Male ducks don't quack. What they have is a broad spectrum of calls like whistles, cooing, yodels and grunts. The duck's calls may be loud, attention-getting sounds or quiet, intimate contact calls. That may be as good a reason as any why Bryen Willems is called The Swamp Duck. He leads a band called the Bayou Boogie Boys that runs the gamut of country sounds plus rock that thrill and excite fans whenever and wherever they perform. Their shows are full of shoe shufflin', swinging hips, toe tapping and classic country that bring to mind the sounds of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams and the whole tribe.

It may also be because Willems hails from Louisiana in the USA. The Mississippi Delta in Louisiana is where almost 15 million waterfowl head for the winter – almost 30% of the entire waterfowl population of Alaska, Canada and the Lower 48 states of the USA. The swamp duck, is one of the most colorful birds in North America and makes its home in swamps, marshes and ponds. Next to the mallard, it is the second most hunted duck in North America.

Another reason may be that Willems has swamp rock in his repertoire of country, blues and southern rock. Swamp Rock evolved from Roots Rock which, in turn, traces its origins to folk, blues and country. In the late 60s, Roots Rock gave birth to Country Rock and Southern Rock to counter the growing influence of punk rock, new wave and heavy metal. Country icons like Bob Dylan led movements to revive interest in roots music to be followed by Gram Parsons and The Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Everly Brothers, Rick Nelson, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt.

The migration pipeline saw Willems move from his native Louisiana to Australia many years back bringing with him his bayou heritage and topping it off with a distinct Australian sound. Based in Sydney, he worked as an announcer in country radio stations and released his debut album in 2007. Through the years, Willems has worked with Liza and Rae of The Harmonators, two-time Western Australian vocalist of the year awardee Ronnie Rae Rivers, and 2011 Mo awardee for Best Country Performer Nicki Gillis. Willems has also performed with fellow Louisiana-born Gayla Lajeune and alt country artist Floramay Holliday.

Willems is a familiar face at country music festivals. He has appeared at every Tamworth Country Music Festival since 2002 and hosts the Tamworth Honky-Tonk Nights at the Family Hotel during the festival. He's performed at the Gympie Muster, Red Hill Country Music Festival, Riverland Country Music Festival, Central Coast Country Music Festival, and Bluewater Country Music Festival.

Willems and his band are scheduled to perform at the Country Music Guild of Australasia on August 3, in Brunswick East on August 4, in Sydney on August 16, at the Gympie Muster on August 23, in Picton, Berrie, Marrickville and Wyong in September.

There'll be a lot of sounds from The Swamp Duck in the weeks to come.