By Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night Tampa Correspondent
There is a young man in Nashville that I believe people need to become acquainted with and his name is Zeke Duhon. At the first glance of his photo one might think “Oh, he is young”– but Zeke has been songwriting and creating music since he was 13. He cut his teeth at age 15 when he made his first EP, and later made the decision to leave his home state Oklahoma for Nashville in 2013. Within a short time he signed a major publishing deal with rightfully named Big Deal Music (Ray LaMontagne, My Morning Jacket) and hooked up with Grammy Award-Wining producer Charlie Peacock (The Civil Wars).
In October 2015 he released his second EP Zeke Duhon, which features six acoustic guitar-driven, upbeat and rockin’ songs. His voice is very reminiscent of Paul Simon with its smooth yet textured timbre. His voice is soothing and seems familiar in a way—young but with an old soul. There must be something about the Great Plains that breeds songwriters like Zeke, Bright Eyes, and even Woody Guthrie.
I gave Zeke’s album serious consideration after watching the video for the single “Faith and Hope”. Honestly, his music sounds like traditional folk rock but the subject matter is very timely for today—especially the Millennials who are somewhat in limbo in today’s society. Many still live at home yet are college graduates working multiple jobs.
The video is amusing because it starts off in a TV store with racks of televisions airing images of Martin Luther King, Jr., riots, the falling of the Saddam Hussein statue, George Bush, and other political icons and moments in history. In the rest of the video he is walking around in his daily life—the grocery store, roller rink, diner, you-name-it—with a live TV as a head. The lyrics to the song are thought-provoking and cut to the chase:
You can’t believe what they say…It’s black & white and then it’s grey…We fight for peace and we kill for lies…
And later continues:
Give me something I can believe in now cause we’ve got politicians with boots on the ground…..
And finally asks:
Nothing you do or say can make things change, what is hope without faith?
Whoa whoa whoa…where will we go?
Essentially, to sum up Zeke Duhon, he is a singer/songwriter with the voice of Paul Simon but with the heart of 1960’s Bob Dylan.
Check out his video for “Faith and Hope” and iTunes for the EP. Seriously. Do it.
“Faith and Hope”
Website: http://www.zekeduhon.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zekeduhonmusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ZekeDuhonMusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zekeduhon
Instagram: https://instagram.com/zekeduhon
I grew up in a household full of rock music, studied journalism in college, and then became a scientist.Although my science career has served me well, music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up reading "Creem" magazine; I play several musical instruments as a "hobby";and it seems a camera has always been in my hand. Now, I am combining what I love the most--music and photography--serving as editor of Rock At Night. I travel between the US and UK seeking my dream! My motto: life is short...no regrets. Chyrisse
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