Luke Winslow King brings vibrant New Orleans vibe to his native Michigan

The acclaimed, Cadillac-bred singer-guitarist returns to Michigan where he cut his teeth. Read the back story about this celebrated artist and his journey.

 

FEB. 16 UPDATE: Luke Winslow King plays The Pyramid Scheme on Monday (Feb. 16) with his band: Esther Rose, Brennan Andes and Marshall Baker. Ann Arbor singer-songwriter Chris Bathgate and Molly Sullivan also are on the bill; doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $12. Details online here. And check out a recent Local Spins on WYCE interview with King below.

Luke Winslow King has studied music theory at the University of New Orleans, scored films and theater productions, immersed himself in the vibrant jazz and blues of The Big Easy, released four albums and traveled the world with his own striking blend of Delta blues, folk, ragtime, Americana and rock.

But make no mistake: His Michigan upbringing as a small-town Cadillac boy – and subsequent attendance at Interlochen Center for the Arts – shaped him as a musician and propelled him toward a fruitful career in music.

“It doesn’t seem like a very musical place … to the outsider, but there’s a really great support group of musicians around there,” says Winslow King, 31, who joined a rock band at age 14 that played weekly at Cadillac’s McGuire’s Resort and gave him a chance “to do my Jimi Hendrix impersonation, Creedence tunes and Dylan tunes.” He also struck up a friendship as a teen with influential mid-Michigan Americana/folk artists Seth Bernard and Rachael Davis.

“Growing up in a community where all the musicians know each other is incredibly supportive and a safe environment. I definitely got some great opportunities out of it. This cradle of community that cares, that allows young artists to express themselves, is equally as valuable (as formal training).”

It also set the stage for attending Interlochen at the encouragement of Bernard and Davis, who were ahead of Winslow King in school.

A ‘DEFINING MOMENT’ AT INTERLOCHEN

“Interlochen was kind of a defining moment in my young life. I discovered that not only could I enjoy music, but I could do this for a living, I could do this for my career. I could be a professional musician for my life. The bar was so high there that it really pushed me to practice and strive for that level.”

It paid off for the guitarist and singer once he relocated to New Orleans in 2001.

That’s where he wound up after leaving Western Michigan University after one semester and touring the country as a folk group with Bernard and singer-songwriter Daniel Kahn. Their car filled with instruments was stolen during a New Orleans tour stop, forcing them to stay in the city for a couple of weeks until the car – minus instruments – was recovered.

“I stuck around here long enough to fall in love with the place,” says Winslow King, who went on to study at the University of New Orleans and spend time busking on the streets of the city where jazz, blues and more create a wondrous gumbo of sounds.

“I had the curriculum of the university, but I could also study bottleneck guitar from this guy, learn soul music from this other guy, be busking on the street and be part of a larger community that wasn’t just university.”

EMBRACING THE VINTAGE MUSIC OF AMERICA’S SOUTH

That’s made him a true ambassador of New Orleans’ musical legacy, with Winslow King’s songs steeped in the charmingly eclectic strains of “the ’20s through the ’40s in America’s South” – from jazz to classical music.

“We have a tremendous responsibility to represent our city well,” says Winslow King, who records and performs with his wife and singing partner, Esther Rose, and who tours Europe at least twice a year.

“They (audiences) expect you to be funky, soulful and tasteful, and have facility, and be able to entertain a crowd. We take it upon ourselves to learn the traditions of New Orleans and make it a part of our show. We don’t want to just be a recreationist of the music of New Orleans; we want to pay homage to that by creating our own music.”

That means, he says, “preserving the creativity and the productivity, and not just playing the same 50 popular jazz songs” that so many insist on repeating.

Winslow King was in Michigan in December, with another swing into the state in February. He recently appeared on Local Spins on WYCE; listen to the podcast — with an interview and in-studio performance of two songs — here.

The guitarist-singer is touring behind his latest, critically acclaimed album and second Bloodshot Records’ release, “Everlasting Arms,” which came out in September. It’s a recording that displays slide-guitar and vocal prowess, along with his trademark musical mélange.

LOVING ‘ALL THESE GENRES’ AND ALREADY AT WORK ON ANOTHER ALBUM

“My record collection isn’t categorized by genre. It’s mixed up,” he offers, expressing passion for everything from The Beatles to Professor Longhair. “I think that’s how I want my shows to be as well. I love all these genres.”

The album this week was nominated for three Best of the Beat awards by Offbeat magazine and fans can vote for nominees online at offbeat.com.

Although Winslow King only recently released “Everlasting Arms,” he says he has “almost another 20 songs ready to go,” so he’ll demo them over the holidays and work on arrangements during his travels. That will allow him to go back into the recording studio again in the spring.

“We have reached some really creative points and it’s exciting,” he says of working with Esther Rose. “The rhythm of writing and touring is getting more comfortable for us. We can try to do a record a year.”

Despite his global jaunts, which will include another trip to Europe in early 2015, he’s excited about returning to play Michigan this week – his “second home” – with bassist Brennan Andes of The Macpodz and drummer Benji Bohannon.

“Michigan is definitely a huge part of me and always will be and we have a huge fan base up there,” says Winslow King, who gets back up to Michigan regularly. He played the Hoxeyville festival last summer, among other things. “Michigan’s been great to us. It’s definitely very special to me to come home.”

Copyright 2014, Spins on Music LLC