“It’s the hardest song I ever wrote,” says the New Orleans musician. “Don’t ever want to write it again.”
On first listen, “Another House,” from Duhon’s recently released fifth album, The Parish Record, is a melancholic medley, with his brooding vocals and weeping acoustic guitar. But when he explains what the tune is actually about — a crushing love song to his dementia-stricken mother — it’s easy to understand why he feels so conflicted about it.
“That song is the most important thing that I’ve written thus far. I didn’t want the circumstances to exist in the way that they do, but because they did, I’ve never felt more fortunate to be able to tell a story in this way,” Duhon shares.
“It’s coming to terms with ‘Oh, right, this is what this disease is, and it doesn’t turn around and go the other way,’” he continues. “But this is the moment where you do that thing where you capture the memory of the moment in a song. In the process of trying to write that song, I knew how important it was to write that song.”
Never one to rush a lick or lyric into a full-fledged ballad, Duhon certainly took his time with “Another House” until he had a draft that “felt right.” His hunch turned out to be justified whenever he first played it for his partner at the time.
“I played her the song, and I opened my eyes, and she was crying, and I was crying,” he recalls. “I felt, ‘Okay, I think we got it.’”
It’s not one he breaks out often live, but every time he plays it, the reaction hits home with those who hear it.
Duhon showcases his latest downhome tales on new record, including what he considers the hardest song he ever had to write.
Courtesy Andrew Duhon
“I’ve been struck by how many people are affected by this disease or something similar; shepherding their parent, the person who shepherded them through their youth, and they are now shepherding them in the late stages of their life,” he explains “That’s useful to me, when this is the first time I’m dealing with a parent who’s struggling, who needs helps, to hear from other people.”
As a songwriter whose main goal is to connect over his personal tomes, Duhon dives into his Louisiana roots on The Parish Record, a dozen songs he says feels like going home. He found the most impactful way to spread his words is through intimate shows. He’s currently doing just that during his trek through Colorado. Duhon visits Boulder’s Velvet Elk Lounge on Saturday, July 19. He’ll be in Fort Collins for a solo set at Magic Rat on Thursday, July 24, too.
“That’s important to me because what I’m trying to do is tell stories at the show,” he says regarding touring extensively. “There will be opportunities to move your hips, if that’s what you like to do. More inevitably, there’s a chance to sink into a story over and over again.
“And it’s not a soliloquy as a storyteller, it’s a conversation,” Duhon, who resembles a young Jerry Garcia, continues. “The loop is completed when people come up to me after the show and tell me their story.”
Such tracks as “Waco Kool-Aid” and “Shotgun Religion,” which pull from Duhon’s Christian upbringing and his perspective on how society is falling into cult-like cliques, are very relatable, even if you’ve never been to the Cajun country where he grew up. But that’s part of the reason why he put together The Parish Record.
“I’m lucky to be from a place that is special. It has a unique singular soul,” he says.
“From my little Louisiana stories to sharing the hard parts of considering my mother’s dementia, it’s about connecting with each other,” Duhon concludes, “recognizing the places where we are bound by our collective human condition.”
Andrew Duhon, 8 p.m. Saturday, July 19, Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. Tickets are $24.
