New Orleans native, Andrew Duhon, began his musical career while in high school. Besides music, he was also fascinated by the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Robert Frost. Reading the greats of literature and poetry has come through in his songwriting, where some say that Duhon is a master at turning a 3-minute long song into a complete story. This has also brought about comparisons to Jim Croce and John Prine.
“It’s about the story, the words. Poetry is amazing to me,” Duhon said in an article he wrote for offBeat magazine. “The melody comes out of the lyrics, out of the feeling.”
In the early part of his career, Duhon spent as much time as he could at open mic nights and finding gigs in New Orleans’ French Quarter while he worked on his first album. He eventually released “Songs I Wrote Before I Knew You” in 2008.
Andrew Duhon released “The Moorings” in 2013 and the album went on to be nominated for a Grammy in 2014 for ‘Best Engineered Album’. In 2018, Duhon followed “The Moorings” with “False River”, and then “Emerald Blue” in 2022.
{photo credit: Cameron Gott}
His music is a blend of folk, blues, a touch of New Orleans groove, and the soul of Acadian Louisiana. His passion, strong songwriting, and that mix in his music have gained him a large following. He tours extensively throughout the United States and Europe, usually touring as the Andrew Duhon Trio with Myles Weeks on upright bass and Jim Kolacek on drums.
On Duhon’s website, he notes that his new album, “The Parish Record”, which is scheduled for release in 2024, “will continue the story told by the songwriter from New Orleans, bringing back home a collection of songs, sometimes wry, sometimes heavy, but always true.”
What do red beans and rice mean to you?
There were a handful of dishes on the regular rotation that my Mother would cook when we were kids, and red beans & rice were one of ’em. I’m sure I wasn’t aware it was a local thing until I was old enough to travel around a bit.
Other items on the usual Duhon menu like fajitas and overcooked discount steak cutlets don’t hold the same nostalgic place that red beans do.
What do you think is the importance of red beans and rice to New Orleans?
I mean, beans and rice are one of those staples in lots of cultures in the pursuit of the cheapest way to fill up. Even when I eat a Poboy, though the ingredients these days are more upscale, I’m reminded of its roots in feeding the boys that are Po’.
Modern times are different, but it remains true that a working musician in New Orleans doesn’t start out making the means that make the ends meet, so to me, options like red beans connect that age-old working tradition to the modern day.
What memories are brought up when you have red beans?
I’d have to say there was a “wait a second!” moment when I had Popeyes red beans for the first time as a kid in comparison to Mom’s red beans. I know now that Mom was leaving out the ham hock or the grillades in her recipe in an effort to make ’em a little lighter on the waistband. She just used some lean sausage, but that doesn’t quite give the dish that full-on greasy spoon savory comfort. I don’t know what Popeyes is using, but I can guarantee it’s more greasy spoon than Mom used to make, and I ain’t mad at it.
Do you only eat or make red beans on Monday?
I don’t remember that we ever kept it to Mondays. It just made it to the table when it came back around in the rotation. The Monday thing was something I found out later on.
Who makes the best red beans and rice?
Ah man, I’m not going to say Popeyes, but they do hold a place in my heart (gut) for showing me the way. Really, anyone who throws a ham hock or grillades in there with some good sausage and lets it do its thing is going to make great beans.
If you cook red beans, when did you learn to make them and who taught you?
Mother, of course, though I’ve diverted from her recipe. I don’t make ’em often, but when I end up with a ham hock after Christmas or Thanksgiving, that’ll be the move.
What’s your process for cooking red beans and rice?
Slow and low, plenty of hocks and sausage.
What do you serve with your beans?
I like a little vinegar on top. Hot sauce. Cold beer
Where is your favorite spot in New Orleans?
We stay on the road enough that I gravitate to the places that feel like coming back home. When it comes to dive bars, it’s Petes Out in the Cold in Irish Channel, Finns in Mid City, and Chart Room in the Quarter. When it’s catching a show, it’s Tipitina’s, BJ’s in the Bywater, Carrollton Station, and Le Bon Temps.
What is your favorite comfort food – your go-to meal?
Tacos. Street tacos, fajitas, anything prouder than Taco Bell would be just fine.
Did you have any projects that you’d like to pass along?
The new album, “The Parish Record” is out later this year! We’ll be on the road until then and afterward.
Hope to see you out there!
To stay up to date with Andrew Duhon, his album releases, and tour dates, be sure to follow him online and on social media:
- Website: www.andrewduhon.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/andrewduhon
- FB: www.facebook.com/andrewduhonmusic
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/andrewduhon
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KEEP THE RED BEANS COOKIN’!
ERIC
Eric Olsson is the food blogger of RedBeansAndEric.com. He publishes new recipes and interviews weekly. He has developed recipes and written articles for the famous Camellia brand in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been mentioned in Louisiana Cookin‘ magazine and has had recipes featured in Taste of Home magazine – with his Creole Turkey recipe being runner up in their annual Thanksgiving recipe contest. He lives outside of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and four children.
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