Alexis & the Samurai

Story by Tara Hall
SoundSpike Senior Writer
Published March 7, 2012 03:10 PM

New Orleans duo Alexis Marceaux & the Samurai will head to Texas mid-month for a few performances surrounding South by Southwest Music Conference.

The pair, comprised of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Marceaux and Sam Craft, will take on two Austin shows: a March 13 gig at Cheer Up Charlie's and a March 18 performance at Lucy's Fried Chicken. The duo is also scheduled to return home and take to the stage April 14 at New Orleans' French Quarter Festival.

Marceaux, a New Orleans native who made an appearance on HBO's New Orleans-based series "Treme," released her second studio set, "Orange Moon," last summer. The album follows her 2009 debut, "Dandelion," which was featured in part on MTV's "The Real World" and E!'s "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."

Listen to "Fox" by Alexis Marceaux & the Samurai:

Fox (mp3)

Craft, a prolific and sought-after violinist and singer/songwriter in his own right, has recorded or performed with Irma Thomas, Marianne Faithful, Cowboy Mouth and GIVERS, among others. - Soundspike

It is a common trope in rock ‘n’ roll that couples should never work together. When/if things go sour between the two, band life can become particularly difficult. While this often yields great music, it can wreak havoc on members’ personal lives (see: Mac, Fleetwood). However, Alexis Marceaux and Sam Craft of local indie-folk project Alexis and the Samurai seek to buck this trend. “Being in a band with Sam makes this so much more fun,” says Marceaux. “It is convenient in a great way. We’re always helping each other out. It’s very symbiotic, not just in music but also on a personal level.”

“It’s not uncommon for bands to live together,” adds Craft. “This is just another version of that.”

An Alexis and the Samurai show is nothing if not a grand display of coordination. “We always try to figure out how to bridge gaps in songs,” says Craft, “so I’ll think, ‘I’m not using my left hand at this part of the song; I’m not using my left foot here,’ and we begin to think about arrangements in that way.” This can be seen as Marceaux sings, plays guitar, and stomps on a foot-activated tambourine while Craft drums with his right hand and foot while he plays keyboard with his left—all with a violin at his chin. “Our gear-heavy setup makes playing as a duo much more challenging,” says Marceaux, “but also much more fun.”

While the band sometimes has additional musicians, the duo setup allows for an intricate performance, with every nuance becoming heightened due to the smaller approach, and every drum hit and hand shaker gaining greater importance. This increased awareness gives the band’s performances a level of intimacy rarely seen in local indie rock. “It’s a less-is-more kind of intensity,” says Craft. “There are fewer things going on covering other sounds. You can be pulled in more because everything is exposed.”

The stripped-down set-up has begun to influence the band’s songwriting approach. “It started off adapting songs to this orientation,” says Craft, “Now we’re writing songs to it. We experiment with taking out the bass or only having violin and drums. Writing like this has really opened up our eyes from an arrangement perspective.” While the duo’s instrumentation plays a large role in shaping their songs, the heart of writing for Alexis and the Samurai comes from Marceaux and Craft’s musical and personal partnership. “My favorite part is writing,” says Marceaux. “We help each other with piecing the songs together.”

“We build each other’s ideas,” says Craft, finishing Marceaux’s thought. “One of us can come in with a mediocre idea, and the other person will turn it into a decent idea, and then the first person takes that idea back and then makes it a good idea.”

Alexis and the Samurai’s sense of a “couple band” stems from Marceaux and Craft’s experience with family bands. Both are also active members of Susan Cowsill’s band as well as local indie-rock institution Glasgow! (featuring Sam’s brother Jack on guitar and cello). “I feel like we’re the next generation version of Susan and her husband Russ [Broussard],” says Marceaux. “I think it only really works in that family atmosphere.”

“Some people only have loyalty to a band because the enterprise is profitable,” adds Craft. “But nothing we do is very profitable, so there has to be a family level of trust. Otherwise, someone may walk out because there isn’t that family sense of loyalty.” There are strains of their other projects within Alexis and the Samurai—particularly on Marceaux’s Orange Moon release—as well, with the roots rock flavor of Cowsill’s band mixing with the quirkiness of Glasgow!

