SOCCER, POTTER, AND THE KING: An Interview With Luke Barnhart

Me: So how long have you been doing this now?

Luke: Two and a half, three years, something like that. 

Me: And you’re how old?

Luke: 20.

Me: -puts my head in my hands- Oh my God.

Luke: But like, I feel a lot older in my head. 

Me: Call me in ten years, then you can say that. 

I’m going to have to take a break from talking to young tribute artists, because I’ve never felt older than I do now. This year I’ll be 30, going on 85. Talking to these guys makes me feel like the human embodiment of that Steve Buscemi meme: “How do you do, fellow kids?”

All jokes aside, I love talking to young tribute artists because it makes me happy to see the fire that’s still burning for Elvis. I love hearing about how they discovered the King of Rock and Roll, and I’m excited to share Luke’s story. Interestingly enough, it begins with Michael Jackson.

Luke: Michael Jackson was the first artist I really loved. I would sing and dance to his music all the time. My grandma said “well if you like Michael Jackson, you’ll probably like this guy.” She brought me to the senior place she was living in and there was an Elvis impersonator. The story goes that he brought me up on stage to sing “Jailhouse Rock” with him, but I don’t know how true that is because I didn’t know a lick of any Elvis songs. But anyway, I went home and my grandma showed me the real Elvis. It was the “Jailhouse Rock” scene where he’s dancing. I was infatuated with the whole thing. It was the craziest thing I’d ever seen and once I saw that, I was like “Holy crap, that’s what I wanna do for the rest of my life.” 

I choose to believe the mini-Elvis version of events, because that just makes for good storytelling. Like all kids, Luke’s love of Elvis was a phase that he went through, but when he was about 15, he rediscovered his love for the King. While people told him he had a great voice, his focus was on soccer, so singing stayed on the back burner. That changed when he finally decided to research what an Elvis-inspired career might actually look like. Then, he saw a video of Dean Z.

Luke: I was like “holy crap, there’s a THING for this! There’s like, a whole world of festivals and competit'ions and a community. I started getting into it and did the Empire State tribute festival, and I loved it. I made the finals, and I was like “yep. I’m doing this now.”

Luke fell in love the moment he stepped onto the stage. It was a form of adrenaline he’d never experienced before. That solidified his goal to become a professional musician. He loves Elvis, but he has his sights set on something more personal, too. He’s currently writing his own original material and wants to branch out into the rockabilly scene. He’s meeting the right people and connecting with like-minded musicians, and while he says he’s written a lot of stuff that may never see the light of day, I’m already anticipating a signed copy of his first album.

I have a strong feeling about Luke’s future- not just because of his talent, which I can testify is real, but because he’s approaching this realistically. He’s a music major with a communications minor, and he’s wisely growing a fanbase for Luke Barnhart, not just "the Elvis guy." While many artists are happy to stay solely in the tribute world- which is a perfectly valid and rewarding career- Luke is building a brand that will follow him wherever his music takes him.

Don’t get me wrong, Luke LOVES being an Elvis tribute artist, that much was clear. He lights up when he talks about it, and says he has so much fun performing the King’s hits. So while his goal isn’t necessarily winning all the competitions and competing in the Ultimate, he’s still out there having a great time and gaining experience.

And that’s the thing about contests, and this is a subject I’ve discussed with a lot of people. These contests are a huge investment, both in time and money. Even if you win first place, you’d be lucky to break even with your expenses. A lot of ETA’s find themselves wondering “are these contests really worth it?” The short answer is yes. While it can be a gut punch to enter competitions and not win, you’re gaining a lot more than just prize money. You’re gaining invaluable experience, performing on stages in front of live audiences. You meet other artists like yourself and form friendships and gain access to resources you wouldn’t have otherwise. On the flipside, you can’t bankrupt yourself to do it. It’s a bit of a tightrope, honestly. 

To no one’s surprise, we eventually got wildly off-topic. If you’re looking for hard-hitting, rigid journalism, you aren’t going to find it here. We were chatting about how he relaxes between classes and gigs when he made the mistake of mentioning he’s a big Harry Potter fan.

This is not a topic to casually bring up to me. 

Me: -practically shrieking- WHAT’S YOUR HOGWARTS HOUSE?!?!

Luke: Gryffindor. What’s yours?

Me: HUFFLEPUFF!

Luke: I’m a simple guy, I like Harry Potter and Chipotle.

This is when I decided that Luke and I are definitely friends. 

Mentioning Chipotle sent us down another rabbit hole. Luke lives in New York, and I live in Kentucky. He jokingly asked about our fried chicken, and I had to clarify that, despite popular opinions, we don't actually pledge a solemn oath to the Colonel down here. In return, I asked about New York pizza, but it turns out you’re much more likely to find Luke at “Dave’s Hot Chicken.” (For the record, I had to check- it’s a restaurant chain, not just some guy named Dave). Apparently we don’t have “Dave’s Hot Chicken” in my part of the south.

Since I’d held Luke conversationally hostage for over an hour at that point, I wrapped things up by asking him what advice he had for someone wanting to get into this industry, both music as a whole and Elvis. 

Luke: With performing, persistence is important. Try to be active on social media, and try to get your name out there. Go to open mics and perform as much as possible. As for Elvis, don’t jump straight into the contest scene. It can be overwhelming and discouraging. Get your feet wet first. And take every piece of advice with a grain of salt. A lot of times people tell me my voice is too high. That’s just my voice, and I know I’m not gonna sound like Elvis. There’s a difference between constructive criticism and critiques. And try to make as many friends as possible. I know I appreciated that when coming onto the scene, when people would come up and talk to me and make me feel like I was part of it. A lot of us are introverts, so you’ve gotta reach out. Just be a good person.

As we wrapped up, I realized that the "fire" I mentioned earlier isn’t just about preserving the past; it’s about how artists like Luke are using that spark to light their own path. Whether he’s rocking a jumpsuit on a festival stage or penning original lyrics in between classes, Luke Barnhart is a musician building a solid foundation. He might not have been alive to see the King in person, and he may still be waiting for that Hogwarts letter, but in a world of tributes and recreations, Luke is doing something much harder: he’s staying true to himself. It’s a pretty brave way to start a career, which just proves why he’s a Gryffindor.

This year, you’ll find Luke headlining the very festival where he got his start. July 30th through August 2nd, he’ll be at the Empire State tribute festival. He’ll be popping up at various festivals throughout the year and says you can always find him during Elvis week. Follow his social media to stay up to date!

Instagram: @lukebarnhartmusic

Luke's website