Marcus King Band Brings “Soul-Influenced Psychedelic Southern Rock”
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Marcus King Band Brings “Soul-Influenced Psychedelic Southern Rock” to Green Parrot
Kicking off this year’s Goombay Fest with what promises to be one of the biggest Green Parrot shows of the year, or any year for that matter, The Marcus King Band brings his self-styled “soul-influenced psychedelic southern rock” to The Green Parrot stage
A six-headed musical monster, The Marcus King Band is led by young Greenville, South Carolina guitarist and singer-songwriter Marcus King, a protégé of another son of the South, the ubiquitous Warren Haynes. An early MKB supporter, Haynes has praised King with some of the highest accolades an up-and-comer could want to hear. “Marcus is the first player I’ve heard since Derek Trucks to play with the maturity of a musician well beyond his age,” Haynes has said. “He’s very much influenced by the blues, but also by jazz, rock, soul music and any timeless genre. You can hear the influences, but it all comes through him in his own unique way. And he has one of those voices that instantly draws you in.”
Known for marathon live shows, King’s six-piece rock and soul outfit has solidified its current, horn-enhanced septet about a year ago with King out front on vocals and guitar, Jack Ryan on drums, Stephen Campbell on bass, Matt Jennings on Hammond B3 organ, Dean Mitchell on tenor and baritone saxophones and Justin Johnson on trumpet, trombone, percussion and backing and occasional lead vocals.
In person, the similarities between King and Haynes are impossible to overlook. The two could be “fam,” to borrow King’s phrase. They’re both big-boned, with long, shaggy hair that falls mid-back. Next is their singing – rich, bluesy, from-the-gut voices. And both men’s musical tastes are as broad as Haynes described: anchored in the blues but venturing everywhere music can go. moving effortlessly from guitar jams to Stax-style soul to Tower of Power horn work spiced with New Orleans funk, veering into Hendrixian psychedelic wah-wah and tastes of jazz-rock fusion.
Given the huge impression the Marcus King Band is making, and given that the new album features guests like Derek Trucks and Haynes himself – it seems a safe bet we’re going to hear a lot more from these cats in the months and years ahead. King is poised to be one of music’s next great guitarists — a virtuosic talent capable of playing blues, rock, R&B, country, soul and more. Catch this crew while you can still say you saw them when they were almost famous.
