets of Bessemer Court at Station Square… It’s nearly 7 p.m. on a Wednesday night and the streets of Bessemer Court at Station Square are bustling with people attending the Summer Concert Series. Digby from 105.9 The X is spinning X-music near the small stage. Several teenagers sit at tables close to the stage, while Marc Broussard and his band begin getting ready to perform.

It’s a fairly sparse crowd, but that doesn’t bother Broussard, the 21-year-old, up-and-coming sensation from Louisiana who plays a mix of acoustic rock blues spiced with Cajun flavor.

“It really doesn’t make any difference to me; I’ve run into lots of people who have qualms about who they are playing with or what time slot,” Broussard said. “Since I’ve started touring, we’ve pretty much been the first of three bands. It doesn’t make a difference to me, as long as I am playing. I could play for 30 people or 1,000; it doesn’t matter. It’s always a good time.”

As he launches into his set, the teenagers sing every word along with him. He croons the lyrics to his album’s moniker song, “Momentary Setback,” and rocks out to “The Wanderer,” the album’s opening track. The band members he is touring with, bassist Allan Maxwell and drummer Stephen Chopek, only met two weeks ago.

“At first, it was kind of scary. Before we played together we had a rehearsal, and the rehearsal room that we were in was really big, loud and booming, and we couldn’t really hear each other right. It was really scary and it bummed me out a whole lot. But the next day we had a show and we rocked ass,” said Broussard.

Between unreleased songs and tracks from his album, Broussard said, “Since we’re near water, I’m going to play a tribute to my man, Otis Redding.” He launches into Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” playing the tune with his eyes shut most of the time, putting everything he’s got into the song.

The guys don’t launch into 15-minute renditions of Broussard’s songs, as time is a precious commodity.

“We like to play as many songs as possible in the amount of time that we have,” he said.

Broussard recorded his debut album with the help of his father, Ted Broussard of Boogie Kings. The recording process wasn’t easy.

“I think that he anticipated that he was going to have a lot more input than he did. So it was a tough time for both of us,” Broussard said. “It was a time for him to say, ‘I guess it’s time to step back and let Marc do his own thing.’ At the same time, for me, it was like, I’m actually taking away from 16 years of tradition of me and Pops playing together. We had to go through that to get where we are now. And where we are now is probably better than we’ve been, ever.”

While his father doesn’t regularly tour with him, he joined him to play two shows with Martin Sexton.

“We had a blast and the people loved it,” Broussard said.

Ted will take the stage with his son for a few upcoming dates. Looks like the tradition isn’t quite broken.

Broussard just signed a record deal with Island/Def Jam records, who are already helping him promote Momentary Setback. It will hit stores later this month. Broussard will go back into the studio in December, and that album will likely be released next winter. In the meantime, Broussard will continue to tour relentlessly to promote what he has done thus far.

“We’re just trying to get people’s asses shaking, you know?”

For more information on Marc Broussard or to purchase his debut album, visit http://www.marcbroussard.com.