Funk Soul Brother

posted in: Artist Features • Rock

Luke Wade might have grown up to be another Texas jock if not for a paintball that veered straight into his eye as a teen, altering the course of his life. As gruesome as that injury must have been, it was, in a way, serendipitous. Forced to explore interests that didn’t require perfect eyesight, Wade picked up the guitar and found a new calling. Now, as Luke Wade and No Civilians, the songwriter crafts soulful, rhythmic, layered rock full of tales of relationship wins and losses. Strangest Angels sets off on a bass saunter with spooky keys, streams of brass and jazzy guitars darting in and out. Ghost On A Wire is a mid-tempo meander through memories of a past love where he muses that, today’s friends are tomorrow’s ghosts. Wade’s a romantic, and nowhere is that more evident than on Quiet As You Can, an acoustic lullaby where quavering keys and the sepulchral blast of horns wrap the melody in vintage soul a la Otis Redding. Maybe he’s not on the field putting points on the scoreboard, but there’s no question that Wade is winning.

“Quiet As You Can” – Luke Wade and No Civilians