Marcus King: An Intimate Evening Feat. Drew Smithers

Marcus King: An Intimate Evening Feat. Drew Smithers

Get ready for something really special–Grammy nominated Marcus King’s An Intimate Evening Featuring Drew Smithers. You thought Marcus King was good, maybe great, but stripped back like this, you hear the raw talent in his songwriting, his smoky vocals, his acoustic guitar, along with the equally skilled Drew Smithers.  All recorded live at the Bluebird Café,

Alongside the announcement, King today released two new renditions of “Hero” (from Mood Swings) and “8 A.M.” (from The Marcus King Band’s Carolina Confessions). The new versions feature Drew Smithers on guitar, who will be joining King on the acoustic run, and King on guitar & vocals. Recorded live at the legendary Bluebird Cafe during his sold-out performances from this summer, the pristine new recordings highlighted the organic guitar playing of Smithers and further accentuated King’s soulful powerhouse vocals in an intimate live setting.

Listen to the new rendition of “Hero” HERE and “8.am” HERE

King stated regarding the new renditions: “I’m so thrilled to present these songs to you all in an intimate setting – talking through the stories behind the songs and playing them in their most stripped down way.”

With these intimate recordings, you can hear how King wrote them, likely on his acoustic guitar. There’s no fuss on these recordings, no auto-tune compressing his vocals (a la Curtis Mayfield in places,) just his tremendous talents on vocals and guitar and Smithers’ outstanding guitar forming a meant-to-be musical partnership.

This past Saturday on October 5th, Marcus King and The Marcus King Band appeared on CBS Saturday Morning, performing “F*ck My Life Up Again,” “Hero,” “Save Me.” In addition, Marcus King’s Howard Stern session is now available where he performed the same tracks alongside Allman Brothers classic “Ramblin Man.”

Watch Marcus King on CBS Saturday Morning HERE

King is a GRAMMY® nominated fourth generation musician from Greenville, SC, who started playing guitar at 8 years old following in the footsteps of his guitarist Father and Grandpa. Logging thousands of miles on the road as “The Marcus King Band,” he established himself with unparalleled performance prowess and a dynamic live show. His solo debut El Dorado, garnering a GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of “Best Americana Album.”

In between packing venues on his own, he performed alongside Chris Stapleton (he opens for him once again at U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis), Greta Van Fleet, and Nathanial Rateliff in addition to gracing the bills of Stagecoach and more with one seismic show after the next. He has been open about his challenges with mental health in his songs and throughout his career, and earlier this year, Marcus launched the Curfew Fellowship Fund and partnered with MusiCares and Stand Together Music that will help build a more mentally health aware touring community for himself and other artists to follow.

Marcus King’s latest album, Mood Swings takes us in a very different sonic direction to his considerable catalog of studio albums. Combining elements as diverse as modern pop, R&B, aughts hip hop, piano driven classic rock and the warm production and symphonic instrumentation of classic era soul, R&B and jazz. Previously released song “F*ck My Life Up Again” is a considerable departure stadium sized rock, with strings that accent over a smoky jazz beat, while his soulful delivery booms, “Come f*ck my life up again, don’t deserve to live without pain.” A guitar solo “played backwards” channels stark confusion offset by the unshakable hook. On “Hero,” his croon rises over acoustic guitar towards a fluttering crescendo. The same naked emotion defines “Delilah” where over piano led pop rock and innovative tracks such as “Inglewood Motel (Halestorm)” are an alt R&B masterpiece. The album closes with “Cadillac,” steeped in psychedelic symphonic soul it is an arresting tale of dark desires and suicidal ideation.

Despite its often bleak subject matter, Mood Swings is an album with a message of hope. Legendary producer Rick Rubin who has worked with everyone from Adele to Johnny Cash, was instantly drawn to King’s guitar playing, singular voice and songwriting, and after witnessing a King live performance, one day randomly cold-called him to float the idea of working together. Rubin helped King find a new personal and sonic approach and instead of crumbling under the weight of his anxiety, Rubin inspired him to shift his perspective. “He helped me view mental health as a writing partner in a way,” recalls Marcus. “I’ve learned it can give me that creative spark.”

