Rod Gator

Rod Gator, who used to go by Rod Melancon, is an Austin based singer-songwriter who plays a combination of outlaw country, roadhouse, and southern gothic blues with plenty of drawl and oomph. His songs have a strong storytelling aspect through autobiographical vignettes that call back to his earlier life in Louisiana. He draws from a broad range of musical traditions that also include some of the blues and roots rock forms that grew out of Texas. All this adds up to a fairly rich and textured catalog for an artist who seems to be getting more confident with each album. His music has a good stylistic range and fairly strong that resonate emotionally. He sings, speaks and speak-sings in a whiskey soaked gravely voice and with a melancholic edge that matches the dark tone that permeates his work.