Them Guys: A Deep Dive into Louisiana’s Musical Treasures
Them Guys: A Deep Dive into Louisiana’s Musical Treasures
Nicole Brice
Oct 3, 2024
Them Guys have a sound embodying Louisiana music's rich, genre-bending spirit.
Louisiana, synonymous with the vibrant sounds of jazz, blues, and zydeco, has long been a fertile ground for emerging musicians. One such gem in its musical tapestry currently is Them Guys, a band from Vacherie, Louisiana, that has carved out its niche in the Bayou State’s eclectic scene by consistently getting its brand out there with a busy schedule of non-stop shows all along the Gulf coast.
Formed five years ago, Them Guys started when various members were growing tired of the cover band music scene. The desire to create an original and definitive sound led the lifelong friends to join forces, and that union has given birth to a band with a consistent vision of where they want to go and what they want to accomplish.
With too many musical influences to count, the Them Guys sound combines each member’s distinct style for a well-rounded listening experience that defies categorization. They’re not nu-metal, but they sound like metal at times. They’re not just straight rock; there’s some melodic thrash there, too. How do you categorize the sound of Them Guy’s music? You can’t. It’s just a combination of all things that makes their music enjoyable, and their sound embodies the rich, genre-bending spirit of Louisiana music.
Them Guys is Chet Tabor on drums, John Waguespack on bass, Benjamin Kliebert on lead guitar, and Nick Oubre on lead vocals/rhythm guitar. In just five short years, these multi-talented and multi-faceted individuals have released three albums that showcase the band’s collaborative evolution from inception to now, culminating in the definitive Them Guys sound with the aid of friend and producer Ross Johnson. Ross is just as important to Them Guys as the members themselves because, without Ross, Them Guys' live show experiences would not be as phenomenal as they are currently. With Ross behind them, Them Guys not only have consistency with each performance in terms of sound, lights, mixing, etc., but they have a secret weapon for putting on the best performance imaginable no matter what venue they step into.
Humble, focused, and determined, Mixed Alternative Magazine recently sat down and chatted at length with the men of Them Guys about their beginnings, visions for the future, and more. No topic was off-limits. Them Guys are a beacon of hope for the Louisiana music scene because of their dedication, enthusiasm, and readiness to help all succeed. They bring a product. Not just the music. Read on below.
MaM: Thanks for meeting with us today. Let’s start with a bit of band history for those not familiar. Tell us about how Them Guys came together initially.
Chet: In July 2019, we came together as Them Guys but weren’t named yet. We actually started as a Chevelle tribute band.
John: Nick and I were in another band together but didn’t have a name yet. We were working with another guy, and things fell apart, so Nick was the one who suggested we start a Chevelle cover band. We only wanted to do it if Chet played drums, though. Chet was in, so we got together and jammed, and that was it. We became a Chevelle cover band.
MaM: Interesting. Why Chevelle?
Nick: I don’t know. (laughs)
Chet: He’s a big fan of Chevelle (points to Nick). They’re not my favorite, but I respect their music. The idea is that it’s not complicated to play, and you can quickly come up with ten or twelve hits to put on a setlist. Everyone knows the songs, too. It was also easy to intertwine some non-Chevelle covers because they fit the bill. We were 100% covers starting out.
MaM: People always make fun of me because I’m not a fan of Chevelle, but their music doesn’t do anything for me. It just sounds basic. I respect them as musicians, but that’s about it.
Chet: That was part of that mainstream sound at that time. One of the things we’re looking to do going forward is not necessarily to capitalize on any mainstream sound. Still, the music can be generic enough for the vast majority to enjoy. Take, for example, a band like Korn; you must like Korn to listen to Korn.
MaM: Yeah, they have always had a distinct sound.
Chet: I think Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin, and bands like that have cornered the market to attract the most listeners. They make great music with a significant following. We intertwine with so many bands and do it intentionally … She Might Be a Beast, Silverdose, Drab, This Beating Heart, Branded for Exile, and we play with these bands purposely. It’s all part of the elevation process. The better we do, the better those bands do. We feel like this Louisiana music scene is astronomically better than most, and that even includes the Gulf Coast. Many of these bands don’t get the acknowledgment they deserve either, but we will keep putting the work in and try to lift others in the process.
