Luke Bulla, a longtime member of Lyle Lovett’s Large Band, is set to play Concerts in the Woods in Coyle from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and The Palindrome at Eaglemount Cidery in Port Townsend at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Saturday’s concert will be in the Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, 923 Hazel Point Road, Coyle. Admission is by donation only. Suggested amount is $20.
Sunday’s concert will be at 1893 S. Jacob Road in Port Townsend. Doors will open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. To order online, go to https://www.ticketstorm.com/e/28625/t/. The concert is hosted by Rainshadow Recording and Concerts.
Bulla has been singing and playing music most of his life. Touring with and singing in his family band from the age of 4, he took up the fiddle at 7.
Over the course of the next few years, he won the National Fiddle Contest in Weiser, Idaho, six times in his respective age categories. His seventh win came in the Grand Champion division at age 16, making him the youngest to have earned the title at the time.
Entering Nashville’s Grand Master Fiddle Championship at age 10, Bulla distinguished himself by being the youngest person to have made the top 10.
In addition to violin, he plays guitar and mandolin, and he sings and writes his own original folk-country-American-tinged songs.
In spring 1999, Bulla moved to Nashville to establish himself as a full-time musician. He spent his early years in Tennessee playing fiddle in Ricky Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder, which earned him his first Grammy Award.
More recently, Bulla has performed and/or recorded with many well-known artists including Brandi Carlile, Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, Shawn Colvin, Tony Rice, Patty Griffin, Rodney Crowell and Earl Scruggs.
With his longtime friend Casey Driessen, Luke founded the band Wisechild, which toured briefly with John Mayer and Counting Crows.
He also had a band collaboration, W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration), which included members Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek, Fiction Family), Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek, I’m With Her), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, The Attractions, Los Lobos), Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Beck) and Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Cracker).
In 2009, Bulla released a solo EP featuring Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck and Aoife O’Donovan.
That same year, Lyle Lovett asked Luke to join his Large Band, with whom he toured full time until earlier this year.
