Nick Movshon Channels Rock Pioneers on Marcus King’s “Young Blood”
When Marcus King started gaining momentum several years back, he was surrounded by a full band, including keys and horns. The modern guitar hero has now released his second solo album, Young Blood, which strips away the orchestration and returns to his earlier influences of Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin.
The record was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, who steered King towards a more raw, visceral sound that matches the lyrical content. King was going through a breakup during the writing and recording process, leading to some heavy topics.
In lieu of the full band, the guitarist is flanked by fellow six-stringer Andy Gabbard, drummer Chris St. Hilaire, and bassist Nick Movshon. In an interview with Spin, King said the musicians brought a ton to the music.
“They’re blistering musicians. Nick played with the Keys for awhile and did a lot of stuff with the Dap-Kings and The Arcs. He’s one of the greatest bass players. He cracked us all up,” King said. “We had the greatest drummer for my money besides my touring drummer, Chris St. Hilaire. I knew him from years ago up in New York. He played with the London Souls. That group disbanded and he played percussion on my first record. He and I go back a little ways. Those two guys and Andy Gabbard, who plays with the Keys now, they have such a reverence and key understanding of the music we were playing, and such a natural feel, but with a studious mindset. They nailed it, but did it in their own way.”
See the band in this live take of “It’s Too Late” from Easy Eye Sound:
Young Blood is available now on CD, vinyl, and as a digital download (iTunes and Amazon MP3).
Young Blood Track List:
- It’s Too Late
- Lie Lie Lie
- Rescue Me
- Pain
- Good and Gone
- Blood on the Tracks
- Hard Working Man
- Aim High
- Dark Cloud
- Whisper
- Blues Worse Than I Ever Had
