Photo by Caity Krone
Hailing from LA, Luke Tyler Shelton does not limit himself to genre. Though his music may sound country to some, folky to others; to Shelton, country “feels like a boxed-in genre.” Instead, he qualifies his work as “folk rock.” As such, “Blue Sky,” Shelton’s latest twangy EP, serves as only the opening chord for the singer-songwriter’s evolving discography.
Between playing a festival in Massachusetts and a show at Union Pool this Saturday, I caught up with Luke Tyler Shelton in Tompkins Square Park.
How are you feeling about your show at Union Pool this Saturday?
Luke: I’m super excited. It’s my first show in New York and my first time playing my music on the East Coast in general, so that feeling alone is obviously exciting. I don’t know what the scene is like for the kind of music that I do out here necessarily, apart from some friends that I have here. So,I hope that we get some new people that are into the music and make some new fans.
Is there a big country scene in LA?
Luke: Honestly there is, but I feel like most of my friend group has been the main part of it; we’re all folk and country rock acts in general. A lot of them have moved here now.
Do you think that New York City is a city that can truly appreciate country music?
Luke: Yeah, I do. My thing is that I don’t tell people that I make country music because it feels like a boxed-in genre. It’s hard for me to identify my music with one thing when people ask. I tend to say folk rock because it feels like a general thing that a lot of things can fall under. Maybe people will go to a country show here because it wouldn’t make any sense for it to be here, so people may gravitate to it because it feels different. I went to Skinny Dennis last night and we were two-stepping.
That place is awesome. I think there are pockets of country here and there across the city. I was also wondering, because you grew up in L.A. and the San Fernando Valley, what got you into making more country-inspired folk music?
Luke: The first music that I was super into when I started writing was Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills and Nash. Those songwriter guys from Laurel Canyon scene in L.A. I played drums first. That was my first instrument. I was super into Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and stuff. Then I wanted to sing and write more, so I started listening to softer, more singer-songwriter kind of people. I feel like once you get into those bands, you start to go more into the artists who were specifically folk or specifically country. You start in the 60s, 70s, and then you start going backwards.
The country thing, I wasn’t even trying to make country-sounding stuff. I listened to The Stones and Faces, and early Rod Stewart stuff where they use a lot of mandolin and fiddle. It inspired me to incorporate pedal steel into my music. But then, I realized that after I put those songs out that I was giving off more of a country vibe. I can rock with that for now, but moving forward, maybe I won’t use pedal steel in every song.
Why do you think there is an Americana resurgence happening right now?
Luke: I think the genre of Americana evolves every decade. I feel like genres maybe get a little bit lost at the end of a certain era. Young people kind of forget about country folk and rock and get into other things that feel more exciting and attractive. And then, all of a sudden, some artist comes out with an acoustic guitar and they’re just playing a song by themselves. People are like, oh wait, that actually sounds really nice. You remember that that’s kind of all you need and people gravitate towards it again.
I feel like one thing about Americana and country music is that the lyrics aren’t very cryptic, they’re very upfront. Do you think working with this style of music has allowed you to be more emotionally vulnerable in your writing?
Luke: I think I gravitated towards it just because of how I started writing naturally. Obviously, there’s an influence from all the artists that I listen to and listened to when I first started writing songs. But, I definitely write in a very personal way about my feelings and my experience, or someone close to me’s experience.
So, what was the inspiration behind Blue Sky, your first EP?
Luke: Well, it’s interesting because that EP is more so to me a group of singles with no type of correlation. But, what it is, is a group of love songs.
All about different people?
Luke: Kind of, honestly, a little bit. Those songs were written within two years of time. It’s songs about me, songs about other people that I’ve been with. I put them in an order that I felt made sense. They might even be almost in order of when they were written, honestly. But yeah, the theme is definitely love, every phase of it.
With your new work, is love a similar driving theme?
Luke: I think love songs are the easiest thing to write about. Whether they’re happy or sad, or anything in between. When I write, the music always comes first and the lyrics come after. I kind of feel out the vibe of the song, of the music, and then I’ll come up with the lyrics after that fit in. I just went through a breakup, so I feel like the songs I’m writing now are definitely in that world.
Are you going to release a new album soon?
Luke: I’m releasing a few more singles right now before getting into album territory. I want to make sure I have all the right songs and there’s still some singles that I want to get out before doing a full album. But that’s the goal, to release my first LP.
I have a new song coming out on July 11th, which I haven’t announced yet. It’s the first one I’m putting out that I wrote on piano. That one I wrote from the perspective of my ex, as if she’s talking to me. It’s good though, I like it a lot. It might be one of my favorite sounding ones out of all the ones I’ve put out so far.
So what’s inspiring your new LP? Do you still want to make country folk?
Luke: I’ve been inspired by more soul and piano stuff. Lately I’ve been inspired by Clairo’s new record Charmed, Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, Todd Rundgren, and The Replacements. They’re one of my favorite bands ever. My inspirations are kind of all over the place, but I’m trying to make it make sense for me with what I’m doing. At my heart, I love the guitar and singing folky, personal lyrics. That’s what I am at my base. But, I’m trying to make stuff that feels a little less tied to any genre. I want this LP to definitely feel different than the EP.
So after your East Coast run of shows, what’s next for you?
Luke: I’ve got some touring in July. I’m opening for the Wood Brothers and Will Dorado for some shows in the US. Like I said, I’ve got a new song coming out at the beginning of July and a music video too. Got some festivals with this other band I play in for my friend Malcolm Todd, and my brother’s getting married.
Listen to “Blue Sky”