Uncle Si and the Sicotics bring humor to
CMA Fest – by Preshias Harris for Country Music News International Magazine
& Radio Show
‘Sicotic’ trio mix music with fun
One of the most original acts in country
music has to be Uncle Si and the Sicotics. Si Robertson and his daughter-in-law
Marsha Robertson came to fame as part of the hit television series, ‘Duck
Dynasty,’ setting the record for the most-watched show on the A&E
Network. The show depicted the Robertson
family who became successful selling duck calls for hunters.
When the TV series ended, Si and Marsha
decided to combine their love of music and their sense of humor into a new
direction: making music. They teamed up
with hit singer/songwriter Bridgette Tatum and became Uncle Si and the
Sicotics, playing to crowds of fun-loving fans. Si, known for his ever-present
Tupperware cup of iced tea, and the two young ladies have released a six-song
EP titled ‘Uncle Si and the Sicotics,’ available at all digital outlets and via
their website.
I met up with the trio when they were in
Nashville preparing for appearances during CMA Fest. I began by asking Si what
has been happening in his life since the Duck Dynasty TV series ended in 2017.
“Well, we went into the music business, me
and my daughter-in-law,” said Si. “And
then we met this young lady right here, Bridgette Tatum, at a charity event
which Jesus worked out or we would have never met. Then we got together and we
wrote six songs and recorded them. And we all actually think it’s pretty good
music, all six of ‘em. We’ve got a
record label deal and we’re going out on the road doing our thing!”
What about that Tupperware cup?
So, I had to ask Si: What’s the story
behind the famous green Tupperware cup?
“I’ve got it here with me,” he said. “My mother sent it to me in a ’care’ package
[while I was in Vietnam], tucked inside my cowboy boots, because I’d asked her
to send me a pair of cowboy boots and a pair of blue jeans so that while I’m
not on duty I’d have civilian clothes. So she sent [the cup] and the clothes
and some food. That was in 1968.”
Si held up the cup to show me. “This is
it,” he said. “And it has literally been all over the world with me. I spent
twelve-and-a-half years in Europe while I was in the military. It’s been with
me in Vietnam, in Europe, all over the States.
Mom started out with 36 cups.
This is one of the original 36. She sold Tupperware to make extra money.
They don’t make them like that anymore! This thing’s been run over by trucks
and everything else!”
Bridgette shook her head and said, “You’re
out of your mind.”
I asked Si about ‘Throwback Man,’ a track
on the EP that depicts him as having been totally left behind by technology. Is
that accurate?
“Oh, that’s true,” acknowledged Si. “In the
song, it says ‘I don’t text, I don’t twitter, I don’t tweet, I don’t cell
phone.’ It’s accurate. Technology…” Si shook his head. “Computers, when I was
in the military, they’d just run amuck with me.
“Cell phones will not work for me. I actually bought one,” Si added with a
chuckle. “And I had to get people at the airport to make the call for me, when
I needed to get in contact with folks and tell them, hey, I’m here! When my
family see an unknown number, they say, ‘it’s probably him.”
Marsha ‘having a blast’ with Si and
Bridgette
I said to Marsha that working with family
can be great but it can also be tough. What is it like, I asked, working with
your father-in-law Si on the TV show and now with Si and the Sicotics?
“I was his personal assistant through all
of Duck Dynasty, so that was where the working with him started,” said Marsha.
“It wasn’t tough working with him. It
was tough working with all the ‘moving parts’ that went with that. Now, working
with him on Si and the Sicotics I’m having a blast! I love hanging out with
him. I get to hang out with one of my best friends [Bridgette] and with my
father-in-law. We get to laugh and have fun. It’s a lot of hard work but it’s
fun.”
I asked Marsha what they had lined up
during CMA Fest.
“We’ll be walking the red carpet at the CMT
Awards, and we’re also playing the Hard Rock Stage on Saturday from 6:30 to
7:30 pm,” She noted.
Turning to Bridgette, I said that she
co-wrote ‘She’s Country,’ a massive hit for Jason Aldean. I wanted to know,
when she was writing that song with Danny Myrick, did she feel they had a hit
on their hands?
‘She’s Country’ was something different
“We didn’t know,” she said. “I mean, we
knew it was something. At first, Danny kept saying, ‘we need a different
title.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know what else you want to say, man. We’re talking about women like me.’ I don’t
know what else we would say. So that went back and forth for a little bit. But
I don’t know that you ever know you have a hit. I just know that sometimes you
write a song and you feel it has a little more to it than something else, and
it’s trying to tell you something but you don’t know what it is yet. Lo and
behold, it did become a big ol’ hit and I’m grateful for it!”
I reminded Bridgette that some reviewers
criticized ‘She’s Country as sexist. But as a ringtone, it has outsold every
musical genre. Most of those ringtones were bought by females. I asked her if
she thought of it as a sexist song.
“No,” replied Bridgette. “I think females
were sending a message and said hey, we’re really glad to have our own song. I
don’t feel it is sexist at all. I feel the right guy [Aldean] delivered that to
the right audience, and he gave them a reason to be able to have their own
song. And Danny and I did too, by writing that song. You wake up, you work hard, you get your
results from working hard whether you’re a male or a female, it doesn’t
matter.”
I asked Bridgette if she had to mentally
change gears when she’s on stage as a ‘Sicotic,’ compared to performing as a
solo artist.
Fun meter ‘went up a hundred’
“It’s a little bit different. I have two
other people to consider when I’m on stage and I have to be a little more on
point with what they’re doing, because now I’m harmonizing with two other
people and now they’re singing with me too.
I feel my ‘pay attention’ is a lot bigger on stage now. But my ‘fun
meter’ also went up about a hundred. So it’s a good time.”
Any time you get to see Si and the
Sicotics, you are in for great entertainment. This trio are adept at combining
humor with great music in their well-constructed songs and their original stage
performance. Check out their website https://www.unclesiandthesicotics.com
for
upcoming tour dates. They also do Facebook Live, Monday Wednesday and Friday,
at https://www.facebook.com/unclesiandthesicotics/
Visit the official CMA Fest 2018 website http://www.cmaworld.com/cma-music-festival/
for
details of artists appearing, shows and locations.
Photo by Preshias Harris
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