Honey Island Swamp Band

Named after an actual swampland straddling the Louisiana-Mississippi line, Honey Island Swamp Band draws its identity from that setting and channels a roots-oriented blend that fuses elements from both states. Its sound merges blues, soul, country, R&B, and the distinctive rhythms native to New Orleans, the members’ original home base. Although the quartet did not assemble in that city, the four musicians—Aaron Wilkinson on guitar, mandolin, and vocals; Chris Mule on guitar and vocals; Sam Price on bass and vocals; and Garland Paul on drums and vocals—came together in San Francisco as evacuees following Hurricane Katrina. They returned to New Orleans in 2007 and expanded the lineup in 2010 by adding Trevor Brooks on Hammond B-3 organ and additional keyboards. Characterized as “bayou Americana,” the group issued a seven-song self-titled EP, Honey Island Swamp Band, in 2008 and followed it a year later with the full-length Wishing Well. Good to You arrived in 2010, while a high-energy performance at the 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was captured on the live release Live at Jazz Fest 2011. Their 2012 appearance at the same festival also yielded a live album, and the studio effort Cane Sugar appeared in 2013. In 2016 the band partnered with the independent Ruf Records imprint for its fourth full-length studio album, Demolition Day.