Singled Out: John 'Papa' Gros's Hurricane

John 'Papa' Gros just released his new album "Giants" and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about his cover of the Levon Helm classic "Hurricane". Here is the story:

When I recorded "Hurricane" for Giants, it was no longer simply a song I had discovered during the pandemic. Its lyrics had taken on a deeply personal meaning after living through Hurricanes Katrina and Ida. What began as my interpretation of a Levon Helm song became a way to tell the story of what hurricanes feel like-not just the storm itself, but the destruction, resilience, and determination that follow.

During the pandemic, with no gigs or tours, I turned to weekly livestreams, or what I called my GroStream. Each week I built a setlist around a different theme, doing deep dives into songs and artists to find material that fit. As the fifteenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approached in August 2020, I discovered Levon Helm's "Hurricane," from his 1980 album American Son. It's a funky, country, twangy track with a simple chord progression and a chorus that ends with the stunning line, "it takes a lot of water to wash away New Orleans." Being born in New Orleans, a Katrina survivor, and living between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River, those words still floor me. I also found a great straight-ahead rock version by The Band of Heathens, which inspired me as I began playing the song on my GroStreams and letting it evolve naturally with the band.

Then, on August 29, 2022, Hurricane Ida knocked an oak tree through my kitchen and rehearsal studio/office. My wife and I were homeless for four months and lived in a camper in the front yard for another nine months. The two years it took to recover and rebuild were some of the hardest of my life. After Ida, my perspective on the song changed completely. Every line took on deeper meaning, and "it takes a lot of water to wash away New Orleans" became a mantra. It felt like this song was written for me. I wasn't going to allow the ineptness of the insurance industry or the vultures of the rebuilding process to suppress the pride and resolve of my city and its culture. The song came to personify not only my own resolve, but that of thousands of Gulf Coast residents affected by these formidable, life-changing storms. Because I'm guessing Levon Helm or The Band of Heathens never had a hurricane put a tree through their house, my version had to be different.

To deliver that message, I slowed the tempo, making each word more important. I turned the tonic note into a pulsing drone, symbolizing the slow, agonizing wait for the storm to make landfall. After the solos, the quietness of the eye provides a moment of comfort and relief, while the drone reminds us of what's still to come. Then the chorus hits, with the band unleashing a frenzy as the listener moves through the eyewall. It all ends with one final exhale: "it takes a lot of water to wash away New Orleans." My goal was to give the listener a sonic journey through what living through a hurricane feels like, while also capturing the purpose, fight, and resolve of the people who have survived these storms-just as my wife and I did after Hurricanes Katrina and Ida.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

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