Part-time chef and part-time bandleader Mel Melton cooks up succulent jams that drip with greasy, authentic swamp swing, not far removed from the fare coming out of the Roadhouse's kitchen. Melton has intertwined his two pursuits since trading the Triangle for Lafayette, La., four decades ago. That's where Melton met and co-founded a band with legendary slide blues player Sonny Landreth while working as a short order cook in the region's Cajun establishments. Melton's gruff tenor sidles, sways and shouts as the band crackles like bacon in a skillet. —Chris Parker