At the intersection of Harry Smith’s Old Weird America – the songs of heartworn highways – and the tumult of today you can find the music of Luke Callen. The songs – equal parts tragic comedy and hopeless reverie – paint a picture of the places and people that make up his earthly home. A poet – a player – a folk singer – Luke has traversed his country unraveling tall tales – short tunes and all that’s hidden underneath.
Originally from the river town of La Crosse, Wisconsin – the heart of the Driftless Region on the Mississippi River – and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota by way of Colorado Luke brings his humble sense of humor and humanity wherever he may go. His previous two solo albums – I’ll Take it With Me (2017) and below your knows (2019) – reach from the ethereal to the eternally real – whimsical walks in the out of doors to hopelessness and heartache and all the in betweens.
Luke’s latest release – Hard Sardine, released May 18, 2021 – was recorded in Winona, MN by Noah Glenn Short. This self-produced album features Lauren Anderson on bass, Elliot Heinz on drums, Wolf van Elfmand on guitar, Joe Kopel on guitar and harmony vocals, Siri Undlin on harmony vocals, Noah Short on organ, and Adelyn Rose on clarinet.
Luke has played hundreds of shows spanning both coasts, the American west, south, and heartland. He has had the opportunity to provide support for Dom Flemons, Dead Horses, The Dustbowl Revival, Kacy & Clayton, James McMurtry, Whiskey Shivers, Charlie Parr, The Lowest Pair, The Last Revel, Lilly Hiatt, Chicago Farmer, and Robbie Fulks among others.
