Greenville, S.C.
Soul Therapy

There’s a certain humbleness in Marcus King’s Southern drawl. He doesn’t sound like you might imagine a 20-year-old would after learning he will be playing at Austin’s SXSW conference and festival for the first time. Shocked as he is, King remains calm, but honored—like he’s been doing this for years. And he has. He’s a third-generation bluesman from Greenville, S.C., who’s already been playing live shows for half his life. His long, curly hair, wailing Gibson SG and eponymous band name evoke links to Derek Trucks or Warren Haynes. But King is more of a mixture of these influences—and their influences—plus a welcomed dose of jazz-fusion. King admits that his band isn’t the first to blend blues, rock and jazz, but there’s a renewed energy here (with all due respect). “I feel like, since we’re all young and we’re really hungry for it, it’s just got this intensity behind it,” King says from Carriage House Studios in Stamford, Conn., where he’s working alongside Haynes on his band’s second LP. If you pick up The Marcus King Band’s first album, last year’s Soul Insight, or catch them on tour, then you’ll discover King’s not-so-secret weapon: his voice. Equal parts soulful and powerful, King says that he finds his identity in his singing and songwriting. “I’m pretty much screaming everything that I feel to as many people who will listen,” King explains. “It’s my form of therapy.”