John: There wasn't that camaraderie when I first started playing music. Some thought they were better than others. It was cutthroat.
MaM: Tell me a little about each of you. How did you get into music initially?
Nick: I started as a drummer and was playing in three bands. One day, I decided I didn’t want to be a drummer anymore. We all grew up with each other, so that’s how we know each other.
Chet: Yeah, Nick has the most unique story because he’s the best drummer in the band, by far.
MaM: But he doesn’t want to play drums.
John: My story intertwines with all of this.
Chet: It’s been this exciting path because I came in with over 25 years of experience. Not necessarily playing live, but the experience. I’ve always been a drummer, though, and I can remember being on stage with John, and his voice went out, so I moved him out of the way to take over on vocals. I sang ‘Simple Man’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd the first time I did it. Nick, though, by far is the most talented drummer in this band, but it doesn’t stop there … he plays guitar and bass and even sings.
MaM: He’s a one-man band.
Chet: Most of Them Guys' music is Nick’s guitar riffs. He writes 90% of the guitar riffs.
Ben: … and I know I have a microphone in front of me all the time, but I can’t do public speaking.
(laughter)
John: I started playing in 2013 when I was taking guitar lessons. The guy I was taking lessons from needed a bass player and asked me if I wanted to. I was thinking, ‘Ain’t nobody wants to play bass.’
(laughter)
John: He tells me that Chet has a bass at his house, and we’ll ride over to get it. He gave me four songs to learn, so I called him the next day and told him I had learned them. He didn’t believe me, so I went to his house to show him I had learned the songs. Once he realized I did know them, he gave me four more to learn. The next night, I learned those four songs, too. He then called Chet to tell him he had found a bass player. We went to Chet’s house, and he was on drums, but we ended up playing all eight songs, and then that was that. We ended up learning 40 songs in total.
Ben: What band was that?
John: Super Nutria was the name of the band.
Chet: Funny story: I wasn’t even supposed to be in the band, but here I was, deciding on the bass player.
(laughter)
Nick: I was too young to play live yet.
John: We did that for about three years, and then I quit the band. They played for a few more years, but then it died out.
Chet: That was my decision. We were active and always playing shows, but it was time to move on.
John: So, the guitar player from Super Nutria and I decided to continue playing music together under the name Soldiers of Ana – which is short for Louisiana, so technically, Soldiers of Louisiana.
MaM: I love that name. That’s very clever.
John: Nick has a tattoo of the band name on his leg actually.
(Nick points to the tattoo on his leg)
John: We ended up calling up Nick, who was going to play the drums, but we needed a singer. Nick said he would sing, but I only thought he played drums. So, we have this little, tiny amp, and I just plugged in the microphone straight into the amp with a background song playing on my phone. I had him sing to that to see if he could, and he did, and it was incredible. It was a Judas Priest song he sang.
MaM: Which song?
Nick: ‘Painkiller’ – it was when I still had my falsetto singing voice.
John: He sings this song, and I’m just blown away. We started as a three-piece band and learned a 40-song set to only play one show together for his dad’s birthday. It just fell apart. After that band fell apart, we decided to start another band, and once again, it was covering songs. Slayer, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Chevelle, Pink Floyd …
Ben: Yeah, it was a diverse list.
John: It was a crazy list. Before we got active in the scene playing, I had some personal stuff come up, so that band ended. I ended up selling all my equipment after that. Nick was the one who bought a good bit of it, and then a co-worker of mine bought all my bass stuff.
Ben: We grew up together and have been friends forever, with the music being secondary. Initially, I took on the role of lighting tech for the band. Eventually, the band had some issues arise, and we needed a guitar player. I’ve been playing guitar my whole life. I knew the music. I knew the guys. It was a perfect fit. We didn’t skip a beat, either.
MaM: Where did the name for the band come from?
Ben: Well, it was either that or free beer.
(laughter)
Chet: We used a few names, but before transitioning to the original material, Brittany drew a picture of Louisiana with a voodoo doll …
John: … and at the top it said Them Guys.
Ben: Once we saw the image on the shirt, that was it.
John: … and you can’t forget it. Like, we saw Them Guys the other night.
MaM: It’s the perfect name. The logo, too, is impressive.
