PopGun!

PopGun! promises Mardi Gras-goers an ’80s blast
By Joe Rutland Published 5:26 am CST, Thursday, February 20, 2020

Finding its groove within the music of the 1980s, PopGun! will cover some of the greatest songs on stage at Mardi Gras Southeast Texas.
The band will be one of the featured acts Saturday when Mardi Gras makes it debut in downtown Beaumont.
Frontman DeWayne Lopez says that PopGun! initially started out as a rock band.
“We knew people in our own demographic who grew up in the ’80s and also knew there was a demand for ’80s-focused music,” Lopez said. “We’ll usually play songs from people like George Michael and Cyndi Lauper. What we also do is try to focus on songs that were in the Billboard Top 10 to play because they are known. We’ll also focus on dance songs, too.”

Lopez’s PopGun! bandmates include guitarist Stephen Boullion, drummer Jeremy Porter and bassist Dick LeMasters. All four members of the group are Southeast Texas natives and started performing together publicly in 2017.
The crowds that gather to hear PopGun! covers of songs from the 1980s can really get into the music.
“We’ve had, in some instances, people get on tables and dance,” Lopez said. “We are energetic on stage.”

Lopez tips his hat toward Boullion’s driving guitar, a sound that makes people want to move.
“Being a rock band at heart, we’ll take a Madonna song and add some AC/DC flavor to it,” Lopez said.
PopGun! has performed at venues across Southeast Texans and Southwestern Louisiana, including the Jefferson Theatre, Panorama Music House in Lake Charles, La., Oktoberfest Beaumont, the Nederland Heritage Festival, Neches River Wheelhouse, Madison’s on Dowlen, Dylan’s Bar and Grill and Luke’s Icehouse in Nederland.
“One night, we were playing at The Jack Daniels Bar and Grill in the L’Auberge Casino and Hotel in Lake Charles, La., and comedian Ron White happened to be in the audience after his show,” Lopez said. “We were able to get Ron on stage with us for a little bit. It was really cool.”

One thing Lopez pointed out is how the band’s following has grown thanks to its use of social media and leveraging photos from their appearances.

“All of us being from this area helped,” Lopez said. “We all had a group of friends that helped form an initial base of followers. Using social media, we’ve grown an established fan base. We now see people come together as new friends. Even younger people show up for our concerts, too.”
Performing at Mardi Gras Southeast Texas for the first time is something PopGun! definitely looks forward to being a part of.
“We just want people to appreciate us and show up,” Lopez said. “We like to have people excited to see us. When we see the crowd get excited and start dancing to the music that helps us connect with them.” - Beaumont Enterprise - Cat 5

It's hard not to jump out on the dance floor when Nederland cover band PopGun! plays your favorite throwback hit. Lately they have been gracing stages all throughout Southeast Texas and the Lake Charles casinos.

Recently, Cat5 chatted with guitarist and harmony vocalist Stephen Boullion. Following are edited excerpts.

When and how did PopGun! come to life?
DeWayne and I have been playing original music together for about 15 years now. We decided about a year and a half or so ago to start a cover band, something fun.

Who are your band members?
DeWayne Lopez - Vocals
Stephen Boullion - Guitar and harmony vocals
Jeremy Porter - Drums
Ernie Knod - Bass guitar and harmony vocals

Where did the name come from? Why the exclamation point at the end?
We came up with PopGun! beacuase it’s a blast of pop music. The exclamation point emphasizes the excitement of the band.

Who are your sources of musical inspiration?
Our influences are really varied. DeWayne and I come from a classic rock sort of background, Stones, Beatles, Zep. That sort of thing. Jermey and Ernie come from a harder point of view, Ernie’s into a lot of metal, Jeremy likes a lot of harder rock and 90’s stuff. But we all actually are kinda into everything. Jeremy used to play alternative country, I used to play in a jam band, I listen to a lot of jazz and delta blues. DeWayne gets into classical music and old pop. It’s kind of all over the place.

Do you guys write any of your own music? If so, how does the writing process go?
We actually write a lot. DeWayne and I have written literally hundreds of songs together. We tend to keep it out of the PopGun! shows, though. It doesn’t really fit with the pop and dance stuff. We have a couple of other bands, ‘SugarThumb!’ - another exclamation point - which is exclusively our original music, and ‘The Karma’, a small format acoustic group, which does a lot of originals and a lot of stuff similar to PopGun! The process could go any number of ways, but most often we just jam around and someting happens that get eveyone excited. We start there and and start batting ideas around. But it could be DeWayne coming in with a melody or lyric and starting there, or one of the rest of us with an idea. There’s no one way.

What are the perks of being a cover band?
We get to play a lot more, and it’s a blast to see people get excited when we play stuff that they don’t hear so often. Nothing’s more fun for us than seeing a packed dance floor.

Why do you focus on the 80’s hits?
We wanted to do something other bands weren’t doing, something that would get people moving, and something out of our usual wheelhouse. '80s music tends to be fun to listen to.

Who’s your favorite artist or band to cover, and why?
That’s a tough one. We pick songs because they’re fun to play, so we love all of it. Maybe Prince - he’s a hero. His music is unusual; he grooves like mad and is a great lyricist. The same goes for the Talking Heads.

What’s coming up for PopGun!?
We’ll be out a lot this winter, we’re starting to do more casino shows, they’re a blast. We’ll be hitting all the favorite local spots. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve. Don’t miss us!

What are your future goals for the band?
More and bigger. We’d love to start pushing out to more, bigger, and better venues. More casinos, festivals. More out of town shows, expand the base.

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?
You can keep up with us on the web. Come see us, bring all your friends. We promise a great time. We put on a fun show, and we’ll make your booty move! - The Beaumont Enterprise - Cat5