Cowboy Dream

Selected as One of the Best 5 Singer-Songwriters in Texas by The Texas Music Awards for 2006-2007!

Praise for PlumTucker and Lightning Wheels

"Plumtucker ignores genres while fusing jazz, pop, rock, Americana and anything else that fits, and everything seems to fit."
-San Antonio Express News

"David Lutes' voice is phenomenal, his lyrics are inspired, the instrumention is superb, and the production brings it all together."
- Texas Music Times calling "Lightning Wheels" a special mention for best TX albums of 2006

"A multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist, Lutes dons his musical persona and cranks out masterful creations. Lutes has a commanding mastery of his voice and truly uses it as an instrument on this thirteen cut gem. (11 plus Prologue and Epilogue) This album is an epic production, defying genre lines at every turn and giving the listener a feel-good comfort throughout the 51-minute runtime. Plumtucker is indeed an elevated talent. Sitting a notch above the droves of singer/songwriters who want but never act, Lutes has redefined the brass ring. Plumtucker will be a great show to see, whether you catch the solo version or the multi-instrumental ensemble. A number of excellent musicians make cameo contributions to the album, adding to the Plumtucker experience. Great songs, great album. Get it now!"
-Lucky Boyd, Academy of Texas Music (Texas Music Awards)


After a red-letter 2007, featuring the honor of being selected as one of the top-5 Texas Singer-Songwriters of the Year, tours through top national and international venues, and glowing press, Plumtucker is well into an even more exciting 2008, with the continued promotion of his critically-acclaimed album "Lightning Wheels," available through the retail outlets below and digitally (above), a new, live album just released with a show at Austin's world-famous Cactus Cafe, and a new studio album due later this year!

He's a little tired, but he loves the feeling...Somewhere in a childhood spent hammering out all kinds of music (when he was supposed to be practicing) on the family piano by ear to jumping in on guitar, mandolin, and anything else he could get his hands on during family bluegrass and gospel sessions in the Texas Hill Country to spending hours with his family's eclectic LP collection - Bach; Chopin; Dave Bromberg; Stevie Wonder; Paul Simon; The Beach Boys; Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young; The Rolling Stones; Pure Prairie League; The Carter Family - to exploring his own musical style on a Fender strat and a cassette deck, David Lutes began to live out his passion for music of all kinds, and understand, in fine Texas parlance, what being "plum tuckered out" meant in the context of working hard on something you love.

This every fiber, every breath, wear-him-out-in-a-good-way kind of thing - a good day's work - every day - becomes a life's work kind of person who sleeps hard and well and gets up and does it again - this became his idea of a musical life, and the name Plumtucker emerged.

This way of living tends to spill out of him and the gifted musicians who bring his songs to life. Audiences have witnessed it through his high energy performances and heard it in his award-winning music, and they can't help but take notice. Such is the way that Plumtucker has wooed loyal fans during his time on the folk rock and americana scene. As his music and fanbase grow, there is an apparent constant - David is doing what he was created to do, loves where he's going, and can't wait to take you along with him.

Plumtucker, conceived in late 2003, is David's band, musical alter-ego and brainchild, and he also wrote, performed, and co-produced (along with Producer Boo Macleod, Engineer to Willie Nelson who has worked with artists from Robert Plant to The Barenaked Ladies) all of the songs on his latest album, "Lightning Wheels," which features contributions from some of Austin's top musicians, including Brian Cassidy of Okkervil River, and was launched in 2006 with shows at Austin's legendary Cactus Cafe and Dallas' famous Poor David's Pub. A sonically ambitious and epic production, Lucky Boyd of The Texas Music Awards called it an album that "redefines" the singer-songwriter genre in Texas.

The result of Plumtucker's mesmerizing live performances and stellar studio work is an eclectic, seamless blend of styles that, though loosely termed "folk-rock," really defies genre, or, as The San Antonio Express News puts it: "Plumtucker ignores genres while fusing jazz, pop, rock, Americana and anything else that fits, and everything seems to fit." It's jazz pop combined with rootsy, americana rock; acoustic-driven singer-songwriter fare married to stomping Austin alt-country with a nod to his bluegrass roots - all united by David's rich instrumentation, grooving and complex rhythms, and soaring, high-wire vocals and harmonies.

Plumtucker's award-winning writing and eclectic style manages to combine a sure sense of place and purpose, touching on themes of deep love and longing, staggering self-realization, heartache, regret, and faith with wry humor and unconventional character. At various times, his songwriting and style have been compared to his musical heroes - Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, Sting, Lyle Lovett, and others - but his particular musical alchemy remains his own, both harkening back to American musical roots and moving forward - sometimes into dizzying aural territory reminiscent more of big British rock (like the Who, or even Doves or Coldplay) than of a more typical, roots-focused singer-songwriter.

Plumtucker also embodies an ever-evolving assembly of first-class musicians who each bring their own styles and influences to bear on David's songs. So, each performance and recording is different and fresh, taking on qualities, tones, and moods that reflect the artistry and creativity of that particular ensemble. Within the past few years, Plumtucker has included multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter, Brian Cassidy (Okkervil River); lead guitarist, Adam Sultan, (Poi Dog Pondering); upright bassist, Tom Benton (Hurts to Purr, Woody Russell); drummer, Kory Cook,(Sons of Hercules, Zeegrass, and many others); Brady Muckelroy, a virtuosic bassist and drummer who performs solo and with a number of other projects including Big John Mills; and Larry Schooler, a gifted pianist and songwriter. David's talented wife, Carolyn, also makes regular appearances as his backing vocalist. He's also thrilled to welcome fiddling legend, Richard Bowden (Austin Lounge Lizards, Terry Allen, Joe Ely) as a guest musician in 2008.

With such formidably-skilled lineups and David's own talent, PlumTucker's live sound is world-class. The same can be said for David's upcoming studio album which will feature more of David's award-winning songs and many of these musicians (including Richard Bowden), along with such world-famous musicians as percussionist and drummer, Dony Wynn (Robert Palmer); bassist, Manny Yanes (Edwin McCain, The Neville Brothers); keyboardist and horn player, Kullen Fuchs (Ian Moore, Future Clouds And Radar); and the great steel guitar and dobro player, Lloyd Maines (The Maines Brothers, The Dixie Chicks). Expect PlumTucker's next studio offering, which promises to be a musical feast for critics and fans alike, later this year!

Plumtucker performs at top venues locally, nationally, and internationally. In Austin, they can be seen at the ..1 and ..2 Venues in Austin for Acoustic music, the Cactus Cafe and Flipnotics, as well as famous rock and roots venues, such as Momo's. Around Texas, Plumtucker performs at Dallas' famed Poor David's' Pub and Bend Studio, Houston's Anderson Fair, San Antonio's Red Room. His national tours have included Atlanta's Eddie's Attic, Charlotte's Evening Muse, and, internationally, Plumtucker performs at some of the UK's and Europe's top acoustic venues and festivals. Songs off of Lightning Wheels have been spinning regularly on many Texas Radio outlets, and Plumtucker has appeared numerous times on Austin KUT's award-winning radio program, Eklektikos, with John Aielli and also on "Music with Jay Trachtenburg," the Austin Music Minute, Radio Without Borders, and Fox Morning News. Plumtucker was also featured on BBC Radio and the UK's Juice Radio while on tour in the UK. He returns their for an upcoming fall tour in October.

David, who has hailed from Texas, North Carolina, and, for a time, England, now calls Austin home, and the cross-roads of Austin's music and culture is a perfect place to ground the music of Plumtucker.