Chet: That’s about to change, but we plan to rebrand or slightly revamp. That original logo with the state of Louisiana picture and then the voodoo doll is, by far, our most popular design to date. We haven’t sold that shirt in three years, either.
John: Everyone still asks for it because they like having the Louisiana logo there.
MaM: Let’s talk performances. Tell me about your best and worst shows so far.
Ben: We haven’t played our best show yet.
Chet: I can’t say that. We’ve had some good ones, though. In my opinion, the best show so far was Jeff’s benefit at the fairgrounds. There were 500-600 people there. There was even a rainstorm that came through. It looked like a Creed music video.
(laughter)
Chet: It was a rough show – a sea of heads. They loved it, though.
John: This brutal thunderstorm started blowing all the lights down. It pushed Nick’s guitar off the stand, breaking the head. Everyone was getting soaking wet, but no one left. Everyone stayed and rocked out.
Chet: That’s one of two. The second-best performance, though, was the Hometown Throwdown. Experience-wise, it was the show at Zina’s Place in Thibodaux. We rolled up four hours before showtime and thought it would be a challenging show. It turned out to be a packed house, and we were asked to play songs we had never played before, which we were cool with. There were 130-140 people, and it was just a great time all around. Now, the Hometown Throwdown was on a different level. It was one of the most professional productions, and we did everything ourselves, from the production to the lights. We had 590 tickets sold, but in a venue that houses 3,000 people. It could have been better, but the performance was insane. It was an experience.
Ben: Everyone had a great time.
John: We even catered food and drinks for the bands. Everyone was taken care of.
Ben: Worst show?
Chet: The worst show was at Southport Hall with 4 Mag Nitrous. It had a great line-up, but no one showed up.
Ben: Like eight people showed up.
Chet: Yeah, that was two years ago, and then coincidentally, the next night, we had a great show in Texas and ended up in a magazine and on the news because of the show. Friday night was a bad show. Saturday night, holy shit.
MaM: You all have different music influences. Who would you say helped to influence the Them Guys sound?
Chet: We have three or four consistent across the board – Black Sabbath and Alice in Chains are a couple. I love Nonpoint. I also like Limp Bizkit and Godsmack, too. Sevendust, too. Nick and John’s G.O.A.T. is Black Sabbath. Ben’s is Megadeth.
Ben: Yeah, definitely Megadeth.
Chet: When you step back and truly listen to our music, you can hear the influences of Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, and even some Godsmack in the beginning. There’s even a little Breaking Benjamin style there. We have established the Them Guys sound now and don’t focus on who we sound like. We had to find it, and now we have it. Our philosophy is to one-up ourselves and be better each time.
MaM: Man, ya’ll have the right formula. If you guys could share the stage with any band or musician in the future, who would it be?
Ben: Megadeth
(lots of discussion)
John: They’re all dead.
(laughter)
Chet: Realistic level—Nonpoint. We’ve met the band and worked with them before. They are great to work with, and we would love to share the stage with them. They wore one of our shirts on stage at a show, too. It was one of the last shows on their tour.
John: We threw a shirt at them. The drummer caught our shirt in his chest. He walked backstage after that, switched to our shirt, and played the rest of the show wearing it.
MaM: That’s so awesome. You can’t get better exposure than a t-shirt. It's the best branding ever. Where do you see the band headed in the next five years? Any new music?
Chet: We believe the production quality is as important as the music, so we’re doing a big push on ‘Delusions.’ Moving forward, we will continue to record with Ross so it can be the best product ever. We have about six or seven songs that are written. A couple are recorded. We have a Jelly Roll cover, too. I can’t wait to record it either because it’s perfect.
John: It’s got our style. Our elements.
Chet: The bigger picture is that we want to jam. It's as simple as that. We are also in this to elevate. We see the path forward and want to continue it.
With a solid discography and an ever-growing fanbase, the future looks bright for Them Guys. They continue to play shows extensively, bringing their unique blend of rock music to new audiences. As they look forward to the next chapter, it’s clear that Them Guys are more than just a band – they’re torchbearers of Louisiana’s rich musical heritage, keeping its traditions alive while pushing the boundaries of what it means to make original rock music in the 21st century.
To experience Them Guys' music for yourself, just hit one of the links below.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THEMGUYSOFFICIAL
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/them_guysofficial/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThemGuysOfficial2019
Photos by: Gary Governale
Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com.