A black horse bowing its head against the backdrop of the American painter Andrew Wyeth’s home in Maine, shrouded in a misty gray sky. This was the photograph Lutalo Jones chose for the cover of their debut album The Academy.
Taken by Lutalo’s partner’s grandfather decades prior, the photograph struck Lutalo as not only a beautiful moment captured on film, but emblematic of the ideas they were grappling with when writing the album.
“The black horse often symbolizes change,” said Lutalo, 25, who goes by their given name for their music. “That was tied into the theme of the album, being more about a reflection of the past and a new version of myself coming from the experiences of my past.”
The Minnesota-born songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer who moved to rural Vermont in 2021 said the photograph felt like a good fit because they are drawn to the New England landscape, architecture and philosophy. All of the songs on the album were written in Vermont, Lutalo said, and living in the state has taught them — both in life and in writing music — to keep it simple and “create space for silence.”
The Academy — released in September — was met with critical acclaim from outlets such as Rolling Stone UK and Fader. Lutalo considers the album to be the first chapter of their story, with the previous EP releases serving as prologues.
Even after the release of their debut EP Once Now, Then Again in 2022, Lutalo caught the attention of The Guardian, in a review that named them “One to Watch” in the music industry.
In a recent interview in a Middlebury coffee shop, Lutalo recalled being hit by the realization of their rising success while playing an early slot at Psych Fest in Manchester, England in August. The show’s host was blown away that the show was packed and drew a waiting line, according to Lutalo.
“I try not to tie too much of my own self-perception to that. I’m just grateful that people are interested and excited about music, and I hope that people continue to give me a platform and space to keep sharing my art,” they said.
A self-proclaimed “city kid,” Lutalo said their move to Vermont — after living in Minneapolis and New York City — was motivated by a desire to fulfill their father’s dream of living rurally, which became their own dream.
“It was an experiment to see what I was capable of taking on,” said Lutalo.
After buying some land in Addison County, Lutalo built a home and music studio and is in the process of adding a house for their partner’s parents. While unsure what the future holds, Lutalo said they are grateful their life brought them to the state and that they have a space for respite from touring and the music world.
“I’m just trying to be as present as I possibly can and stay open minded, but I love it here, and it definitely feels like home to me,” said Lutalo.
Living in a geographically isolated area like rural Vermont, Lutalo said they had to develop survival and problem solving skills when things have gone wrong that are not necessary in a city.
“The most important thing is just being present with whatever you’re having to deal with, and I think that’s been a really important lesson for me,” said Lutalo. “Society, expectations, work, relationships, all of that means absolutely nothing if you aren’t alive.”
While living in Vermont the past three years, Lutalo has connected with musicians, finding “there is no lack of talent and skill” in the Vermont music scene. But they wish there were more venues to see music acts perform in the state.
Lutalo is also concerned about what they see as larger shifts in the music industry that make it more difficult to make a living as a musician, such as the push toward social media self-promotion and music venue and ticketing monopolies.
“The current music industry model preys on the fact that music is powerful,” said Lutalo.
“People need it in their lives to create a buffer from the difficulties in their day-to-day life and connect to something that speaks louder than just strictly words.”
While written in Vermont, Lutalo’s debut album is a nonlinear tale of their memories of childhood, finding their own sense of self in the world, growing up in Minneapolis and getting an education at a private academy.
One song titled “Big Brother” on the album is framed as a conversation with their younger brother, discussing their experiences in the 2008 recession and the 2007 collapse of the I-35 highway bridge, which was built to cut through an economically thriving, predominantly black neighborhood due to redlining policy. Lutalo said he knew people who had just barely cleared the bridge before the collapse, which killed 13 people and injured scores more.
“It’s not even like I’m trying to necessarily have intense commentary on it all. It’s just that it was part of my existence, and that’s something that I can reflect on,” said Lutalo.
Lutalo’s first instrument was the drums, but they have picked up guitar, bass and piano along the way. While taking along a band for live performances, Lutalo plays all the instruments in their recordings to have more control over the creative process, and said their multi-instrumentalist background also helps them as a producer.
“Having a base of rhythm is really important for all instruments,” said Lutalo. “That opens a lot of doors. I’m not crazy proficient in any of the instruments, but I have a general understanding of music that allows me to be able to traverse different instruments.”
After their debut album release, Lutalo went on a U.S. tour this fall opening for the British singer, songwriter Nilüfer Yanya, and they will be headlining a U.S. tour scheduled for the winter with a stop at Radio Bean in Burlington. Lutalo said that while performing music is a challenge, it provides lessons in surrendering themselves to the collective joy of music.
“I might be in my head, but then seeing how people respond during the song or after the song, and they’re having a completely different experience,” said Lutalo. “It’s really important, because it shows me how irrelevant my thoughts in that moment actually are.”
Lutalo said they intend to cross genres and styles, and ultimately seek to continually reinvent and surprise themselves through their music.
“The goal is just to make good music, like good songs. If that means changing a sound or adding different instruments to serve that song, that is the priority to me,” said Lutalo. “The through line is that there’s a vision of my personal experience that I try to keep big enough that also people can apply their own meanings and ideas to.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Lutalo builds music career and home in rural Vermont.