Luke Preston Band

If you were listening to WQYK-99.5 last week, you might have caught an interview with a young singer-songwriter named Luke Preston. Born and raised in Clearwater, he’s now in Nashville, trying to make a go of it with his group, the Luke Preston Band.

The group’s sound, Preston says, ranges “from outlaw country to hip hop to the delta blues.” But he’s been trying to define his style since age 12, when he performed as part of a blues group called Communication Breakdown through the Patel Conservatory’s Rock School program. Later, he played in a pop-punk group before discovering Willie Nelson and other country legends. “The truthful nature of country songwriting has had a grip on me ever since,” he said.

Preston moved to Nashville for college, and struck up a relationship with his future bandmates: Guitarist Luke Enyeart (Preston’s freshman year roommate), drummer Jeremy Gold and bassist Jared Chapman. They’ve performed around the southeast — they were at St. Pete's Hideaway Cafe in May — but this past weekend, they played their biggest gig ever.

Preston entered the group in a contest to perform at the Country Stampede, a huge festival in Manhattan, Kan. They worked their way up the ranks, and eventually won a live battle, scoring them the chance to open for Toby Keith, Brantley Gilbert, Jerrod Neiman and more. Other artists performing throughout the weekend included Zac Brown Band, Luke Bryan and the Band Perry.

“Playing on the same stage as artists such as Toby Keith and Zac Brown Band is a huge resume booster, and an accomplishment that we are very proud of,” Preston said. “If nothing else, the contest has helped to raise awareness about our band as people are starting to take notice of us.”

- Tampa Bay Times

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

MANHATTAN — A Nashville, Tenn., band traveled all the way to Kansas to help it get some attention back home.

The Luke Preston Band, which is comprised of students at Nashville's Belmont University, opened the penultimate day of The Big 94.5 Country Stampede, earning the opportunity to do so by winning WIBW-FM's Road to Stampede band competition.

Nineteen acts entered the competition through digital submissions on Sonicbids.com. The fields was narrowed to nine, with 94.5 Country listeners invited to cast votes, which they did to the tune of around 9,500, said Keith Montgomery, the station's afternoon DJ and program director.

Wichita singer-songwriter Mark Brownlee Jr. got the most votes, but he had to do a face-to-face competition with the runner-up in the preliminary tally, and at a June 16 battle of the bands at Kite's Grille & Bar in Manhattan, the Luke Preston Band prevailed.

Belmont University, which includes the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, where you can major in songwriting, is the place to put together a band, said Preston, who plays guitar and is the lead vocalist.

The group also includes lead guitarist Luke Enyeart, bassist and vocalist Jared Chapman and drummer Jeremy Gold.

"Basically, we needed a band for a few shows I'd booked. Luke was my roommate. I met him a few years ago, and I asked him to play guitar," Preston said. "Down the hall, I had a friend named Jeremy who we heard playing the drums, so we thought we'd invite him on board. We heard (Jared) playing in our friend's room, and we needed a bassist. That was the final piece."

Joining the group at the Stampede was keyboardist Ian Miller who recorded on the band's four-track EP, "When You’re Lost," which was released in April and available on iTunes. Although the band performed at 2:30 p.m. when a lot of the Stampede-goers were staying the shade and away from their seats, the band drew a crowd.

"To be out there and have some excited fans and people who actually cared to meet us afterwards, it was pretty cool," said Preston, referring to a sizable line at the merchandise tent where they signed autographs, sold their EP and posed for photographs with fans.

"I'd like to be back every year. We'll play where they put us," Preston said.

Asked whether their goal was to work up to one of the headlining slots, he said, "That would be awesome, but for now it's just great to be here."
- The Topeka - Capital Journal