This emphasis on family has led to Marceaux shying away from treating Alexis and the Samurai as a traditional solo singer/songwriter with support musicians. “With Orange Moon, I wrote most of the songs myself,” says Marceaux. “It’s all co-writing now.” Still, her gravity-defying voice is at the forefront of the project. “I find it easier to write for Alexis’ voice,” says Craft. “I always think, ‘How can I best write this part for her?’ Plus, she can do anything with her voice, but I’m much more limited. Handling a bunch of different instruments is my specialty in the band, whereas singing is hers.” This sense of working together and highlighting each other’s strengths comes from the genuine love the two members of Alexis and the Samurai have for each other. While a romantic pair writing and performing together can be dangerous, the two still find time to behave like a normal couple. “We watch a lot of 30 Rock and Mad Men,” says Marceaux. “It’s not all business.” Still, the two never entirely go off the clock. “We’re around each other all the time,” says Craft, “so it’s a 24/7 band meeting.” - Offbeat Magazine

As a Louisiana native, I’ve come to accept a few things about New York: parades aren’t as fun (or wild); you will almost certainly always have to settle for frozen crawfish; and if you want to celebrate Mardi Gras properly, it’s best to throw your own party. With such little lagniappe in this part of the country, I'm always excited to meet people from back home, especially if they come bearing musical gifts.

Such was the case on Sunday night when I ventured out in the torrential downpour to Spike Hill for Alexis Marceaux & the Samurai (also known as Sam Craft). The New Orleans natives are currently touring the Eastern seaboard to promote their latest album, Orange Moon. While the bar was hardly packed—rain and Mad Men will do that—those present were appropriately responsive, clapping and hollering after every song. They would fit right in in the Crescent City.

“Brains,” a track off the new album, began with Marceaux on acoustic guitar and Craft on every other conceivable instrument (drums, violin, keys, etc.). It was evident immediately that Marceaux boasts a rare vocal talent: a strange combination of Sarah McLachlan’s lilting beauty and Linda Perry’s power, Marceaux hit every note with nary a quaver. Such confidence and strength proved an interesting foil to the songs themselves, which felt a bit folky, or even a shade alt-country. With poetic singer/songwriter lyrics and an eclectic, almost Dave Matthews Band-esque sound, each song—from the romantic “Stars” to the surprisingly angry “Shut Up”—had depth and an undeniable pop sensibility.

My favorite song of the evening wasn’t an original, however, it was a cover of the lauded Cajun group The Balfa Freres’ “Parlez-nous a Boire,” which roughly translates to “Let’s Talk about Drinking.” (No one parties like Cajuns do.) Having grown up on Zydeco, I was expecting something traditional or, at least, reverential—washboard optional. But Marceaux and Craft’s take was completely fresh and original, somehow sounding like a rock song. With its pounding drums and shaking tambourines, it was a veritable barn—or, in this case, swamp shanty—burner.

Zydeco is fun, danceable music, but it's fairly niche: I’d venture that the only young people seriously listening to it live somewhere near Lafayette. From what I heard, Marceaux and Craft could change this with their thoroughly twenty-first-century take on the sound. Laissez les bons temps rouler, indeed. - Feast of Music

Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 12:18 am | Updated: 8:24 pm, Tue Jun 12, 2012.
Gina Borg

To show Athens a good time, Alexis Marceaux and the Samurai employs all limbs.

Two and a half years ago, Alexis Marceaux looked for a violinist to play in her band, and Sam Craft looked for a female vocalist to sing in his. Through mutual friends, the pair found each other. Now, both musicians share Alexis Marceaux and the Samurai and Craft’s band Glasgow.

“We keep a decent balance depending on what we have going on with each project,” Marceaux said.
For Glasgow, things are quiet as the band records an album, leaving Alexis Marceaux and the Samurai more time to tour.

Though both bands consist of Craft and Marceaux, there is some differentiation between the two groups. The music of Glasgow is more “dance trance,” where the music of Alexis Marceaux and the Samurai is “somewhat more delicate,” said Craft.

“It has energy,” he said “But it’s a little more brooding. We try to keep both bands intelligent, but Alexis Marceaux and the Samurai is slightly more cerebral. It’s a little more intimate.”

