The Marcus King Band — Paste Studios, New York, 2017

This live session was filmed on 27 February 2017 at Paste Studios in New York, as part of the magazine’s in-studio recordings. The live performance showcases The Marcus King Band, the group led by guitarist and singer Marcus King, then in his early twenties yet already hailed as a prodigy of blues rock and Southern soul. A native of Greenville, South Carolina, King works within a Southern tradition where expressive guitar playing converses with a horn section and warm organ. For this session he is joined by Stephen Campbell on bass, Jack Ryan on drums, Justin Johnson on trumpet and trombone, Dean Mitchell on saxophone and DeShawn “D-Vibes” Alexander on keyboards. The material captured at Paste Studios includes “Thespian Espionage”, “Rita Is Gone” and “Sorry ‘Bout Your Lover”, three songs that illustrate the band’s writing between improvisation, groove and vocal intensity. This intimate studio format highlights the instrumental maturity of an ensemble on the verge of its international breakthrough, several years before Marcus King launched his solo career under his own name.