AUDIO: “Flowers”

Editor’s note: Local Musician Dustan Louque (who simply goes by “Louque”) spent years off the stage and out of the spotlight, making and producing music for the screen, away from the stage. In the past two years, Louque has made a switch. He’s writing new music, he’s performing, and he’s talking about it. Here’s a new sneak peek of a new track off the upcoming album “Campo Santo” and a few words from the man himself.

I got my musical start in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the early 2000’s on a home computer. The record was a three year process of discovery, looking back on my Cajun culture in Louisiana and appreciating it for the first time. We started our own label and eventually got picked up by Atlantic, which put it out under our own label. I toured for two years and eventually did really well with licensing songs to film and TV. During that time (as many of us know), the industry was in a transition, so I opted out of the label deal and kept making records and licensing songs.

About five years ago, I moved back to New Orleans to be a part of ‘the renaissance’ and to continue my musical discovery. For the past three years I’ve been renovating a house in St. Roch with my wife and recording my record “Campo Santo” in Woodstock, NY. I’ve had the good fortune of working with artists like Danny Blume, Nels Cline, Josh Werner and Dave Burnett. I’ve also started performing live again — on rooftops and warehouses and, most recently, The Marigny Opera House. In 2010, I was nominated for an Emmy for work I did with artist/animator Mac Premo. My record will be released this year.

About “Flowers”: All of “Campo Santo” was written in New Orleans, mostly while doing other things like working on the house or walking the dog. I became obsessed with the story of the squatters who burned in the house fire a few years back. I’ve had many conversations with travelers — picked ’em up hitchhiking, or bought them a coffee, or chatted with them at a party. I always found their stories to be so interesting and recognized myself in them. I don’t think I knew any of the kids who died, but I was intrigued by the story of this girl Nicki Pack. I read a few articles about her mom and how there was so much mystery involved with Nicki’s New Orleans and train hopping lifestyle.

Dustan Loque’s “Flowers” off his upcoming album, Camp Santo

I’ve been running for years too. Trying to find something real, which is probably what brought me back home to New Orleans after traveling around so long. Growing up cajun, I always wanted to fit in to the American ideal but realized quickly what a sham the whole thing is. I’ve finally begun to look deeper into myself to find beauty and meaning in everyday life and to hold on to the simple life values I was brought up with.

Just as the flower sacks became dresses, everyday experiences and people become songs.