“The loudest voices on the biggest platforms don't sound like the voices I hear playing pool at the dive bar or at the diner or coffee shops or at the shows when we're on tour,” says New Orleans-based singer-songwriter Andrew Duhon, a man who’s spent most of his adult life observing, internalizing, and in his own way, documenting American life from sea to shining sea. “Granted, I'm not surprised to hear different opinions in Beaumont, Texas, than I do in Seattle, Washington, but in the conversations between real people across America, it's the similarities about what we want and concerns about where we are that are more glaring to me than the differences of opinion on how we fix it.”
Today, Duhon released a new single via Well Kept Secret dubbed “Waco Kool-Aid” that touches on this exact topic. An observer's take on the state of political division in America dressed up in a groovy, ear-catching tune, “Waco Kool-Aid” highlights its writer’s ability to step back and take it all in—but not without fessing up to his own participation from time to time. “I'm personally grateful for and aware that my touring across the country in a van has given me a perspective that doesn't come exclusively through a screen, curated by entities that are experts at understanding my weaknesses,” Duhon says. But before ever hitting the road with a guitar and a dream, the New Orleans native was always surrounded by diversity in a city that stands toe-to-toe with any other place claiming to be a “melting pot.” Unfortunately, in this day and age, the Big Easy isn’t immune to the great divide either. “I got two different neighbors yelling through a chainlink, even though everybody kinda wants the same thing,” Duhon sings in the song’s verse. “Two different flavors: red or the blue shade. Everybody sippin’ on the Waco Kool-Aid.”
Duhon teamed up with Texas-based director Cameron Gott to bring his visual accompaniment to life. The “Waco Kool-Aid” music video puts a near-Hatfield and McCoy-level feud between a “red” and “blue” neighbor at center stage. The uncontrollable escalation between each side feels, at times comedic and all-too-real, and the twist at the end—a character dubbed “Cult Leader/The Media/Whatever You Think He Is” in the video’s credits—speaks to the forces creating all of this division in the first place. From whichever side of the aisle the viewer is on, the end result is the same. “We’re all wise guys with wifi and freedom of speech, and the truth is the truth is obsolete.”
Fans can watch the “Waco Kool-Aid” music video today at this link and stream or purchase the song via Well Kept Secret right here. Duhon and his trio hit the stage tonight in Huntsville, Alabama, and tomorrow in Ft. Payne before their tour takes them to Washington and Oregon next month. A full list of dates can be found below and at andrewduhon.com.
Catch Andrew Duhon On Tour:
Oct. 18 - Huntsville, AL - Tangled Strings
Oct. 19 - Ft. Payne, AL - May's Gulf Songwriter Festival
Nov. 1 - Port Townsend, WA - Palindrome
Nov. 2 - Bainbridge Island, WA - Treehouse Cafe
Nov. 3 - Portland, OR - Alberta Abbey
Nov. 5 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door
Nov. 15 - Beaumont, TX - 7 Oaks Event Garden
Dec. 1 - New Orleans, LA - The Broadside "BreakFest"
Dec. 8 - New Orleans, LA - The Broadside "BreakFest"
More About Andrew Duhon: Andrew Duhon is a New Orleanian by birth but also by choice. His music is a culmination of his experiences, a reflection on how the land he calls home has influenced those experiences, and a sign of where his songwriting and musical proclivities are headed. Duhon’s single “Comin’ Around” was named a Top 10 Best Country/Americana Song of The Week by Rolling Stone, and he has played the role of cultural ambassador for New Orleans for BBC in their “Insiders Guide to The Best Live Music Venues In New Orleans” and for Meat Church in teaching Matt Pittman the right way to cook a Cajun Stuffed Boneless chicken. Duhon’s new single, “Waco Kool-Aid,” was released on October 18th, 2024. A new album will be announced and released in Q1 of 2025.
