Drop on by David Luning’s March shows at Moody’s Bistro Bar & Beats for two nights of rocking Americana music. He and his band — Dave Sampson on guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, and harmonies; Ben Dubin on bass, harmonies, and harmonica; Linden Reed on drums; and Luning on vocals, guitar, and harmonica — will play Friday and Saturday night (March 7 and 8), and if it goes like their recent February shows at Moody’s, the restaurant will be full of dancing, clapping, and boot stomping to the fun and energetic tunes.
The David Luning Band first performed in town on a 2013 August evening for Truckee Thursday, a stop on their Southwest summer tour. “We fell in love with [the region] the first time we came and played here,” Luning, 26, said. Dubin agreed, saying, “We had so much fun the first time we played up here, we mused about living here.” Luning’s music feels right at home in Truckee, too. With mentions of whiskey, a busted pick-up truck, and all sorts of love, his lyrics are relatable. The music’s twangs, melodic slides, and moving percussion (reminiscent of a train rambling over the tracks) also fit the character and vibe of Truckee.
Hailing from Sonoma County, Luning and his band started playing together four years ago. While attending Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2009, Luning was immediately drawn to this style of music when introduced to musicians like John Prine, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Ryan Adams. “Something totally clicked, and I decided that this is what I want to do with my life,” Luning shared. “John Prine really got me going, too; there’s a certain charm to it, humor and heart and that storytelling thing.” He dropped out of the film scoring program he was enrolled in, returned to California, and has been developing his rocking Americana sound and band ever since.
Luning released his debut album, “Just Drop On By,” in December 2012, which he produced himself. “It was really fun, but it took a really long time because I decided to engineer it myself,” Luning said with a chuckle, noting that it took a year and a half to make the album. His album and live shows highlight the diversity of his songwriting and musicianship, and how naturally it all comes to him. In his more lighthearted songs, Luning’s humor is both evident and contagious, and he’ll even give out a subtle laugh while singing some of the funnier songs or encouraging audience participation. His slower songs show off honest songwriting and notes of real emotion, especially hitting home when combined with that expressive slide lap guitar.
Most recently, Luning auditioned for the 13th season of “American Idol” with his original song “In Hell I Am” (single to be released soon). Although he was cut during the group rounds in Hollywood, he still walked away with a positive experience. “As a singer-songwriter, you need to get your music out there … American Idol is great for that,” he said. “It was amazing, very intense, and stressful and totally exciting; it was crazy to audition for JLo and Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. You can’t prepare for that at all.”
The David Luning Band looks forward to returning to Moody’s next month, and giving the crowd some good old Americana jams to get down to. If you stop by Saturday’s show, you might just catch yours truly, on flute and vocals, performing The David Luning Band version of “Can’t You See.”
For more information on David Luning’s music, to watch his “American Idol” audition, and for two free downloads, visit davidluning.com.
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Check out this video of David Luning performing “Whiskey Bottle” at Moody’s on Feb. 8.
