While the amber sun sets down on muddy waters surrounding the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana, fisherman pull in their catch, plant workers punch in their time cards, and police officers get prepared for their next game of Cowboys and Indians. Counting off a beat from the joining of two old drumsticks, “1 – 2 – 3 – 4,” the tempo for the night has been announced. A guitar hook sneaks out of a forgotten window and enters the dead-end city as the soundtrack to its southern hustle.

Each tick of an old clock echoes off the kitchen floor, sounding the same as the last second. As time goes by, the steady, “tick…tock…tick…tock,” resonates in the mind, making the guitarist reach for the gain knob to drown the reminder out. A year passes in the same manner as the one before. Drum sticks break, strings pop, and amplifiers get larger. The members of Dead End Lake, sometimes playing under different names and with other musicians, have tuned themselves to match the chord of their own southern discomfort.

Longtime friends Luke Guidry (guitar), Andy Moore (vocals/bass), David Benfield (guitar), former members of local hard rock act Southern Discomfort, formed Dead End Lake in 2001. After working with various musicians, including drummer Daniel Fontenot and bassist Ronnie Famous, the band enlisted drummer Amanda Sonnier to complete the outfit in 2003. Following seasons of relentless live performances, the band released its first album titled “Color of Blur,” which was well received by the music community. The band is currently performing throughout the Southern US, periodically stopping in Austin, TX to record their upcoming “Actions Automatic” album at Arlyn Studio.