‘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.
“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. For upcoming tour dates, check out their website
They also do Facebook Live, Monday Wednesday and Friday.
Note: I originally posted this story here on the European website for Country Music News International magazine and radio show.
Preshias Harrisis a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
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