However, the music of Alexis Marceaux and the Samurai is not slow or quiet, Craft said. The sound is “lush,” and Marceaux calls the project an “indie pop” band that is “quirky in the sense that it’s not anything you’ve ever heard before.”

Marceaux and Craft balance more than merely their bands, however.

Though the band began with five members, it narrowed down to two for reasons of economical practicality.

“It’s expensive to find lodging for four or five people,” said Craft. “We’re very low maintenance, so as we started playing together, it just became more economical to find a way to do stuff with just the two of us.”

Marceaux and Craft still collaborate with former members of the band in New Orleans when they “want to make a big noise.” Past participants appreciate the talent that it requires for Marceaux and Craft to partner in the way that they do, Craft said.

To suit their new number, both members must employ as many limbs in their act as possible. While Craft’s left hand is on his bow, his right plays piano and his foot beats a bass drum.

“It’s kind of a cool gimmick,” Craft said, “a spectacle to see us torture ourselves. It requires a lot of brain space. Basically, I can’t chew gum and do that at the same time. You basically have to have four different brains.”

In order to accommodate their juggling act, the musicians must focus on the instruments they are least adept at.

“My violin will play itself,” Craft said. “I need to focus on singing, and Alexis is the opposite. Her singing takes care of itself, so she has to focus on playing. It’s this weird psychological game that you play to keep yourself from falling over.”

The band’s hometown plays a recurring role in its songs. For the last album, “Orange Moon,” Craft called in friends to play horns, which added some brassy jazz to the thoughtful indie sound. He said the album is “diverse and eclectic to represent the city of New Orleans.” Many of the songs on “Orange Moon” focus on Marceaux’s return to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

“It’s kind of bittersweet because you get to come home,” said Craft, “but it’s not the city you knew.”
Before “Orange Moon,” Marceaux released one other album. Since that album, her songs have become more metaphorical and symbolic, while before they were “more literal.”

“I wrote the first album almost too honestly,” said Marceaux. “I don’t want to be an open book. I want the lyrics to be symbolic.

An example — Marceaux’s song “Fox,” tells the story of a fox and a chicken who are friends. More than a silly story, the song is actually about overcoming stereotypes and prejudice.

“To us it means a lot,” said Marceaux, “but to the audience, it’s a little more open.” - The Red and Black

Alexis Marceaux & the Samurai - May 8, 2012

New Faces Night at the Basement brought us this heavenly duo. Alexis Marceaux and her samurai, Sam Craft, blend their unique talents together to create a new genre in the folk rock scene.

Preparing for their set, Sam Craft juggled three different instruments, “I’m just figuring out how to play all of these at once,” he said referring to a violin, drum, and keyboard, while the audience waited in bemused anticipation. However, just moments into their first song “Leila and the Orange Moon,” the audience realized that they were in the presence of a new musical chapter for the underground scene.

The Louisiana flare that is the breath of these New Orleans natives is what brought Alexis Marceaux and Sam Craft together to develop what is now Alexis Marceaux and the Samurai. Sam Craft, a producer by nature, put it all out there by bringing a 25-piece brass band together for their debut album Orange Moon. “We have a brass band influence that comes from being proud New Orleanians,” stated Alexis Marceaux. Though Orange Moon is a beautifully crafted album from start to finish, this duo illuminated the stage during their simplistic set. On “Stars” you feel a connection between the two artists that inspires an organic sound, which pleases the ears on an orgasmic level. “Brains” has an orchestral sweep that fabricates warmly melancholic tone that is refreshing for any music lover.

Alexis Marceaux and the Samurai are out to slay as many ears as possible. They already have us at their mercy and we are looking forward to what they put out next!

If you want to find out more about Alexis Marceaux and the Samurai visit their website at http://alexismarceaux.com/ Below are the three songs mentioned in the blog off their debut album Orange Moon which can be purchased in full on ITunes.

