Americana Roots Rock Artist Rod Melancon Announces New Album 'Southern Gothic'

Americana roots rock artist ROD MELANCON announces his new 10-track album SOUTHERN GOTHIC is set for release on Friday, June 16 via Blue Elan Records and will be available digitally and physically on CD and vinyl. Marking his second full-length album, it takes listeners further into the light and darkness of his own poetic vision with songs based on tales of the people from his South Louisiana homeland. The lead single, "Redhead," will be released March 28 and SOUTHERN GOTHIC will be available for pre-order the same day with gratis tracks, "Dwayne & Me" and "Redhead."

In support of the album, MELANCON will begin a 20-date tour in Houston, TX on Thursday, March 30 at Leon's Lounge and make stops in Nashville, TN, Atlanta, GA, Birmingham, AL and Tampa Bay, FL among other cities before wrapping in Austin, TX on Friday, April 28 at The White Horse (full tour itinerary below). For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: http://www.rodmelancon.com/tour-dates.

SOUTHERN GOTHIC--recorded over the course of two years--is a journey into the dark, and often twisted, night of the soul. It is the restless yearning of a young, new South that has been represented by The Drive-By Truckers, Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell. With this new album, MELANCON takes an unflinching look inside the heart of Americana darkness as he stylistically dives deeper into the roots of his own imagination nurtured in the badlands and bayous of his home.

"There were stories I heard growing up about family members that I had always wanted to write about," says MELANCON. "I just didn't feel like I was ready to try to tackle them yet. They were personal tales and I wanted to do them justice. One day I just sat down and started in on 'Perry.' A troubled cousin I never met but had heard tale of. It was working and I knew I was finally ready. Nothing feels better than feeling like you're growing as an artist. I was ready to tell their story."

MELANCON pushes the sonic soundscape on SOUTHERN GOTHIC. "I wanted to explore more than the go-to Americana template," he shares. "Instead of where a steel guitar would maybe go, let's add a pulsating synthesizer. I wanted to do something original--to push the boundaries of what's expected from an Americana artist. I wanted the production to reflect the character's state of mind. 'With The Devil' opens with what I imagine the inside of that man's head sounds like."

On SOUTHERN GOTHIC, MELANCON has not only written what he is intimately familiar with, he also gives us a portrait of his love for the land of his childhood and the souls he has encountered during his lifetime. There are songs here that reflect the restlessness of the heartland ("Promises") alongside the in-cold-blood feel of the yearnings of a serial killer ("With the Devil"). Then, he and producer Brian Whelan change things up as they allow the listener to come up for air on grungy raunch & roll rockers like "Redhead" and an update of Buddy Holly by way of Bob Dylan on "Mary Lou." MELANCON and Whelan brilliantly segue the solid roots of rock 'n' roll and R&B into serious industrial metal-fused psychedelic music on songs like "Lights of Carencro" and the rage-filled anti-war anthem, "Different Man," re-created here, from the Parish Lines album (2014), to new heights.

Track listing for SOUTHERN GOTHIC:
"With The Devil"
"Perry"
"Lights of Carencro"
"Dwayne and Me"
"Promises"
"Redhead"
"Praying for Light"
"Mary Lou"
"Different Man"
"Outskirts of You"

DATE		CITY	VENUE
Thu	3/30	Houston, TX	Leon's Lounge
Fri	3/31	Lake Charles, LA	Luna Bar and Grill
Sat	4/1	Port Neches, TX	Neches Brewing
Sun	4/2	Port Neches, TX	Neches Brewing
Tue	4/4	Nashville, TN	The 5 Spot
Wed	4/5	Memphis, TN	Lafayette Music Room
Fri	4/7	Lafayette, LA	Warehouse 535
Sat	4/8	Jackson, MS	Hal and Mal's
Mon	4/10	Athens, GA	Georgia Theatre - Roof Top
Tue	4/11	Atlanta, GA	Smithe's Olde Bar
Wed	4/12	Birmingham, AL	The Nick
Fri	4/14	Statesboro, GA	Dingus Magee
Sat	4/15	Augusta, GA	Southbound Smokehouse
Sun	4/16	Murrells Inlet, SC	Suck Bang Blow
Wed	4/19	Cape Canaveral, FL	Milliken's Reef
Thu	4/20	Tampa Bay, FL	Cuban Club
Fri	4/21	Tampa Bay, FL	Cuban Club
Sat	4/22	Lake Park, FL	Kelsey Theatre
Sun	4/23	DeLand, FL	Cafe DaVinci
Fri	4/28	Austin, TX	The White Horse

To post a comment, you must register and login.