“Country fried psychedelic honky tonkin’ rock ‘n roll” might not be the expected description of Marcus King’s music, but it’s the one he stands by. Take one listen to King’s catalog and the music that moves and motivates him, and it makes even more sense.
King recently spoke to The Creek’s Wes G about all that inspiration and a few great personal influences ahead of his show on Saturday, November 11th at Macon City Auditorium.
The South Carolina native’s taste is as eclectic and inspired as you’d imagine, especially with any amount of time spent with his work so far. Aside from his definitive voice and guitar virtuosity, his innate ability to transition seamlessly between southern rock and soul is the stuff of God-given talent that can’t be taught much less explained. At just 23 years old, King has already notched a Grammy nod for his 2020 album El Dorado and produced another genre-bending goldmine of songs also with The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach on his latest Young Blood.
During the conversation, King talked about stretching his artistic boundaries between albums. After exploring a softer, more vulnerable side of his voice on El Dorado, he pushed further into the depths of his soulful leanings through a vibrant and electric filter of pure rock and roll with Young Blood, a whirlwind of a tracking experience for the entire crew.
“Doing this record with Dan, I think we’d planned on taking a couple of weeks and we finished it in six days,” King revealed.
“He put me in the room with Andrew Gabbard, a great rhythm guitar player. He was doubling everything I was doing and singing background vocals, and Nick Movshon—he played on Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black album. [Nick] is a great bassist and great person to be around. His levity and sense of humor was something that was needed and welcomed by me. I was in such a dark place at the time. And then one of my favorite drummers, second only to my drummer Jack Ryan, Chris St. Hilaire, who plays percussion with The Black Keys. If anyone could mimic or recreate that early Frank Beard stuff or Mitch Mitchell or drummers like that, it’s this guy.”
With the players stacked and the vibe set, King and company embarked on the journey of recording what is possibly the closest rendering fans can access of King’s live concert experience: a commanding, unapologetic, and simmering delivery of heartfelt songs with no pretense and not a single player onstage holding back.
Saturday’s show will feature it all and then some with the addition of revered singer/songwriter and Americana rocker Joshua Ray Walker as the show’s opener.
“Man, he is one of the greatest singers and greatest live shows I’ve seen in a long time, and we’re thrilled to have him out on the road with us,” King told The Creek.
Access the full playlist takeover in the player above and don’t forget that tickets are still available for King and Walker’s show November 11th at Macon City Auditorium. They can purchased by clicking here.