Written by Rachel Stemerman
- The Underground Sound (Nashville)

The road to successful large-scale creative collaborations is paved with the remnants of overly-indulgent ego-trips that can barely get off the ground. Look no further than the Super Bowl XLV halftime show or Velvet Revolver for proof that “more people” doesn’t necessarily equate to “better results”. The fact that Slash, one of the greatest guitarists to ever walk this green earth, played an active role in both aforementioned examples of abject failure is not lost on me, nor should it be on you.

No less than 25 musicians have cameos on Orange Moon, and with a roster that stretches from Clint Maedgen to Chris Rehm, Susan Cowsill to Andrew Duhon, Paul Sanchez to Paul Thibodeaux – then continues back and forth across every genre sprouting up or staying alive in this fair city – this project was a perfect candidate to collapse under its own weight. But the beauty of Alexis Marceaux’s second solo release comes through in the restraint she shows even while equipped with nothing less than a murderer’s row of local and national talent.

Under the tutelage of Polyphonic Spree violinist Rick Nelson and her long-time co-conspirator and Glasgow bandmate Sam Craft, Marceaux pairs the mountains of capability at her disposal with a set of intriguingly spacious compositions: layered, complex songs that manage to remain airy in spite of the dense amount of tracking packed into each one. Orange Moon succeeds in the exact places a “big” record should – diversity, virtuosity – while graciously staying out of it’s own way.

The tasteful orchestral backing, haunting coos and hand claps of “Brains” rumble into the soaring “Fox”, a mini-suite of sorts that alternately sets Marceaux’s ethereal voice against delicate guitar work and driving walls of industrial percussion. The enjoyable tension that builds as the album jumps from genre to genre – a stylistic tug of war that would be jarring if it weren’t so well executed – is subsequently relieved with the swampy, primal horn bash “Leila’s Reprise”.

At first, I found the decision to give some of the who’s who of New Orleans brass – “Big Sam” Williams, Preservation Hall’s Clint Maedgen, Bonerama’s Craig Klein, all-around nice guy Michael Girardot – less than 30 seconds to wail wholly disappointing, a seeming waste of having them in the studio taking direction. But the short, powerful interlude gives the listener just enough time to blow off some steam without destroying the considerately curated mood of the album with unnecessary intemperance.

If someone like me was behind the boards, Orange Moon would have been 45 minutes of out of place trombone solos and decadent guitar riffs, which would have resulted in a considerably worse final product than the inspired nuance Marceaux rustled out of this all-star cast.
- BarryFest

"On her second album, New Orleans singer-songwriter Alexis Marceaux crams a lot of ambition into eight slender tracks, breaking out the strings, brass bands and her own soaring, classically trained alto for a sound that at times resembles a Crescent City version of Arcade Fire. She’s capable of everything from swooning, Jesca Hoop–like art-pop (“Stars”) to flirty bossa nova (“Only One Basket”), but still seems to be in search of a sound to call her own. Until she finds one, “Orange Moon” definitely has its own eclectic charms. " - Metromix (publishes in dozens of cities)

Alexis Marceaux

by Kaiya Morrison

Depending on the day, local musician Alexis Marceaux might be the namesake and lead vocalist for her band, or she could be the newest member of the local indie rock band, Glasgow. Either way, the past year has proven to be a whirlwind of events for the young artist.


From a headlining spot at the House of Blues, to recording an album, Marceaux has quickly gained a name for herself. However, many will get their first exposure to her music at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The Alexis Marceaux Band will make its Jazz Fest debut on Friday, April 23 on the Lagniappe Stage.


This accomplishment, along with a laundry list of others, proves that sometimes the greatest key to success is location, location, location.


“I moved back to New Orleans in August [2009],” Marceaux explained. “My family lost everything after Katrina, so I relocated with my parents when I was still in high school.”


Marceaux spent her entire childhood in St. Bernard Parish. Her last year of high school was spent in a new city, starting over. She continued on to attend Southeastern University in Hammond.


“I was raised on really good music,” Marceaux said when detailing her background. “I took a few piano lessons, but I play by ear, mostly. Then I picked up the guitar, was taught a few chords, and took it from there myself.

“I feel that my voice is my real instrument,” she concluded. “From the age of four, all the way through college, I was classically trained.”


Marceaux began looking back to her roots while working towards a music degree, and wrote her first album, Dandelion, which was released in April 2009.


