Des Allemands-based band Group Therapy entertained revelers at the Louisiana Catfish Festival in late June.
The band, composed of Hahnville High School graduates and students, was founded four years ago by Trevor Arthur and Christian Champagne.
Arthur said although he and his friends put together the band they did not have a name at first.
“We were all out to have a good time and just like make a band or whatever and we are all kind of crazy. So it was just like ‘oh we all need therapy’ and the name kind of stuck,” Arthur said. “We always thought about changing it, but everyone now knows us by it so we stuck with the name.”
Champagne was originally the band’s bassist, but recently left after graduating from HHS.
“He was our bass player from the beginning, but he recently just got shipped out to the Navy,” Arthur said. “That’s really the only reason why he left, but we wish him luck.”
Arthur said although Champagne has now left they found an able replacement in Matt Picard. Picard joins Arthur on guitar, Mason Dauphin on drums, Jacie Folse as lead singer and Thomas Jones on bass. In addition, Arthur said his little sister helps out as a keyboardist and with back-up vocals.
Arthur said he was mulling over leaving the area himself to attend Northwestern University in Natchitoches, but changed his mind and decided to attend the University of New Orleans.
“They didn’t have what I wanted to major in which is audio engineering. But at UNO they had it so I put in an application and got a full ride,” Arthur said. “I am going to stay here. It makes it a whole lot easier, especially with the band, so we can keep it together.”
The band is hoping to capitalize on Arthur living in New Orleans.
“Especially doing stuff with music there I can hopefully get my foot into some doors so we can play,” Arthur said.
Arthur said in its four years the band has changed quite a bit, but he thinks the current line-up will last.
“It was kind of hard to keep a singer,” Arthur said. “We’d have a singer for a couple of months and then they would opt out on us and it was hard to keep a singer and a
piano player, but we found a singer who is dedicated now in Jacie.”
The group plays mostly cover songs that were big in the 1970s and 80s.
“I have been saying we need to start writing our own music, but just as of now we play the hits. Mostly every song we play, if not every song, has been a number one hit at some point in the 70s or 80s,” Arthur said. “We thought that would be the best thing especially at festivals because that is what people want to hear.”
Arthur said the band knows 25 songs right now, but the two songs they play the most are What’s Up by 4 Non Blondes followed by Love Shack by the B-52s. He said they are currently adding more and expect to expand their playlist.
The band put a lot of preparation into their appearance at the Catfish Festival.
“Matt and Thomas would come over to my house almost every single day and I would work on parts with them and teach them and help them out,” Arthur said. “I would give them a set of songs I wanted them to learn. I would say I want you to learn these and then we would come back we would have practice.”
In addition to playing Sunday nights at 7 p.m. until mid-July at Cadillac’s in LaPlace, the band will make an appearance at the Homegrown Harvest Festival to be held September 21-23 in Kenner.
More information about Group Therapy can be found on their website www.needgrouptherapy.com.
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