Live music review and photos: Walker Lukens at Antone’s Nightclub
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All photos: Brandon Sandler
Following a week-long taping of his Song Confessional series, Walker Lukens spearheaded with a variety of local acts including Hard Proof and Croy and the Boys at Native Hostel, the upstart indie musician played to a nearly full house at the legendary blues emporium, Antone’s Nightclub in downtown Austin.
Lukens dropped his sophomore record, “Tell It To the Judge” to wide acclaim, getting name-checked at NPR and ABC News among other places. The singer collaborated with Spoon drummer and acclaimed producer Jim Eno at his Public Hi-Fi Studios. The album was also listed by our own editor as one of the best local albums of the year. Walker Lukens has got some serious momentum going.
It’s no surprise a number of folks who attended let us know how good the performance was before we even had a look at our staff photographer, Brandon Sandler’s impressive shots of the performance. Besides running through an impressive set list of songs from both albums, keyboardist Mckenzie Griffin sang lead vocals on a stunning tribute to the recently deceased Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. We like Lukens because he’s not afraid to mix it up creatively, offering a variety of style and musical approaches on his latest effort. If nothing else, this has produced work that keeps the listener engaged, leaning forward in their proverbial seat to see what fresh sounds will come with the next track. His live performances are similar, unpredictable and fun.
Lukens’ next stop is in San Antonio August 25 for another Song Confessional session this time at Paper Tiger. Next month the balladeer and gifted songwriter heads out on a multi city tour with a stop at Lou Fest in St. Louis where they’ll share the stage with Robert Plant and fellow Central Texas artists, Gary Clark Jr. and Lukas Nelson (Willie’s son).
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