Marshall Lawrence’s blues n’ roots music was once lovingly described by a friend as “a hot, simmering box of crayons run over on the highway by a semi truck.” The striking image of colors mashed together perfectly captures the Top 10–charting, award-winning artist’s peculiar and deeply personal take on Americana.

“I play what I feel, and blues music is closest to my heart,” says the Edmonton, Alberta–based artist. “It’s about showing people they’re not alone, creating community, and getting loose and going wild—releasing all the stored feelings we keep inside.”

Lawrence is a songwriting blues artist who eschews cliched lyrics and 12-bar retreads for party songs riddled with witty double entendres and heartfelt hard-luck tunes that address modern-day struggles. He’s also a deliciously unpredictable. In a couple of album cycles he can flip from reverential acoustic blues to boundary-pushing modern blues. One of the rare artists equally adept at fingerstyle acoustic and searing electric blues, Lawrence draws comparisons to Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Keb’ Mo’, and Gary Clark Jr.

This year, Lawrence will release a pair of albums showcasing these contrasting sides, along with a third hard-rocking record. Soul Shaker, billed under the name Marshall MacLeod, is a collaboration with Cam MacLeod of iconic Edmonton 1980s rockers White Wolf.

Offstage, Lawrence is eloquent and soft-spoken. Onstage, he’s a tireless, reckless fire-starter. The duality recalls an Iggy Pop/Jim Osterberg split. “I definitely bring a punk energy to what I do,” he says. “My shows are about helping people forget about the crap that’s waiting just outside the door.”

Since 2003, Lawrence has released five wildly eclectic albums plus a series of singles featuring supercharged renditions of blues standards. He’s garnered critical acclaim, won awards, and earned the respect of blues legends like former B.B. King bassist Russell Jackson and The Holmes Brothers, both of which have appeared on his albums.  

Since 2003, Lawrence has released five wildly eclectic albums along with a series of singles featuring supercharged interpretations of blues standards. He’s earned critical acclaim, won awards, and garnered the respect of blues legends such as former B.B. King bassist Russell Jackson and The Holmes Brothers, both of whom have appeared on his recordings.

>>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE