Paducah singer-songwriter Luke Taylor is set to play the Clemens Fine Arts Center this Saturday evening as part of the venue’s Backstage Pass Series, which features artists on a small stage and a relaxed seating environment.
When Taylor returned to Paducah in 2012 after serving in the U.S. Navy, there was no question he would be pursue his musical passions.
In the years since, he’s become one of the staples of the local scene. He playedbanjo and sang in The Cuttin’ Jessies and later joined Leonard the Band as a guitarist.
Taylor recently released “Filbo,” his first album as a solo artist. Described by Taylor as a rock and roll record with a little pop to it, the southern Illinois native tackles his personal anxieties and the chaos he sees in the world over the course of eight tracks.
“There's a lot of different themes with each song, you know, everything from me dealing with anxiety to dealing with the world in general,” says Taylor. “It's crazy times we live in … so the best thing I can do to deal with them is write music.”
Recorded at Paducah’s Loud & Clear Studios and engineered by Shelby Preklas, the record also features other musicians from the local scene – including Zack Winding (formerly of Leonard the Band) and Jacob McCallon (YoKy).
Taylor last played Backstage Pass during the COVID-19 pandemic, recording a set in 2020 without an audience. Now, he looks forward to bringing “Filbo” to life in front of a crowd.
“They're gonna hear some stripped down versions of some of you know, some of the first songs I ever wrote up to songs that you hear on ‘Filbo’ and I've even got a brand new one that I've never played before,” he said.
Taylor will take the stage at Clemens Fine Arts Center on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College. Tickets and more information can be found on the Clemens Fine Arts Center website.
