Calling on Dupre
By: ELIZABETH WEST
Staff Reporter
Le Festival de la Viande Boucanee, also known as The Smoked Meat Festival, is rapidly approaching. The music lineup for this year’s event is one that is certain to blow you away. Our very own Evangeline Parish native, Ashton Dupre, along with his country band, Ashton Dupre and The Last Call, will be a part of the music lineup for Saturday, June 27, at 4:00 p.m.
Prior to the big event we wanted to sit down with the Bayou Chicot native and lead singer, Ashton Dupre, to get a better understanding of who the front man really is.
Question: What is your favorite memory from the Smoked Meat Festival?
Answer: My most favorite memory has to be from last year when Mark Chestnutt was there. That was probably the best Smoked Meat I’ve ever been to. Yeah that was a good one.
Q: When and why did you start playing music?
A: About four years ago I started playing in the bars and stuff like that. I mean, I’ve always had a passion for it and I guess watching my brother go through it was just something I always wanted to do too. After baseball ended I wanted to do something new.
Q: What instrument do you play?
A: Well, I mostly sing but I play guitar a little bit here and there.
Q: Has your brother, James Dupre’, given you some guidance along the way?
A: Oh yeah! He’s helped me. He’s told me where he’s messed up at and what I should and shouldn’t do.
Q: What is the best advice you brother, James, has given you?
A: Stay humble. That’s the main thing. No matter what happens or where you go with it just always remember where you came from.
Q: What musician has inspired you the most?
A: George Jones. That’s the same answer every time.
Q: Who is your greatest inspiration in life?
A: My parents. We grew up in the house always listening to country music and that is basically what I love to play. They are not musicians but it’s because of them that I always got to hear country music. We had to listen to country over here. We had no other choice.
Q: Who is the first person you saw in concert?
A: Mighty Merle Haggard!
Q: What venues have you and your band played recently?
A: We have played at Route 92, in Youngsville, a couple of times. We had the Boggy Bayou Festival a couple months ago and local bars like Donny’s and Nick’s.
Q: Does Ashton Dupre and The Last Call have other venues lined up?
A: Yes. We’ve got the Cotton Festival in October and on September 4 we will be at the District in Lafayette. We are supposed to be opening up for Glen Templeton. We are also trying to plan a few in July.
Q: How do you enjoy playing gigs for the local people that you know so well?
A: It’s awesome. That’s why I’m looking forward to playing Smoked Meat because this will be the first time and just like the Boggy Bayou, which I have played the past three years, it’s awesome because it our hometown people.
Q: How does it feel to get to play at a festival you have grown up attending?
A: It’s great! I know that the people are going to support us no matter what. When you play out of town you hope they like your music and support you but when you are at home it’s more comfortable and more laid back then when you are playing somewhere where you don’t know anybody.
Q: Are you excited about playing at the Smoked Meat Festival this year?
A: I am. Any show we get to play is fun because all of us in the band love to play music. This is what we love to do whether it’s a paying gig or for free. Just playing music in general is something we love to do. Especially for a hometown gig because it’s a lot of family and friends that will be there. It’s going to be a good time. The whole band shares the same interest in it. It’s a great group of guys.