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“LeBlanc’s raspy vocals and roots laden songs leap from the speakers with a clean, straight forward, no-nonsense sincerity and clarity that lands somewhere between John Prine and a dash of Dylan.” -Minor 7th
Bio (short)
Luke LeBlanc is a Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter who delivers dynamic and versatile original performances that feature a warm, organic merging of rootsy folk and pop. As noted by The Current, LeBlanc’s music is “so delicate, understated, and careful in its construction that you forget it’s taking apart how to live in such an unstable world while giving solace and a place for rest.” Luke’s music has received critical acclaim from numerous music magazines, including Bluegrass Situation, Americana Highways, and Glide Magazine, and he has shared the stage with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Charlie Parr, and Grammy-Nominee Amythyst Kiah. His newest record, Places, was produced by Erik Koskinen and is his debut album for Real Phonic Records.
Promotional Photos
Photo Credit – Sarah Bel Kloetzke
Video
Bio (long)
Luke LeBlanc is a Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter who delivers dynamic and versatile original performances that feature a warm, organic merging of rootsy folk and pop. As noted by The Current, LeBlanc’s music is “so delicate, understated, and careful in its construction that you forget it’s taking apart how to live in such an unstable world while giving solace and a place for rest.”
Luke’s music has been featured on 89.3 the Current and has received critical acclaim from numerous music magazines, including Bluegrass Situation, Americana Highways, and Glide Magazine. His music has also been featured in numerous podcasts, including The Bob Cesca Show, 13th Floor MusicTalk with Marty Duda, Tales from the Corners with Robert J Nebel, and Strongwriter on the Radio with Dean Olsen.
LeBlanc taught himself how to play guitar at 11 years old and decided to write his own words and music soon after. At 13, he was the youngest to win the Zimmy’s (named after Robert Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan) national Dylan influenced singer-songwriter competition in Hibbing, Minnesota. Born and raised in Minneapolis’ Northside, LeBlanc played South by Southwest in Texas in 2017 and found himself opening for Charlie Parr, Phil Solem of the Rembrandts, Joey Molland of Badfinger, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
His newest album, Places, was released on October 27, 2023, a follow up to 2022’s Fugue State. The album has garnered critical acclaim, including an invite by Minnesota Public Radio to perform in-studio for The Current’s Radio Heartland, a feature in Ed Helm’s bluegrass magazine, Bluegrass Situation, and an appearance on Duluth’s morning news.
Music
Press / Reviews
Places Reviews
The Aquarian: https://www.theaquarian.com/2023/10/27/on-the-record-bob-dylan-mixing-up-the-medicine-plus-the-third-mind-robert-rex-waller-jr-luke-leblanc/
“The rhythmic, uniformly excellent material is rooted in folk but incorporates elements of country, rock, Americana, and even jazz.” -Jeff Burger
Minor 7th: https://www.minor7th.com/shorttakes11_23.html
“LeBlanc’s raspy vocals and roots laden songs leap from the speakers with a clean, straight forward, no-nonsense sincerity and clarity that lands somewhere between John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III, with a good dash of Dylan, which seems fitting for this Minneapolis native.”
Lonesome Highway: https://www.lonesomehighway.com/music-reviews/2023/11/27/new-album-reviews
“LeBlanc relates to the love we all plug into occasionally in reaching out to another who needs direction in finding the way forward to better days.”
Fugue State Reviews
Adventures in Americana: https://www.adventuresinamericana.com/the-music-distillery-blog/music-review-luke-leblanc-fugue-state
“Lyrically, Fugue State is quietly powerful and thought-provoking. The first few times I heard it, the sound and the feel washed over me as a whole, stirring and comforting at the same time. With every listen, new lyrical fragments come to the surface, sometimes pointing to a literal meaning, sometimes sliding the song’s message farther out of reach, hovering at the liminal edges of comprehension.”
Blog Critics: https://blogcritics.org/music-review-luke-leblanc-fugue-state/
“The album reads like one human’s reflective journey through the psyche of a nation, painted in lush yet simple arrangements where pedal steel, violin, banjo and sax make appearances along with the usual folksy lineup of guitar, bass, drums and keyboards.”
Lonesome Highway: https://www.lonesomehighway.com/music-reviews/2022/11/20/new-album-reviews-1
“With all these feelings of vulnerability I have the sense that LeBlanc is coming into his own and cruising along the fast lane to greater success.”
Making a Scene: https://www.makingascene.org/luke-leblanc-fugue-state/
“LeBlanc has plenty to say but he is far more subtle than direct, never preachy. His honest writing, natural gift for melody, backing musicianship, and Koskinen’s spot-on production values make for a winning combination.”
Highlights
Has shared the stage with: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Charlie Parr, Erik Koskinen, Them Coulee Boys, Pert Near Sandstone, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Phil Solem (the Rembrandts), Joey Molland (Badfinger)
Charts: Luke’s Only Human reached #19 on Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Contemporary Folk Chart. Luke’s Fugue State reached #9 on Roots Music Reports Top 50 Contemporary Folk Chart.
Awards: 2009 Dylan Days National Singer-Songwriter Competition Winner
Producers / Engineers worked with: Erik Koskinen, Matt Fink (of Prince & the Revolution)
Festivals: SXSW, Stone Arch Fridge Fest, Artepils Music & Arts Fest, Rhythm of the River
Social Media Links
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lukeleblancmusic
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lukeleblancmusic
Twitter: www.twitter.com/itlukeslikerain
Youtube: www.youtube.com/@lukeleblanc
