DYLAN LEBLANC
Dylan LeBlanc is charming and reserved in personal conversation, but his impressive new album Renegade reflects the energy of his live performances – which he simply describes as rock 'n' roll. Although the album was recorded in just 10 days and mixed in three, the intensity of the project marks the culmination of more than a decade of touring.
“I like the idea of a ‘renegade’ – someone who breaks away from society or the structure of our world,” he says about Renegade, his first album with ATO Records. “It felt right to call it that. I wanted to write about the more brutal, uglier aspects of the world and life.”
LeBlanc's observations run throughout Renegade, but he is more interested in telling the stories than judging the characters for their choices. The title track, he says, is about “troubled, arrogant young men who fascinated young women with their lifestyle, which often ended tragically. I’ve seen that countless times in my youth.” Later, he writes in “Born Again” about his personal struggles to become a stronger person after being bullied in childhood for his long hair and experiencing a youth full of insecurities, fears, and anger.
LeBlanc sees the new album as a departure from his earlier work, particularly due to the sharper edges of these recordings, which he made with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb at Nashville's Studio A. This time, LeBlanc primarily played electric guitar, giving Renegade a Tom Petty flair with a hint of ’80s rock. “I’ve never played electric guitar live in the studio like this,” he says. “I am so used to the rhythmic, acoustic playing. It felt like I was playing a concert.”
Since 2016, LeBlanc has been touring with the Alabama rock band The Pollies as a backing band. He has known most of the band members since childhood in Muscle Shoals and considers them his closest friends. Since they had already played the songs from Renegade live, it made sense for The Pollies to be part of the studio sessions.
“They give me a sense of security to let go, to immerse myself more in the music,” LeBlanc says. “It’s a kind of telekinetic connection because we’ve known each other for so long and played together often. It’s a band of people I know musically very well. They allow me to express myself creatively in ways I probably wouldn’t have dared before.”
These expressions sometimes arise from conversations with strangers, like the woman in “Domino,” who shared her stories about prostitution, or the man he met in New Orleans who inspired “Bang Bang Bang,” a song about a life dramatically altered by gun violence. More personal themes are addressed in “Damned,” where he grapples with understanding religion, as well as in “I See It in Your Eyes” and “Lone Rider,” which illuminate the complexity of relationships. One of the quieter moments on the album, “Sand and Stone,” attempts to live in the here and now. Closing the album, “Magenta” addresses the history of a former slave plantation in Louisiana, while “Honor Among Thieves” makes a powerful statement on lineage, immigration laws, and land rights.
LeBlanc's previous album, Cautionary Tale from 2016, had a soothing atmosphere reminiscent of the 70s musicians who inspired him. However, as he toured with The Pollies, the sound shifted. Still, the albums are connected by LeBlanc’s growing confidence as a singer. The vocal range and depth he demonstrated on Cautionary Tale extends through the ten songs of Renegade.
“I believe my voice is something I had to find,” he says. “I didn’t have the vocal range I have now. Someone once told me, ‘Your voice is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.’ I’ve really taken that to heart. I always tried to push my limits, which can be embarrassing at times, but sometimes it works. Over time, I’ve been able to sing much higher and had more range and development. Plus, it helps to play concerts. You can’t replace experience.”
As a child, LeBlanc lived with his mother, stepfather, a brother, and a sister in Austin, Texas. When the kids visited their paternal grandmother in Shreveport, Louisiana, LeBlanc constantly played a video tape of his father, who played guitar in a band called The Underground, and accompanied him with a toy guitar. Soon, music became his obsession. In his early teenage years, LeBlanc listened to the ‘80s music his mother favored, like The Police and U2. At the same time, his grandmother encouraged him to keep writing music and introduced him to important songwriters like John Prine and Merle Haggard. He spent hours in his room learning guitar by playing along to CDs.
Since his father James LeBlanc worked as a songwriter at FAME Enterprises in Muscle Shoals, Dylan spent years hanging out in the office and getting to know founder Rick Hall. Unlike the incredible soul and rock history of the town, most of LeBlanc's friends listened to metal, while he was personally drawn to artists like Bright Eyes, Leonard Cohen, and Neil Young. At 16, he dropped out of high school to join a rock band. Since then, he has pursued a music career, and the release of Renegade means another global tour with the band, which he fully enjoys.
“I like to be silly and joke around with them, but I also enjoy having deep conversations, talking about things that matter,” says LeBlanc, who now lives in Nashville. “I don’t read anything that doesn’t help me grow as a person in some way. I don’t read novels anymore. I don’t read for entertainment. I read only to grow. I want to have conversations with people who are willing to grow and move forward in their own spiritual way.”
Doors: 7 PM / Standing room
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
