by Terry Trahan Jr.

Local treasures often remain hidden to the many Columbuses seeking weekend entertainment, but it does not have to be that way. Ask Google. The god of online search engines possesses boundless scoop on everything from politics to music. Afterall, you won’t receive an e-mail notifying you that musician Patrick Sylvest performs monthly at the Grapevine Cafe in Donaldsonville, but he does. Patrick Sylvest, you ask? Google him.

Sylvest is a lifelong Louisianian who recently fulfilled his dream of recording a bluegrass-tinged album with renowned session players in Nashville and Franklin, Tenn. Boasting family roots in music dating prior to his grandparents, the local musician was filled with pride in discussing his latest accomplishment.“I hope the album is a legacy to my family and Louisiana,” says Sylvest.

Sylvest was born in Port Sulphur but grew up in Gramercy, along the Mississippi River. Raised in the Catholic Church, Sylvest’s family (with seven children altogether) played during Mass and were instrumental in incorporating folk elements into church sounds. Performing as the Sylvest Family Singers, the siblings’ parents considered music a “wholesome activity” to take part in while progressing through their volatile teenage years.

Mastering the guitar in the process, Sylvest continued to play during his college years at various gigs, including fairs and coffeehouses, until he graduated from Charity School of Nursing. He later earned a master’s degree in anesthetics from Xavier University. He embraced his new career as a nurse anesthetist, but his passion for music remained stronger than ever.

Intrigued by the recent surge of bluegrass onto the music scene, Sylvest picked up the dobro and mandolin, joined a progressive group called Folklure and desired to learn and play with the best. He understood this was the beginning of a serious venture into new territory.

“I came full-circle—laid down the electric (instruments) and picked up the acoustic. The dobro is very difficult to play,” Sylvest says.

Wanting to catapult his music to new heights, Sylvest funded his own project, “A Little Less Louisiana,” in 2007. He placed his faith in Harry Robinson, former band leader for Lee Greenwood, as producer. Robinson then called on a duo of session players named the Nashville Cats to accompany with instrumentation. Rob Ickes, whose resume highlights include work with Alison Krauss, laid down the dobro tracks, and Andy Leftwich, a collaborator with bluegrass icon Ricky Skaggs in Kentucky
Thunder, contributed fiddle and mandolin in Nashville.

“The way they interpreted my music is one of the most amazing feelings in the world. They took the songs in a direction (I) never thought of,” Sylvest explains.

Sylvest’s guitar and silky croons were recorded in the basement of First United Methodist Church in Franklin, Tenn. The lyrics were penned entirely by Sylvest and focused on topics as diverse as coffee and wetlands. The album’s centerpiece is the poignant title track which speaks of Louisiana’s eroding coastline, a hot topic among many native musicians.

“Writing is a catharsis about something that is going on in my life at the time. We all need to be the voice of the wetlands now because it has no voice. I didn’t want to be political. I’d rather call attention to the problem than point the finger,” Sylvest says about the track.

Upon completion of what Sylvest calls a “surreal” experience in the studio, Robinson assured the troubadour from Louisiana he had indeed made it as an accomplished musician desiring to spread his roots through song.

“I learned not to be so hard on myself in the studio and to just feel the music. I’m going to keep writing and enjoying it,” Sylvest says.

When not caring for patients or playing gigs along Highway 90, Sylvest enjoys quality time with his wife Susan and their teenagers Matthew, 16, and Nicole, 13, at home along Bayou Lafourche. Both in tune with their father’s side of folk, Matthew’s “mean” bass skills can often be heard accompanying Sylvest while Nicole charms at the piano.

Sylvest is a Louisianian first, and a musician second. He describes his flavor as Americana but seems to blend his heritage and music effortlessly together. Though not purely Cajun, he understands the genre’s cultural significance to our area.

“Cajun music is a type of folk that needs to be preserved,” Sylvest says. “When you’re eating your poboy and the accordion is playing in the background, you know you’re home in Louisiana.” PoV