Breaktime for Francis and Dauzat/St. Marie Rock Out The Marina

Breaktime for Francis and Dauzat/St. Marie hit Natchitoches, La. Sunday, Jan. 26 at the Point Place Marina. The pop-punk rock band from North Louisiana is known in the area with performances at Jazz Fest, the Riverside Warehouse in Shreveport and Lake Charles.

Chris Levy, drummer for the band, says, “We have been working hard and traveling in order to play.”

Jesse Guilliams, vocals for Breaktime, describes the band’s style as something that makes them stand out. “The way I’ve always looked at it, you just have to throw it all out there,” he said. He was also very surprised, yet thrilled by the turnout at the Marina.

Dauzat/St. Marie, an acoustic duo, consists of Mat Dauzat and Heather St. Marie, originally Louisiana locals; the two now base themselves out of Los Angeles.

They are better known as the guitarist and vocals for the rock band Hydrovibe.

The band got a big break with the inclusion of their song “Killer Inside” on the soundtrack for "Saw III." The massive exposure jumpstarted touring and helped cultivate a strong following.

Mat worked as Kelly Osbourne’s lead guitarist, leading to television performances and worldwide touring.

Their acoustic project, Dauzat/St.Marie stems from their Louisiana roots, when all they had to perform with was an acoustic guitar. After putting Hydrovibe together a lot of their original songs were adapted to a rock format, but the two artists still enjoy putting on the acoustic shows as a way to remember the history they have.

Dauzat says he feels blessed to have witnessed snow in Louisiana twice in a single tour. The show at the Marina worked out well with an intimate crowd and Dauzat was very pleased, especially since they rarely play in Natchitoches.

He also expressed his eagerness to make the city a regular stop on all of their tours. Originally from Ruston, he knows what it’s like to grow up in an area without a music scene.

“It’s what I always wanted to do, so I knew I’d have to build it myself,” said Dauzat.

He convinced the owner of a small business to host concerts and even convinced the owners of a haunted house between Ruston and Monroe to let him bring bands in for shows when it wasn’t in use.

With an “if you build it they will come” mentality Dauzat was able to build up the music scene and provide a venue for music lovers to congregate and share their passions for rock and metal.

Breaktime for Francis entered several submissions into Natchitoches’ Tri-Centennial’s Original Song Writing Competition. As part of the city’s 300 Years Celebration going on throughout 2014, the song competition is a special project designed to spotlight Natchitoches Parish songwriters and musicians.

The CD, “We’ve Been Around a Long Time: 300 Years of Natchitoches Music,” will help introduce the region to the talent the parish has to offer, providing an opportunity to share the music with a larger audience.

Ron McBride, the Tri-Centennial Manager feels that the parish is blessed with an abundance of musical talent, and the song competition is a good way to showcase it.

With the Jan. 31 deadline past, it is now a matter of anxiously waiting to find out which artists will make the cut.

Breaktime For Francis Perform 'Buster the Comeback Dog' Live

Hydrovibe, 'Killer Inside' Video featuring Shawnee Smith