“I call it my life compilation album,” Marceaux said about Dandelion. “I used songs I wrote from when I was fifteen to the present time, so it’s a very personal album. It includes the things I’ve gone through over the last four or five years, including Katrina.”


Marceaux recorded the album in the French Quarter at Audiophile Studios over the span of three months. At the time, Marceaux was working as a solo artist, but she did include a full band on the album.


“The album was more of a way to get the songs down that I wanted to put out as a solo artist,” Marceaux said when explaining how the band formed.

Once the album was completed, Marceaux found herself returning to the notion of moving back to the home that had always been her inspiration.
“I wanted to venture out and collaborate with other musicians who are doing the same things as me,” she said about her decision to move back to New Orleans.
Marceaux found that connection when she was introduced to Sam Craft, the lead vocalist for Glasgow.


“Sam knew my name but not my sound, which was weird,” Marceaux recalled with a laugh. “We hit it off talking music because we share the same ideology. After that, when he heard my tunes on the internet, we started playing music together.”


The foundations for a permanent lineup for the Alexis Marceaux Band began taking form. Before Marceaux became a member of Glasgow, Craft became a member of her band, along with Jay Marino (guitar, keyboard), who had worked with Marceaux on Dandelion. Completing the band are Paul Thibodeaux (drums) and Ted Long (bass).


“It’s almost like a freak accident that we all just met each other,” Marceaux said. “Even though we all have our own projects, these guys are it when it comes to this band. Now, when I play a show, I play with them.”
Not long after making her final move to New Orleans, Craft asked Marceaux to contribute to the recording of a new Glasgow EP.


“He said he wanted to add female vocals for this indie rock musical they wanted to record,” Marceaux said about the EP. “It’s a concept album and it’s called 1986.”


The necessity for a female vocalist is intermingled with the concept, which chronicles the journey a young woman undertakes when she discovers she is pregnant. Set in the year 1986, the woman attempts to locate the father, who is reluctant to take responsibility.


Glasgow is composed of Sam and his brother Jack Craft, Marceaux, Jon Arceneaux, and George Elizondo. The new EP is available online at www.glasgowband.net as a free download.
To learn more about The Alexis Marceaux Band, visit www.alexismarceaux.com.


- Where Y'at Magazine - New Orleans

New Orleans’ darling Alexis Marceaux, recently had a celebratory performance to mark the digital release of her amazing second album, ‘Orange Moon,’ and at just 22, she has a lot to celebrate. Aside from the nationwide release of this album, Alexis spent May touring in Germany with her friend and mentor, Susan Cowsill, and is now in talks about European distribution with Blue Rose records. The owner of Blue Rose came to two shows, as well as another Blue Rose employee who wrote a beaming review. “We had to run it through google translate, but it was still really cool,” said producer and bandmate, Sam Craft, who accompanied her on the trip. As a country known for loving Americana, Alexis couldn’t say enough how great the fans in Germany were. “They treat you like royalty.”

Along with this amazing international milestone in her career, Alexis is making strides back in the states, too. A few tracks from ‘Orange Moon’ are on rotation at Starbucks, featured on CMT, and the album is currently featured on AOL Music where you can hear it for free in its entirety. As well, over the next few months, you will be able to catch Alexis Marceaux live as she tours in Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas.
- The New LoFi

That voice. That extraordinary, haunting voice belongs to 22-year old New Orleans singer-songwriter – not to mention guitarist, pianist and harmonica player – Alexis Marceaux. Set for release on August 23rd, her brilliant sophomore album, Orange Moon, features 25 of NOLA’s top musicians from various genres and it is a strong contender for my favorite album of the year. - Muruch

NOLA’s Alexis Marceaux is back in the bins on August 23rd with her sophomore release, Orange Moon. The record is somewhat of a who’s who of the local music scene and boosts over 25 of the city’s finest musicians. Nothing too official to share, but we were able to lay hands on this nice Liveset Studio Session footage of Marceaux performing Brains. - My Old Kentucky Blog

The follow-up to her 2009 debut, Dandelion, finds young NOLA native Alexis Marceaux maturing into a songwriting force to be reckoned with. The opening track of Orange Moon is a dramatic, emotionally charged homage to her late friend Leila Foret (to whom the album is also dedicated) that puts Marceaux’s powerful and gorgeous alto front and center. Backed on this track by a brass section from Bonerama, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, and a host of other New Orleans horns, Marceaux’s vocals soar and dive within a modern second-line with a loose yet forceful intensity. This yin and yang is prevalent throughout, and makes for a compelling mix.

