Greenville, South Carolina natives The Marcus King Band made a stop at the Boulder Theater Saturday, July 6th, performing following the Dead and Company tour finale at the University of Colorado’s Folsom Field. Fans in the know snapped up advance tickets early, leading to a sell-out well before the young (he’s 23) King’s band hit Boulder. The hot, beatific bluesman takes his cues from legends such as The Allman Brothers (more on that later) and the chugging Stax Records sound while remaining relevant in today’s music scene, which has seen a resurgence in neo-traditional rock, blues and even jazz.
King represents the new school of musicians turning on to progressive and jam formats while keeping their songwriting in context with their chosen genre. We certainly saw more “jams” from King and his band than in the past to satisfy his audience’s musical appetite. His set format when this writer caught him in Austin, Texas last year was much more traditional with shorter song lengths. The songs were truer to the recordings than the blitzkrieg of fiery guitar King unleashed on the still thirsty for shredding Dead and Company fans.
While King was born into music (his father is musician Marvin King), he doesn’t rely on his virtuosic guitar chops to get by. Instead, the long-haired, grinning player writes quality songs that are equally impressive as his guitar work. It’s that commitment to songwriting that makes him stand out among contemporary guitarists. It’s clear the man loves to perform, often seeming to be the happiest person in the venue. With an attitude like that, it’s hard not to like The Marcus King Band.
The show began a bit late as Dead and Company fans made their way over to the Boulder Theater following the earlier performance on the nearby CU campus. King graciously held off to allow extra time for those folks to arrive. Once the room was full, King set off on a musical adventure with a mix of blistering Southern-fried blues solos and soulful ballads with songs like the touching, “8 AM” and full-on, relentless rocker, “What’s Right.”
King’s band featured a trumpet and trombone in addition to the standard five-piece with a rhythm guitarist backing King. His band also featured a keyboard player who could wail on the organ just as well as the young six-stinger could play his axe. The blues tune “Aint Nothin’ Wrong with That” highlighted those musicians and King’s blazing playing style in the Stax tradition. The song was funky and full of moxie. King often plays with a huge grin on his face as if he’s the one having the most fun in the room, not the fans. That may actually be true judging from the look on his face.
Guest performer, Eric Krasno (Lettuce) joined the band for a set-closing rendition of The Allman’s “Whipping Post” stirring up the sold-out crowd once more before unleashing the hippie mob inside upon an overrun Boulder. Outside the venue, fans milled about talking about the amazing show they’d just witnessed. Indeed, Marcus King is one to watch. Music fans would be smart to keep track of this talented artist. His name is befitting of his massive talent.
