A Letter To Brian

Greetings Brian,

I hope your family is having a nice holiday in West Virginia.  I looked up your town on the map and it seems like a small town in the mountain areas right off of  I-81 which is my main interstate I take to my northeast tour run I’ve been doing.  

It was great getting your message of interest in my work.  I could tell you really cared and it was heart warming.  It’s not always easy to truly connect with others through my work, and when it happens I feel like I’m on the right track.  

Since 2014, I started touring solo/duo after answering many emails just like yours.  When you saw me play in D.C. years ago, I had just figured out how to make a record and I was being thrust in the limelight and had to figure out this next phase.  A phase that made me really uncomfortable.  I longed to have my privacy back and to be creating more, not to be made into a star.  

me smelling my new 2016 Gibson L-00

This new road was a bit more rugged in the beginning  and felt like I was in a wagon wheel heading west into the unknown.  To be honest, if I’m not feeling like that in each new year, I feel I must be doing it wrong.  Things have been working on this path.  I feel truly connected to the folks that host the shows and I am totally disconnected from any middle men.  I long to play slightly bigger theatre’s and to collaborate more with folks I admire.  It’s moving at a snails pace, but when I can latch onto gratitude first thing in the morning, my days are beautiful and full.  Unfortunately, some mornings I hop onto the wrong train and I want to sell all of my guitars and do something else.  Ha!  I’m not joking though.  Those feelings do come, but then emails like yours come through with a strong message of gratitude and I feel seen.  

I’ve been into playing micro shows, maybe we can do one in a micro town like yours.  I long to make a difference in these times.  

Kind Regards,

Dustan Louque

"Louque Letters to Sean"

 Greetings Sean,

Just wanted to thank you for your support, not only today but since day one when I bought the van and hit the road again.  I was afraid inside but knew I had to do it.  I have fond memories of those times when we opened the doors of the Gary State Bank.  I’ve been playing in many cool, non-venue spaces all over the country and it seems to be working.  I have truly found a sustainable path.

I’m enjoying creating the dialogue for these hats and talking about old Grand Point.  People don’t realize that ole Nelta Louque birthed a slew of baseball stars.  Names like Delaneuville, Heltz, Poirrier, Richard were all of her grand, great, and great great grand children.  

Looking back on it, it was all we had to do.  I imagine that’s why the Cubans are so good in baseball.  Playing everyday makes a great player, even with a plastic bat and ball made out of paper towels and duct tape.  

And speaking of the Cubans, buying that old van was kind of like building my raft to cross the ocean towards opportunity.  And I thank you for your generosity and openness to the idea that our people can be artists too.  

Kind regards,

Dut

"Louque Letters To Rusty Pipe"

 Greetings Rusty Pipe,

It was great to see your order come through.  I find it a great omen that your order number is 00011.  The number 11 has always carried significant meaning to me as it was Joey’s number.  

Thanks for always taking me seriously as a musician, even way back when it was only a dream and I probably came across a little odd for pursuing this path.  I honestly had no choice.  After Joey passed, I vowed to not let fear get in the way and work to find my true gifts.  It was challenging because my instincts were sending me down strange roads like acting and New York.  By the time I was getting weak and starting to doubt, your mom came down with meningitis and the nasty warrior in me reappeared.

I’m so proud to be where I’m from and I love the humility and resourcefulness of our tribe.  I spoke to my dad yesterday about locating the old St. Philamena church bell.  I’d love to erect it in the Point De Cannes and have an annual celebration for the ones we’ve lost.  We are headed on tour next month and will be stopping in Woodstock to record with my band and we are recording a song I wrote called “Under The Blood Red Sun”.  It’s all about the tragedies of Grand Point.

I hope this finds you well and on a path you love.  Life is not always easy, but now and then I look up and feel like I’m honoring the vow I made as a kid.  

Much Love,

Dut

"Louque Letters To Elwood"

 

Greetings Elwood,

I was sipping my coffee this morning when I saw the little sticker you gave me with your address on it and I decided I’d write to you.  I’m the guy in the VW van at the car wash a few days ago.  We spoke but it wasn’t small talk.  We spoke of the journey of man and race.  

You struck a chord in me when you said you wanted to move back to Africa.  I can’t say I blame you.  Though I’m a white man, I want to move to Africa too.  We spoke of the blood on America’s hands and real truths like the evil that was Columbus.  To me we lost a lot when we exterminated the life the Natives were living.  They had figured out a lot, both survival skills and spirituality.  To me, they were the baddest dudes on the planet.  On their journey to the America’s, they spent 10,000 years crossing the Bering Strait in extremely cold temperatures.  

I love that you’re part of the Houma tribe.  I’d love to keep in touch.  My number is (504)875-7216.  And you can find me and my music from my website below.  I release all music under my last name Louque.  

Kind regards,

Dustan Louque

dustanlouque.com

"Louque Letters To Mathew"

                                                                                                                             

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Greetings Matthew,

Just wanted to thank you for your purchase.  The Louque name really means a lot to me and I work hard everyday to honor the hard work those before us did.  The Louque men made a smooth transition from the farm to the factory but there was no handbook for how to become an artist.  Over the years I have somehow managed to capture the essence and stories of old Grand Point/St. James Parish in song to share with the world.  

I hope this finds you well and finding the courage to walk your own unique path.   When I printed the label and saw Jennie Rd., my heart skipped a beat.  She was so beautiful and I think of her from time to time.  I think of all the folks we’ve lost a lot actually and try even harder.  My work becomes a prayer.

Kind regards,

Dustan Louque

Letter's To Noah "Soldiers"

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                                                                                                                                           New Orleans, La.                                           

                                                                                                                                                            

Greetings Noah,

I'm disappointed in the human race too.  Still I march on.

Kind Regards,

Dut

Letters To Logan "Under The Blood Red Sun"

                                                                                                                                              February 6, 2022

Greetings Logan, 

This morning, I came across a quote that said that one is more likely to achieve their goals by keeping them to themselves.  I thought you should hear that.  

It reminded me of the wild dreams I began to have for myself after childhood tragedies in Grand Point.  Life became precious and time……..time was so slow in old Grand Point but when Joey died, I stood on the corner and contemplated my future.  It was effing on!

Seriously, at first I expressed myself through sports and it was the familiar language in the River Parishes but then I discovered a talent for music at the ripe age of 19.  The best thing about sports was the structure and being able to define the parameters and knowing what work you had to do.  But art is a ship lost at sea and I had to figure out how to wrangle it back to some sort of shore.  I had to find my tribe and their was no guide book.  

My advice to you is to follow those things you love and stay curious and work like our ancestors in the field.  I think this summer we should go spend a few hours working in the hot field, under the blood red sun.    It’s enough to propel you to work through any kinds of coming conditions.  When it got hard in New York, all I had to do was think of those in the fields of Grand Point.  

But seriously, it’s great to have dreams.  But roll up your sleeves and do the work.  I live in fear of the little boy who made grand declarations to himself right there on Grand Point Lane.  I fear to disappoint him, so I work like hell to be enough.

Much Love,

Dut