The pure indie-rock of “Fox” (think Decemberists, Fleet Foxes) and the resplendent beauty of bossa-nova jazz on “Only One Basket” meld easily with the album’s straight-up Cajun/Zydeco, near-sacred anthems, and angelic hymns.

As for Marceaux’s maturity as a songwriter, Orange Moon is a work rife with metaphorical battles: personal relationships (“Who the hell are you to shake things up when I’m fine on my own”) in “Sur Mon Chemin” (on my way); her friend’s battle with cancer in “Leila and the Orange Moon”; New Orleans’ struggles after Hurricane Katrina, and the Gulf region’s degradation after the Deepwater Horizon oil-spill fiasco last year. Regarding the latter, “Wishing Well” is sung from the perspective of a pelican (the Louisiana state bird) lamenting the sorry and oily state of its habitat. Marceaux croons “I just want to spread my wings and sing like a songbird sings, but suddenly I’m overcome with fear,” and then spits caustically, “And those suckers will be lucky if I ever come back.” The song, and the album, close with a whispered “Au revoir, au revoir la terre de mon pere” (Goodbye, land of my father).

Produced with longtime Glasgow partner Sam Craft, engineering “magic” by Polyphonic Spree’s Rick Nelson, and joined by dozens of NOLA’s finest musicians, Orange Moon is a full and heady work. The only downside, at a mere eight songs, with “Leila’s Reprise” at under a minute yet surprisingly stirring, is that we’re left wanting much more. --Jim Simpson
- No Depression

With Orange Moon, Alexis Marceaux takes an ambitious leap as a solo artist: stepping out of the prosaic, singer-songwriter nest of her capable 2009 debut, Dandelion, into the daring, cinematic skies of indie folk. The album, which she dedicates to the memory of a friend lost to cancer, is a lush, emotionally charged, suite with a distinct New Orleans imprint.

"So strong, like the nightlife, like the moonlight, like the moon, rise, so bright," she cries in opener "Leila and the Orange Moon," as the vulnerable, string-swathed lament is swept up into an arresting, brass band vigil. Marceaux and bandmate Sam Craft (Glasgow) share the disc's production duties, which involve wrangling over two-dozen New Orleans-based musicians, including Susan Cowsill, Big Sam, the New Orleans Bingo! Show's Clint Maedgen, and indie rockers Sun Hotel.

Credit engineer Rick G. Nelson's (The Polyphonic Spree) savvy mixes for shading Orange Moon's intricate layers, especially on the wistful "Stars" and the quizzical "Brains." Credit Marceaux and Craft for clinging to their strengths without caving to their eccentricities. Marceaux's imaginative lyrics and bewitching personality color the album's brightest moments, so right when the lounging bossa-pop of "Only One Basket" gets a bit too cozy she quips, "Don't get all Carole King on me!" On the snarky closer, "Wishing Well," a condemnation of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill told from the perspective of a bird, she chirps atop a rising, Arcade Fire-esque chorus, "The wind is at my back," only to snicker, "and you suckers will be lucky if I ever come back." If Orange Moon is a sign of what's on the horizon, there's no telling how far this adventurous young songbird will fly. --Aaron Lafont, OffBeat Magazine, June 2011 issue.
- Offbeat Magazine

A beautiful quickie of an album, Orange Moon says all that needs to be said in less than 27 minutes. That’s one below the number of players on this unassuming record, financed by a Kickstarter campaign in just over 24 hours. Produced by Polyphonic Spree’s Rick Nelson and friend Sam Craft, the album is as lush a production as you’ll hear all year, but is economical in its phrasing and bite. That bite is key, mind you, as the NOLA native shows quickly. The title track, dedicated to a lost friend, is equal parts delicate and defiant. The boom of brass on the refrain declares Leila’s cancer fight and echoes that of the city itself. It’s difficult to let the disc play the next song as you keep hitting repeat while coaxing the volume ever higher. The disc’s closer is the tale of the Deepwater oil spill from the perspective of a bird flying overhead. The chorus sneers, “Those suckers will be lucky if I ever come back.” Indeed. — Damien McPherson
- LEO Weekly

