Ahead of his performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Big Easy troubadour Andrew Duhon shares an exclusive video premiere with C&I.
We have another music video set in a skating rink that just oozes retro vibes! New Orleans singer-songwriter Andrew Duhon joins the ranks of the Infamous Stringdusters, who laced up roller skates and gave a bluegrass twist to the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” back in December. Duhon’s Logan LeBlanc-directed video layers the nostalgia with a ribbon of nostalgia, though.
The feeling fits the moody, contemplative song, which will be on Duhon’s third record, the Eric Masse-produced False River, out May 25. (Till that release date, you can check him out at 12:35 p.m. on the Lagniappe Stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, or check his website for other dates.)
“This video was all about, ‘What does this song look and feel like?’” Duhon says. “The director, Logan LeBlanc, had the idea to shoot in an old skating rink if he could find one, and I did like the subtlety of ‘coming around’ a skating rink as an element of the aesthetic. We also talked about our mutual admiration for the movie Little Miss Sunshine, and the idea of a young actress dancing to the song became a must. There’s a steady buoyancy to this song that I think is unique, and I think the old skating rink in Opelousas, Louisiana, made for a great-feeling centerpiece.”
Adds LeBlanc: “When I’d hear the song, I kept getting this really odd mix of imagery. The first were super-’70s kind of vibes: bright primary colors, glimmer lighting, and shimmery sequins. The other was a small sleepy town somewhere on the outskirts of Texas, sort of an Urban Cowboy meets Saturday Night Fever thing.”
The search for an old-school rink took weeks, but they finally found one that hadn’t been renovated or shut down. As for the song, it’s a bit of a departure from the kind of music Duhon remembers hearing in the roller rinks of his youth. “I remember skate nights as a kid,” he says. “When the latest jam came on, everyone skated around singing along, and it was like we were dancing up in the night sky somewhere. Back then it was ‘Gangster’s Paradise’ by Coolio that really got it going on the rink, if you were curious.”
For more information on tour dates and the upcoming album, visit Andrew Duhon’s website.
