Recently relocating from New York to Austin, Walker Lukens has a few EPs and albums under his belt, but his new effort Devoted feels like he’s taking his game to the next level. Lukens celebrated the release of the album, which dropped last week, with a show at the ND that include performances by Good Field and Growl.
Lukens creates music that blends traditional folk-rock roots with electronic experimentation. Fludily moving from behind his guitar to dancing as he stands alone with a microphone, occasionally tweaking knobs on a mixer, Lukens kept the crowd on their toes. Perhaps most importantly, Lukens is the kind of performer that will push his audience, which is a desperately needed quality in live music. Challenging his audience members to both move closer to the stage and get their dance moves on, Lukens got responses on both requests.
Austin tends to be a somewhat standoffish city, and it’s nice to have some fresh blood in the pool to arouse the reflexes of weary concertgoers. One of his more straightforward songs, “Dear Someone,” sounded particularly full and robust since Lukens has added a more complete band to his live show in recent months. The incredible video for the track inventively utilizes photographs and stop-motion techniques and became somewhat of an internet sensation a few weeks ago.
Pop Press International faves Good Field preceded Lukens on the bill, sounding as tight as ever. Each member of Good Field delivers something vital to the band’s sound whether it’s the careful bass lines of Michael McLeod, the smooth vocals of Paul Price, Kyle Stevens’ hazy synths, or the punchy drums provided by Esteban Cruz. Good Field is one of Austin’s best bands, and with rumors surfacing that new material may be on the way, we can’t wait to hear what the band has in store next.
Growl opened the night with an upbeat power-pop set that resembled some of Weezer’s early material. Energetic and enthusiastic, the young band grinned through most of their performance.
Lukens certainly recruited some solid help to round out the bill for his successful release show. You can buy Devoted here. Watch the video for “Dear Someone” here.
All photos © Bryan Parker and Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