"Marceaux, a trained alto singer, has a voice that recalls the best of many contemporary female singers, from Florence Welch to Dar Williams to Chan Marshall." - Magnet Magazine

"New Orleans' artists are known for incorporating regional influences into their personal styles; the combinations result in exclusive, often incomparable art. Marceaux is one these artists, pairing familiar Louisiana sounds with influences like Carole King and Radiohead, as well as giving it her individual touch." - Mountain Times (NC)

On April 2, 2011 Alexis Marceaux finally gave New Orleans her second solo album, Orange Moon. Following her beautiful 2009 solo debut, “Dandelion”, this album showed a new maturity and confidence that was not quite there a few years ago. Inspired by her return to New Orleans from the North Shore, the feel of the album is about empowerment, coming home, and overall love for this crazy city.

While her name is easily recognizable when equated with Glasgow, this album is sure to make people perk up to her solo career. Already carrying a solo fan base on the North Shore where she moved post-Katrina, the goal of the New Orleans release was to broaden that to the indie scene this side of Pontchartrain. The album will be released nationally while Alexis and her band, comprised of Ted Long, Paul Thibodeaux, and Sam Craft, tour this summer.

Alexis has been writing songs for years, and Orange Moon was no different, with all but two songs being all her. The remaining two were collaborations with bandmate Sam Craft. The entire album really, was a collaboration of the best that New Orleans has to offer. Before recording, she mapped out exactly who she wanted to join her on each track, bringing in everyone from Big Sam of Big Sam’s Funky Nation to Clint Maedgen to Paul Sanchez. The last track on the album, “Wishing Well,” a response to the Gulf Coast oil spill, featured “pretty much the entire New Orleans rock scene.” One collaborator who was not able to join this talented group at the release was Rick Nelson, who engineered the album. He was a strong force in refining the ideas and sound of the album. As said by Alexis and Sam, “He sprinkled his magic on this record. He is incredible.”

The indie scene in New Orleans is really unlike any other. It is unified and supportive of all those involved. As said by Sam, “We are all about tying the music scene together. We will fare a lot better as a united front than as isolated islands.” “Without each other, we wouldn’t have a fan base. Our friends help generate a buzz and we do the same for them,” followed Alexis.

Orange Moon is a perfect example of this oceanic feeling of unity. For “Wishing Well” the stage was packed with all of those who joined her on the recording, and the energy was insane. With her soul shaking voice, combined with skills on guitar, keyboard, and drums, Alexis Marceaux is going places and I am looking forward to a very long ride.


- Stereo Gumbo

Alexis Marceaux Orange Moon — New Orleans musician’s soothing vocal style has refreshing musical accompaniment. - Creative Loafing

Alexis Marceaux’s sophomore release — Orange Moon — was recorded upon moving back to the Crescent City after her family lost everything during Hurricane Katrina and was forced to vacate for a while.

Upon her return to New Orleans, Marceaux assembled a band, known collectively as the Samurai and comprised of university-trained, Jazz musicians: drummer Paul Thibodeaux and bassist Ted Long. Last to join was producer Sam Craft who happened to be searching for a female vocalist for his own band, Glasgow. Marceaux discovered a kindred spirit in Craft — they are both bandleaders, who are willing to do whatever it takes to get their music heard. Marceaux and Craft immediately started collaborating. Mix in a dash of voodoo magic and — poof! — Orange Moon.

AdobeAirstream caught up with Marceaux and the Samurai after they played The Mohawk (with Shakey Graves and The Sour Notes) last night to ask a few questions about Orange Moon.

A2: Orange Moon borrows a lot from NOLA’s musical heritage, but I would not necessarily categorize the resulting sound as traditional NOLA music — was this purposeful on your part?