On Mood Swings we find King gracefully standing in his own truth, accepting the challenges he’s faced and coming out the otherside a man renewed. It is a rebirth of both his sound and of his mind. “Without this assembly of songs, I don’t think I’d be around,” King shares, “I hope this album can act as a safety blanket, a rescue, or a refuge for anybody struggling with mental health, substance abuse, or relationship issues. That’s what it is for me.”

Tickets are on sale today at 10am local time, available HERE 

MOOD SWINGS THE WORLD TOUR DATES
*new Marcus King: An Intimate Acoustic Evening Featuring Drew Smithers acoustic dates
+supporting Chris Stapleton
October 11, 2024 – House of Blues Boston – Boston, MA
October 12, 2024 – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA
October 13, 2024 – Brooklyn Paramount – Brooklyn, NY
October 17, 2024 – La Riviera – Madrid, Spain
October 18, 2024 – Sala Apolo – Barcelona, Spain
October 20, 2024 – Fabrique Milano – Milan, Italy
October 21, 2024 – Komplex 457 – Zurich, Switzerland
October 23, 2024 – Le Transbordeur – Lyon, France
October 25, 2024 – Essigfabrik – Cologne, Germany
October 27, 2024 – Markthalle – Hamburg, Germany
October 28, 2024 – De Roma – Antwerp, Belgium
October 29, 2024 – AFAS Live – Amsterdam, Netherlands
October 31, 2024 – Metropol – Berlin, Germany
November 01, 2024 – The Grey Hall – Copenhagen, Denmark
November 03, 2024 – Bataclan – Paris, France
November 05, 2024 – Eventim Apollo – London, UK
November 06, 2024 – Albert Hall – Manchester, UK
November 07, 2024 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow, UK
November 09, 2024 – O2 Institute – Birmingham, UK
November 10, 2024 – The Great Hall – Cardiff, UK
November 12, 2024 – Olympia – Dublin, Ireland
November 19, 2024 – Grand Ole Opry House – Nashville, TN
*December 4, 2024 – Floore’s Country Store – Helotes, TX
*December 5, 2024 – Cactus Theater – Lubbock, TX
*December 6, 2024 – KiMo Theatre – Albuquerque, NM
*December 7, 2024 – Orpheum Theater – Flagstaff, AZ
*December 9, 2024 – Uptown Theatre Napa – Napa, CA
*December 10, 2024 – Belly Up – Solana Beach, CA
*December 12, 2024 – Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
*December 13, 2024 – Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
*December 14, 2024 – Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ
*December 17, 2024 – Duling Hall – Jackson, MS
*December 19, 2024 – Louisiana Grandstand – Shreveport, LA
*December 20, 2024 – The Hall – Little Rock, AR
*December 21, 2024 – The Caverns – Pelham, TN
*January, 23, 2025 – Sheridan Opera House – Telluride, CO
*January, 24, 2025 – Vilar Performing Arts Center – Beaver Creek, CO
*January, 25, 2025 – – Strings Pavilion – Steamboat Springs, CO
*January 27, 2025 – Center for the Arts – Jackson, WY
+February 25, 2025 – Rod Laver Arena – Melbourne, Australia
+February 26, 2025 – Rod Laver Arena – Melbourne, Australia
+February 28, 2025 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre – Brisbane, Australia
+March 1, 2025 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre – Brisbane, Australia
+March 4, 2025 – Qudos Bank Arena – Sydney, Australia
+March 5, 2025 – Qudos Bank Arena – Sydney, Australia
+March 7, 2025 – Spark Arena – Auckland, New Zealand
+March 8, 2025 – Spark Arena – Auckland, New Zealand
September 15-21, 2025 – Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea – Seattle, WA

Marcus King website