Sitting on a wooden front porch with partially melted snow surrounding him, Luke Callen sits with work boots, rolled up pants, and sunglasses on. He fingerpicks a song painted with wildflowers, rivers, and meadows giving a little hint of Colorado influence on his music. The song “Some Reason” moves along the gravel road to a reflective ending of “butterflies and no more wars”. And like any good songwriter does, he’s hooked the listener by taking them on a journey that lands softly. It is our pleasure this week to share with you our interview with Luke Callen, an Artist You Should Know.

Where did you grow up and where do you call home now?

I grew up just outside the town of La Crosse, WI – in Keil Coulee specifically. I left for Madison, WI at 18 then moved out to Fort Collins, CO at 23 where I started making music. After about 5 or 6 years I moved into my 2004 Chevy Astro Van spending most of my time either in the Arkansas Valley of Colorado or my hometown of La Crosse – in the heart of the driftless region. From there I moved to Minneapolis, MN where I’ve been living for the past 6 years.

How have the life experiences of where you lived affected your songwriting or the songs you choose to record?

I think the movement of people – the stories they bring with them and the instruments they use to tell those stories are at the foundation of music. How they weave and mix and co-exist with the other is fundamental. I think the landscapes – along with the people that populate those landscapes – fill me up in unknown ways – and it’s often when I’m home or rooted down where I write my music – after filling up that proverbial well. That being said – I think inspiration is unbelievably vast and can be found travelling the world or sitting on your front porch…opening yourself up to expression I think allows you to tap into or at least start to see the world around you in a different way – creating inspiration just about anywhere.

What artists/songwriters have impacted or influenced your work the most?

I always go back to the Anthology of American Folk Music – an incredible collection. Nina Simone – Charlie Parr – John Fahey – Karen Dalton – Woody Guthrie – Bob Dylan – Randy Newman – Townes Van Zandt – Blaze Foley – Marisa Anderson – the list could continue for quite a while I guess…

I’ve been planting wild flowers
I’ve been scheming our grand escape
Never cared for silver linings
Never did believe in fate

Luke Callen from the song Some Reason

When you perform, what do you hope is your audience’s biggest takeaway?

I sorta always hope for the big three – I hope they laugh – I hope they cry and I hope they dance…but I also hope they think critically about the community they’re in – feel some sense of hopefulness that’s not rooted in any false toxic positivity – and perhaps want to go see another show.

Tell me a little bit about your latest project?

It’s music that you can relax into, paired with lyrics you’ll want to chew on and savor, that ask something of their listener. These songs are proof and reminder: you don’t actually have to go anywhere at all to, you know, get somewhere. That’s not to say the subject matters within this work are by any means easy or expected. Clementine follows a gun-totting mother up near the Taconite mines of Northern Minnesota. Deals go horribly wrong on the street corner in Lake Street Hustle. The cosmic, primordial soup mixes with wildflower seeds in Some Reason. These epic tales swirl alongside summertime swimming holes, interstate drives, fishing trips with Dad, and unlikely marriage proposals. It’s a no-frills arrangement style for those of us who crave something real and honest to listen to.

What was different or unique about your approach to this last project as compared to previous ones?

I took my time and wrote better songs.

Was there ever a time you felt like you wanted to quit making music? Tell us a little bit about your answer.

No – I’ve never wanted to stop playing music. Perhaps stop performing or working in a professional sense…only on account of the world burning and an endless cycle of war and famine…but often in those times it’s best to be in community – singing songs and telling stories – in an attempt to subvert the capitalists.

What is your funniest or favorite “on the road” story when touring?

Somehow they all get mashed together in my head – and it can be difficult to unstring the individual memories. That being said – when I was touring Alaska someone gave me a hit of LSD to take when I got to Salmonfest – when I arrived I took the tab – played my set while I was coming up a bit and then walked to this overlook of the Cook Inlet – and watched the sun dance a bit over the mountains across the water. That one will hang around with me for a long time….I hope.

Who or what keeps you grounded the most?

The native flora and fauna that surround me – perpetually reminding us that we’re all connected in a wild and not so mysterious way.

What advice would you give artists just starting out?

Practice everyday – go see people you respect perform as much as you can – listen to everything – write every day and read everyday. Maybe throw your phone away and get lost once in awhile.

Listen to Luke Callen and other Artists You Should Know on AmericanaMusic.com’s playlist.