AM: You’re spot on. “Indie pop” or not, I will always put my New Orleans heritage into my music, and quite frankly it’s hard not to have at least a little of it there. It such a big part of who I am — my family is Cajun French and I grew up dancing to Zydeco with my Grandma while my Grandpa was playing the accordion. You can’t go anywhere in our city without hearing the music of brass bands, traditional dixieland jazz, or bounce music.

A2: How did hurricane Katrina, and being in New Orleans during that time, influence Orange Moon?

AM: Well the title Orange Moon comes from a scene that became etched into my memory — I was driving into town on I-10 post-Katrina and a large harvest moon was looming over the city skyline, as if embracing and protecting the city. That nurturing image was a huge influence to me, and this record. We recorded the album in an old shotgun house, the home of our engineer Rick Nelson (member of the The Polyphonic Spree, among other bands) in Mid-City. The high ceilings and hardwood floors (requisites in any New Orleans house) made for the perfect warmth and reverb we were looking for.

A2: How has your transition to utilizing metaphorical lyrics influenced the instrumentation of your songs?

AM: Well, that all has to do with the use of imagery. As with its use in words, imagery is an incredibly viable tool in music. The two go hand in hand. So, for example, when I sing about pastoral things (as with the song “Fox“: “The fox enters the yard…she walks right past the bushes, but no one seems to mind“), naturally there are going to be some hints of birdsong, wind, and rolling landscapes in the music.

The same goes with the song “Leila and the Orange Moon“. In it, I’m comparing my very courageous friend Leila Foret, who bravely battled cancer for several years, to the city of New Orleans itself, battling back from the disastrous aftermath of Katrina. To help illustrate the image of a city fighting for its own welfare, that song is filled with Brass Band music, police sirens, ghostly fog, and countless other musical clues.

A2: What’s your approach to performing the songs from Orange Moon live?

AM: When we’re in New Orleans, or close by, we play as a 4-ish piece. But when we hit the road in earnest — as with our Mohawk show with The Sour Notes [and Shakey Graves] on October 25th — we do a wild and wacky duo thing. I’m on guitar and playing percussion and singing lead. Sam plays bass notes on a keyboard while doing pretty much an entire drum set worth of percussion while playing violin while singing. Our duo approximates the album’s sound about as darn close as you can get. And, It’s quite a spectacle!

A2: Orange Moon takes on several political issues, such the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Do you think the pelican [of “Wishing Well”] will ever return?

AM: Said pelican is alive and fishing as we speak — but she needed to give everybody a good scare so that we wouldn’t take her for granted. - Adobe Airstream (Austin, TX)

"Alexis Marceaux is a singer-songwriter originally from the New Orleans area. Alexis will soon be releasing her sophomore CD, “Orange Moon.” Her CD release show is April 2nd at One Eyed Jack’s. She is also a member of the local indie rock band Glasgow. I spoke to Alexis recently about her early influences, her classical training, and how she ended up writing her own music."
- GoNOLA.com

Concert Review: Alexis Marceaux and Sam Craft at The Circle Bar on Sept. 7th, 2009
Alexis Marceaux is a native New Orleanian that recently burst back onto the scene. Her folk/soul had enough unexpected, almost proggy changes to set her apart and keep me on my toes when she recently shared a bill at The Circle Bar with Sam Craft.

Her subject matter was nothing new for a female singer-songwriter--the travails of the heart--but her sweet, tender melodies kept the music from sinking into schlock. It also helped that she was comfortable onstage. I've seen enough mousey performers that are just "happy to be there."

She was most confident with her soaring voice, her greatest weapon. She coated the music as she pleased, laying back, playing it lean and straight or going for it, pushing her voice in an impressive showcase of her improvisatory skill. She had quite the range. When she reached her higher register, she sounded like a bird.

Craft, who had been accompanying Marceaux on violin and synthesizer, took the reigns next. Whether on solo acoustic or synthesizer, he proved that Glasgow songs could hit home without a band. It took me to see Craft to play this set to realize how talented he and his brother Sam are as songwriters. My favorite of the set was "Samurai," a song full of rock opera bombast and smart dynamics. It was a fun up and down ride, really well-crafted. - Jason Songe