People

Sylvia Weatherspoon

She’s way more than a pretty face. As a Baton Rouge native and longtime news reporter, Sylvia Weatherspoon understands what makes news relevant to the community. Although fairly new to the anchor chair, replacing hometown favorite Andrea Clesi, Weatherspoon has quickly ascended the local popularity ladder to become 225 readers’ favorite anchor. Maybe it’s her experience or her energetic on-air presence, but when she speaks, Baton Rouge is definitely listening. Winner of several awards of excellence in journalism, our readers say she’s just as popular as she is talented.

Local ABC affiliate WBRZ-Channel 2, 2theadvocate.com

Weatherspoon’s career began with a high school assignment
Sylvia Weatherspoon’s fascination with newscasting dates back to a tenth-grade project she did at Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

“We had to produce a news program,” she says, “and they chose me to be the anchor. That’s when the interest started.”

Maybe it was fate. From a high school project to the real thing, Weatherspoon now co-anchors the news for Channel 2.

Her career actually began in college when she was asked to read on a local radio program. With practice and vocal training (she admits her first attempts were “squeaky”) her on-air confidence and interest in the medium grew. Soon she was hanging around WAFB, asking to do odd jobs in exchange for being able to watch from behind the scenes.

“I didn’t realize it at the time,” she says, “but I was showing initiative.”

That initiative helped her land a job doing cut-ins, then in 1993 she earned a reporting position at WBRZ. When long-time anchor Andrea Clesi retired at the end of last year, Sylvia was the natural choice to replace her. –R.U.

Benjy Davis Project

From half of a local folk-rock duo to the front man of the current six-person ensemble, prolific songwriter Benjy Davis keeps bringing the hits with his band’s very Southern take on progressive rock. Like their 2004 CD, Benjy Davis Project is already More Than Local. Let’s hope the band’s continued momentum from their latest album, Dust, makes them more than national as well. bdpmusic.com

Up Close with Benjy Davis
225: Why the Benjy Davis Project?
Benjy Davis: There’s really not much to it. My bandmates were in college, I was in high school, and no one knew how long anyone would be around. I was the frontman, so yeah, general laziness, I guess. That, and we thought ‘project’ sounded cool.

How many songs per set do you play?
We can usually play about 12 an hour, plus encores, so it’s normally about 25 for a two-hour show.

Your worst gig?
Oh man, there were so many. This one show in New York… we were playing the Knitting Factory in Manhattan. We were opening for this modern trance-disco band and, well, the audience just weren’t into us. They didn’t boo us off the stage or anything, but the place was just dead. No response at all.

Who were some musical influences?
Anything and everything. I listen to a lot of James Taylor and Motown, folk music. My biggest influence is my family. My grandma plays the piano—she’s fantastic—and probably about a third of my cousins do something with music. Guess it’s in the genes. – R.U.

David St. Romain

This Nashville Star finalist may have recently relocated to that eponymous city, but this local-boy-made-good is still a hometown favorite. His sweet and soulful Creole country packs in the crowds whenever he swings back down our way. With news of a possible record deal in the works, St. Romain is proving to be much more than just a reality show success. davidstromain.com

The sweet sound of success
David St. Romain’s good guitar playing, good looks and stage presence have boosted him onto the national country music scene, but it’s his voice that got him there.

We asked him about taking good care of it.

225: How do you maintain your voice when you’re on the road?
St. Romain: Lots and lots of water. Also, I try to get at least seven hours of sleep the night before a show. Obviously, that doesn’t always happen. [laughs] And I do a lot of vocal exercises before I go on.

What do you do if you’ve hurt your voice before a show?
I just try to make it through, power on through it. The show must go on—you can’t cancel. Kenny Chesney proved that.

Have you ever had a show that just killed your voice?
Oh yeah, all the time. I’m usually so tired by the end of the show I don’t want to talk anyway. I just try not to overuse [my voice]. But rest and water are the most important things… You just have to rest vocally and you’ll usually be all right. –R.U.

C.C. Lockwood

He may journey far afield at times, but his best-known works are still his vivid Louisiana wildlife portraits. A passionate artist and conservationist, Lockwood’s breathtaking photos of the Atchafalaya Basin have kept our vanishing wetlands in the national consciousness, capturing our state’s singular natural heritage in a way that words can’t. We dare you to look at his art and not feel lucky to live here. cclockwood.com

The dirty work
To create the unforgettable images of Louisiana swamp and marshlands that have made C.C. Lockwood a popular local artist, he’s had to spend plenty of time out in the wilderness.

225: What’s the coolest experience you’ve ever had in the wild?
Lockwood: Oh, that’s hard to narrow down. I guess floating down 2,300 miles of the Mississippi River [for Around the Bend] would have to be the ultimate. There was a lot of hardship but it was a lot of fun, too.

Have you ever been attacked by an animal?
Oh yeah. They usually only attack if you startle them or get too close. I’ve been charged by a full-sized bull elk in Yellowstone. Once I disturbed an alligator nest and one decided to ram my boat… There have certainly been some close calls.

What’s the most aggressive animal you’ve ever encountered?
The mosquitoes. Definitely the mosquitoes [laughs]. –R.U.

Grace & Hebert Architects

For more than 40 years, Grace & Hebert’s work has garnered local, national and international awards. They transformed the old Schwegmann’s on Sherwood Forest Boulevard into the new sleek, skylight-brightened headquarters for Amedisys. They’re bringing the LSU Student Union into the 21st century and giving the Tigers a high-design, home-field advantage at the new Alex Box Stadium. As they design new buildings, they respect historical ones, too. Construction has begun on their new offices in the I.M. Causey building on Government Street.

9332 Bluebonnet Blvd., 769-5569, graceandhebert.com

Building the Box
Architect Jerry Hebert isn’t building a field of dreams, Costner-style, but he is getting a lot of attention for a field. Then again, it’s not just any old diamond: it’s the new Alex Box Stadium. Here’s what the Grace and Hebert principal had to say about what’s turned out to be his most memorable project.

“Of all the projects we’ve done since our inception, this is the project we get asked about the most. We realized it was an important project and how valuable it was, but not until we got involved in the project did I realize the number of people that had an interest. Nothing has piqued the interest of this community more than Alex Box Stadium. There’s something about LSU athletics. You really start to realize how intertwined LSU is in the Baton Rouge community and what they really bring to Baton Rouge. It’s pretty exciting as long as I make the deadline. If it isn’t finished for the first pitch, I’m going to Europe for two weeks.” –R.U.

Walton & Johnson

Often crude, sometimes controversial, but never boring, homegrown Walton & Johnson have the ear of Baton Rouge. Even after making Houston’s KLOL their flagship station in 2004, they remain our readers’ favorite way to wake up. Dedicated “10%ers” all over the city tune in to 98.1 FM from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. to listen to John Walton and Steve Johnson’s distinctive brand of stream-of-consciousness talk, astoundingly varied impressions and take-no-prisoners political commentary. waltonandjohnson.com