From the first show of his 2023 ‘10,000 Lakes Summer Tour’, Rafe Carlson (pronounced “RAYF”) struck a chord with his audience. Songs that nod to his upbringing in the frigid Northwoods of Minnesota and lyrics about self-sufficiency, individualism, and purpose were easy for his legion of Midwest fans to resonate with. Combined with a high-octane, guitar-driven 5-piece band, all of this sounds like somebody gave Lynyrd Skynyrd a Time Machine ride from 1974 to 2024 and told them to “figure it out.”
It all started on a road trip to Texas after Rafe spent all of his emergency gas money on a vintage guitar in Austin. This decision led to a chain of events that ultimately resulted in him turning in his name tag at work when he returned to his hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. Rafe has since played hundreds of shows nationwide, joining dozens of national acts on tour and at countless country festivals throughout the Midwest- not to mention garnering over 45,000,000 views on social media.
Rafe continues to create honest country music that’s true to his Minnesota roots. His latest release, ‘Never Look Back,’ is a gritty, hard-hitting, guitar-driven track that has become a fan-favorite and received regular rotation on Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa country stations.
You can stay in the loop on his tour, new music, and more by following him on social media @rafecarlson.