Bill Davis is the grounding element - the tie to their roots and the author of their best, and best-loved, music. He is an amazing vocalist who sings in two other bands, and also with his wife Kim. Their duet, "Half Kansas Moon," from the "Get You Some Of Me" album is simply gorgeous!

Kyle Melancon is the kick-ass, rock-n-roll, crazy-brilliant drummer who cannot be trusted to keep his clothing or cymbals intact for an entire set. In his eight years with the band, he's evolved into a showman on a par with his mentor, Fred LeBlanc.

And then there's the northshore's own Brian Broussard, the bassist who embodies the fresh "I can't believe I'm here" youthfulness of the group.

According to DashRipRock.net, the southern rock/punkabilly/Cajun-bluegrass band started in 1984 at LSU with Davis on guitar and vocals, Clarke Martty on drums and vocals, and Ned "Hoaky" Hickel on bass and a slurred-sounding something better referred to as "vocals." In 1985, Martty was replaced by Fred LeBlanc, currently of Cowboy Mouth fame, and the band set out on tour. After two albums, several national and international tours, and a spot atop the college music charts in Norway, LeBlanc parted ways with Davis and Hickel in 1988.

The band invited Chris Luckette, formerly of another teenhood-memory-inducing band, The Cold, to be the new drummer. Their popularity and great reputation continued to grow. They released four albums with Luckette on the skins, including the live album "Boiled Alive" - a record that has taken many people from "Dash who?" to "This is the greatest band of all times" in the space of an hour - and the studio-slick "Tigertown," which received huge critical acclaim. A novelty song based on the lyrics of "Let's Go To The Hop" from their album, "Get You Some of Me," exploded all over the country and became the most requested song from California to New Orleans for several weeks in 1995-96.

In August 1995, Luckette decided to leave the band to spend more time at home. Kyle Melancon joined the band in an absolutely seamless transition that took place over the course of one show at Jimmy's in New Orleans. Melancon became a crowd favorite. The trio of Davis, Hickel and Melancon kept the old songs alive, and introduced several new favorites that you'd swear you've known all your life.

Then, a couple of years ago, something happened that had Dash fans whispering amongst themselves. Ned Hickel left the band to become a fishing charter boat captain in Florida. The original membership of the band was whittled down to one - Davis - and, although nobody wanted to say it out loud, some fans got nervous. Davis and Melancon kept it together, though, employing several great local bassists. Several months ago, a new bassist joined the band and is fitting in quite nicely - our local boy, Brian Broussard.

A mere three years older than Dash Rip Rock itself, Brian was born in Lafayette and moved to the northshore in 1991 with his mother, who wanted to be closer to her parents in Mandeville. He started as a guitarist in Sundown, covering artists like The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and Lynard Skynyrd, and Absolute, a hard rock group. Broussard's uncle gave him his first Dash Rip Rock album when he was 10 years old, and he's been a fan ever since. Dash is included in his list of musical influences, along with AC/DC, Van Halen, Rush, Fishbone, The Ventures, ZZ Top and Reverend Horton Heat.

At the first Dash show he was old enough to attend, at Tipitina's, Broussard met Clay Monroe, the band's manager. In the course of the conversation, Broussard mentioned that he worked at Abita Brewing Co. Soon, Abita started sponsoring Dash Rip Rock shows. Broussard got to hang out backstage, and became friends with Bill Davis. One night, "out of the blue," Broussard says, Davis called and asked him to replace their newly departed bassist. Broussard said "YES!" Dash is the first band he's played bass in.

The result is the great-sounding trio that recently played a packed show at The Tap Room in Covington. The week before, the band played at Jazzfest on the Acura Stage. Says Broussard, "Jazzfest has been by far the biggest show I've ever played. We got to play on the main stage, which was awesome. I have never seen so many people in one place in my life. It was a great experience, and I would like to thank Bill and Kyle for letting me do that."

Most importantly, many longtime fans have said that Broussard is the best Dash bassist since Hoaky, a compliment of the highest order. Dash Rip Rock will start a European tour in October, and will soon head back into the studio. Brian Broussard says that he can't wait. Neither can we, Brian!

(On a personal note, the first time I saw Brian play was at O'Flaherty's shortly after Christmas last year. I asked to hear "September," a song from "Get You Some Of Me" that is not usually on their play list, and "Donaldsonville," an even older favorite of mine. Brian had just started to learn nearly twenty years' worth of music, and hadn't hit those yet. The next time I saw him, at Jazzfest, he told me he'd learned "September." The band played it at The Tap Room. He also promised to learn "Donaldsonville" before their next local show. I can't wait! He's a great bassist and an even greater guy.)