Marcus King today announced the release of “Blood On The Tracks,” the latest preview, and lead single from his forthcoming solo album, Young Blood. The track was co-written with Dan Auerbach and songwriting legend Desmond Child, renowned for his work with rock acts including Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and Aerosmith. It premiered today with Garden & Gun, who stated “‘Blood On The Tracks’, finds King steeling himself for the ascent from the depths to the sunlight above.”
Over a swampy groove, gritty guitars and a thumping bass sound that offers sonic tribute to Free’s Andy Frazer, King’s soulful vocals smolder in a moment of reflection and hope, compelled to finally leave “his sins in the past.”
Recalling back to a productive session with Childs, King shared, “’Blood on the Tracks’ was the first song we wrote for the record, it was also my first time meeting Desmond Child. He’s 100% unapologetically himself at all times, and that charmed me immediately. I really enjoyed working with Dan and Desmond on this tune, they both have such an acute sensibility for a “hook” it is scary!” He continued, “The song essentially tells the story of moving forward or being taken down by the trouble you are facing – catching the train or the bloodier alternative. Every writing session for this record started with a conversation, an opportunity for my collaborators to take a peek inside my soul and the pain I was carrying around.”
Accompanying the song release, King also dropped a live video, created at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Studio, it features acclaimed musicians including Chris St. Hilaire on drums and Nick Movshon on bass. Watch it HERE.
Young Blood’s tales of excess, salvation, break up and addiction, draw on some difficult and personal moments. Despite challenging personal circumstances, King has made his most accomplished work to date. The album has already received widespread critical acclaim. Rolling Stone Magazine profiled King, stating, he “turned a dark period into a blistering rock album.” SPIN praised King’s “classic ‘70s rock vibes.” FLOOD MAGAZINE proclaimed King “fully embodies the gritty rock sounds the songwriter’s always dipped his toes in.” Brooklyn Vegan exclaimed, “If you’ve got a place in your heart for stuff like The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, or ZZ Top, it’d be tough to deny that Marcus truly captures the spirit of that era (and also really shreds.)” and Jimmy Fallon shared King “is one his favorites”, before his electrifying performance of “Hard Working Man” on the Tonight Show.
King has been an outlier from the very beginning. A fourth generation musician from Greenville, SC, who learned guitar at age 3 from his blues rock musician father Marvin King. He navigated troublesome school years to quickly become known as one of the most promising young artists of our time. He followed his breakout success with The Marcus King Band, with his Auerbach produced 2020 solo album debut, El Dorado. It garnered a GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of “Best Americana Album” and critical praise from The New York Times to NPR’s Weekend Edition With unparalleled performance prowess and a dynamic live show, King has sold out historic venues from The Beacon to The Filmore. He has opened for Chris Stapleton, Greta Van Fleet and Nathaniel Rateliff and graced the bills of Stagecoach, Fuji Rock, Rock Werchter and more. He also recently launched his own custom Gibson guitar and signature Orange guitar amplifier, the MK Ultra, which sold out before it even hit the stores.
King recently announced a massive headline US tour, with dates HERE through September and October 2022 supporting the release of his forthcoming solo album, Young Blood. He will be taking his stadium sized sound to esteemed venues across the U.S, including two nights at venues such as New York’s Beacon Theatre and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Neal Francis and Ashland Craft support select dates, and the tour features comedy by Dean Del Ray. Tickets on sale now HERE and a complete list of dates follows below.
King will continue to tear up the rulebook with the release Young Blood, redefining the route to modern rock stardom with a timeless sound and a singular voice, equal parts grease and grit, set to soon establish him as one of the most soulful vocalists of his generation.
TOUR DATES
Tickets available HERE.
JUL 16 SAT – Wild Hare Music Festival 2022 – Canby, OR, United States
JUL 27 WED – FloydFest 22- Heartbeat 2022 – Floyd, VA, United States
Sept 9 – The Met – Philadelphia, PA
Sept 10 – The Theater at MGM National Harbor – Washington DC
Sept 11 – House Of Blues – Boston, MA
Sept 15 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY
Sept 16 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY
Sept 17 – KEMBA Live! – Columbus, OH
Sept 18 – Bourbon & Beyond Festival – Louisville, KY
Sept 20 – HISTORY – Toronto, ON
Sept 21 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
Sept 23 – GLC Live at 20 Monroe – Grand Rapids, M
Sept 24 – The Sylvee – Madison, WI ^
Sept 25 – Palace Theatre – St. Paul, MN
Sept 27 – Egyptian Room @ Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN
Sept 29 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
Sept 30 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
Oct 1 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
Oct 2 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
Oct 4 – Stubb’s Bar-B-Q – Austin, TX
Oct 6 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ
Oct 7 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
Oct 11 – The Masonic – San Francisco, CA
Oct 13 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
Oct 14 – The Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA
Oct 15 – The Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA
Oct 17 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 18 – Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
Oct 20 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
Oct 21 – Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL
Oct 22 – The Fillmore Detroit- Detroit, MI
Oct 23 – Agora Theatre – Cleveland Ohio
Oct 25 – The Fillmore Charlotte – Charlotte, NC
Oct 26 – Avondale Brewing Company – Birmingham, AL
Oct 27 – The Fillmore New Orleans – New Orleans, LA
