Reece a folk musician from South Arkansas who has called Lafayette, Louisiana home for the past 13 years, delivers a compelling new album that captures the essence of his journey and the rich musical landscape of his adopted hometown. This latest release, recorded entirely at Charlie Gathe’s studio in Maurice, Louisiana, showcases the artist’s evolution and the unexpected surprises that shaped the album's creation.
Recording began in August 2022 at Gathe’s studio, a few miles south of Lafayette. Initially, Reece planned to follow his usual process: laying down foundational tracks in the studio and finishing the album in his home setup. However, the synergy with Charlie Gathe changed everything.
The result is an album that feels both intimate and expansive, capturing the spirit of collaboration and the unexpected discoveries made along the way. The tracks are imbued with a sense of place, reflecting the cultural and musical influences of Lafayette. Sullivan's storytelling shines through, with lyrics that paint vivid pictures of life, love, and the journey of an artist.
We sat down with Reece to learn more about his journey as an artist, the album's creation and much, much more, exclusively for FLEX!
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Hey Reece! Can you tell us more about your journey from South Arkansas to Lafayette, Louisiana? What led you to settle there 13 years ago?
It’s a long journey, but the brief version is that I pretty much left my hometown of El Dorado, Arkansas at age 20 and moved here and there for years. I’ve lived all over Arkansas, in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Black Mountain, NC. In 2006, me and my wife eloped and had a son a day before our first anniversary. We were pretty much broke, and that, more than anything else, dictated most decisions. We had a small opportunity open up in Lafayette and somewhat whimsically moved there. But that was a pretty good stroke of luck, musically, because there’s a tremendous amount of music and high-level players there. I consider it a hidden and generally unknown music hub.
You’ve been writing folk and folk-related music for the last 20 years. How has your style evolved over the years?
I feel like and would like to think I’ve expanded. As you get more songs under your belt that you can stand by, then you relax more. What this translates to for me is a greater sense of freedom with what I’m doing. For instance, in the last couple years I’ve written considerably more songs that are pop-oriented or further afield from what I would’ve written in the past.
You mentioned that Lafayette is a hidden musical hub. What are some unique aspects of its music scene that you’ve discovered?
More than anything, there are many high-caliber players there. But there are also several festivals, Festival International and Black Pot being two of the more prominent. People come from all over for those. Zydeco was born in Opelousas, which is basically right outside Lafayette. I didn’t even really know what that was when we moved there but was completely blown away hearing a man named Jeffrey Broussard ten years ago. It can be very powerful music, especially, for me, in smaller, more intimate settings. But there’s a pop related scene there, as well. We used to go to a farm-to-table restaurant and our (sometimes) server was the singer for a band whose album was picked as NPR’s album of the year.
You started recording your latest album in August 2022 at Charlie Gathe’s studio. What was the initial vision for this album?
I write a lot and have a lot of material, so I normally just try to keep things going in various stages in the process: writing, polishing, finishing recordings, and starting them . . . just something to keep everything moving. So starting this album was no different. I just went in with Jim McGee and Miki McCartney with a couple handfuls of songs picked out. My normal attitude is one where I accept that some or even most may not turn out well . . . or maybe they all turn out fantastic. Then I try to just let it lead itself. As far as varying things between albums, I normally switch up players or studios to degrees, and I also normally seem to end featuring different instrumentation between them. My last album, Arkansas, has a ton of French Horns, and I think that colours it a certain way that’s different than other stuff I’ve done, for instance. All to say, there wasn’t a clarified vision! But it did nevertheless seem to lead itself where it wanted to go.
How did working with Charlie Gathe change your approach to recording this album compared to your previous ones?
It changed it a lot. In the past it’s pretty much been all on me, which, as much as I love it, is nevertheless tiring and a lot or work. It’s super nice being able to let go and let someone else suggest or lead things. On top of that, I don’t have anywhere near the same amount of equipment that Charlie does, so some of the more technical aspects became drastically easier and simpler. That combined with his producing know-how, it’s a totally different experience.
And finally, you mentioned working on another album and a series of live videos with Jim McGee. Can you give us a sneak peek of what to expect from these upcoming projects?
With the videos, Jim and I shot a lot of material at my house a few months ago, and I expect to release the first of those probably in the middle of July. These are acoustic and generally pretty folky. I expect to release two to four of those starting mid-July.
As for the next album, tentatively being called Swan Song, it’s already underway at Charlie’s Lightwave Studio, so I imagine there will be some similarities. We already have a good deal of songs demoed and even a few off the ground. I hope to just roll into releasing singles from it once Songbook has been out a month or so, probably early 2025.
Listen to Reece Sullivan's full discography here:
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