Raw and unadulterated modern acoustic folk

10 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Modern Folk, ROCK: Americana



Details:
Alternate tunings and classical finger style training lend a hand in creating a style for Luke MacNeil that is truly powerful and unique. His songs are filled with breathtaking emotional vocals and unconventional musical twists.

"Music is my life, it is who I am. At 15 when I was bashing my head to bands like Slayer and Pantera, I could have never imagined I would grow to play and enjoy the works J.S. Bach.. Music makes me feel, and its my responsibility to see that it makes my audience feel something as well."

Beginning his musical journey at a young age, Luke has crafted a style for himself that infuses many different genres. An early interest in Death Metal gave way to a use of interesting chord forms and scales. After being exposed to some local musicians at open mics, he became infatuated with finger style guitar technique and alternate tunings. Dissatisfied with the tone of distorted guitar, he has now taken an acoustic role.

"The acoustic guitar vibrates... it just vibrates more. I like to feel the chords ring through my bones. My family have played country for all of my life. Some of those old songs have become a part of me.. and I think that might be one of the reasons that I love the sound of an acoustic guitar so much. I found that with the electric stuff, I spent too much time fiddling with the knobs and foot switches... searching for the tone that was me.. I finally found it when I turned the amplifiers off"

Frequently Featuring at open mics and coffee houses around the Metro west area, the expansiveness of the musical world has really sunken in. From Blues, to Death Metal, over to Rock, and now Folk, Luke has evolved and developed for himself a style that is truly unique.

"I've played in bands, and had a great time, but I've found that what works best for me is performing solo. I like to play with people, but not so much all together. The nights that I really enjoy are the ones where we sit around in a circle, and trade songs back and forth. In the round. It's intimate.. It brings the performers closer together, and the audience closer to us."

Luke has recently released his first solo album entitled "Here's one for Sanity". The album is a collection of original songs and some covers of the songs that he believes the world should hear. A pleasant mix of instrumental finger style pieces, descriptive sonic imagery, and testosterone.


"The emotion is genuine and the sincerity in MacNeil's songwriting saves the material from becoming too depressing. That's a good thing, since his goal wasn't to upset listeners. Rather, he hopes they walk away feeling like they just left a campfire, what he considers folk music to be all about. This artist is underselling himself though. If all campfire performers were as gifted and pleasing on the ears as MacNeil, we'd all have to brave the outdoors more often."
- Pulse Magazine.

"...Ranging from rumbling low notes to sweet highs, from soulful, rolling refrains to jazzy scats, his voice rides through a song like a fine-tuned car on an open road. And local folk venues are just now starting to notice."
- The Boston Globe.

"This guy goes at a song with a passion and he plays the heck out of his guitar.Whether he is offering his own deeply felt music or he is transforming your understanding of another artists' material, Luke MacNeil will keep you on the edge of your seat."
- Tom Driscoll