The only stop on the way is for a 24-pack of Ale-8-One, the commonwealth's glass bottle specialty. The 200-mile drive back to Illinois is all too familiar. As you approach Exit 130, the city skyline fades into the rearview. It’s a straight two-lane road lined with corn fields as far as the eye can see from here. Look out the window, hypnotized by the pump horse's never-ending motion. They don’t have those back in Kentucky. The landscape in the distance begins to deepen and darken as you come up on the remnants of the Pattiki Coal Mine. Things begin to feel a little more like Kentucky.

Lucas Wayne Nelson’s heritage spans a stone’s throw away from his front porch. Carmi was built on land sold by his ancestors, and his memories of his family's homes are limited to a single block. Just up the road is what was the Cherry Street Baptist Church, where he grew up singing in front of the congregation. Back then, he had no idea his staple tie-dye t-shirt and mountain man beard would become renowned or that he'd go on to play much larger stages and be met with overwhelming support. All the while, telling the stories of the people and places he adores with only his euphonious voice and an acoustic guitar.

"(Carmi, Illinois) really ain't that much different here than Eastern Kentucky. These roads are a lot like holler roads." His love for the bluegrass traces back to the days Nelson spent visiting his Mamaw, who called Martin County her home. “You could drive around here and get inspired to write a song.”

It’s a short drive home once you cross the railroad tracks. You know you’re getting close once you pass the house with the orange tarp and the broken-down Toyota minivan - “I moved in with my papaw in 2016, he passed in 2020. That van hasn’t moved since before then.” It’s moments like these that bring his songs to life; this route home became the inspiration for his song “Lord Have Mercy.”

The old Tony Rice tune, “Church Street Blues,” is playing over the speakers at Nelson’s Barber Shop as regulars meddle about. A retired firefighter, a pecan picker, and a 7-year-old boy enticed by Lucas’s shop piano.

“I like to let the kids play around on that old thing, sometimes it’s just a bunch of noises. Sometimes it sounds alright. After they leave, I’ll play around with what they had goin’, and maybe use it in a song someday.”

“When I graduated college, I immediately went into a barber program. I just figured it'd allow me to have a flexible enough schedule to live the lifestyle I wanted to (traveling and playing music) and I was right."

For a while, the barber shop provided a lifeline as he honed his craft. In between clients, he’d spend time writing songs and practicing. “It can be disheartening,” Lucas recalls. “It felt like I wasn’t doing anything productive during those years. But it’s hard to see the personal growth when you're going through the nothingness.” Lucas was living through the stories and writing the songs that piqued Kentucky's interest during these years. He didn't stop there, though.

“I grew up in church, but I also believe in karma. I thought, instead of spending all my time promoting myself, what if I focus some of this energy on other artists, other music, and other things people can relate to and haven't had the opportunity to hear before. I pitched the idea to our local radio [station] (WRUL-FM 97.3). They finally got back to me and said I had 47 minutes.” The Little Egypt Saturday Showcase was set to take the region by storm.

The magic happens behind the tattoo parlor in the back of Nelson's Barber Shop. The walls are marked by musical history and the room is filled with inspiration, lit by the heirloom lamp that's the focus of his landmark tearjerker, "No One Turns Me On." Here he'll sit in an old barber shop chair and record a segment in just one take. 

“In the beginning, I was interviewing individual artists like Arthur Hancock and Walter Debarr.” Whom he had previously met while traveling in Kentucky for the festival Kickin’ it on the Creek. “It started organically” and has grown exponentially. His next passion project, The WRUL Bluegrass Gospel Hour, is expected to air in the coming months. 

Gotzz’s is one of the only restaurants open on Monday nights for dinner, Lucas even bartended here back in its prime. Reflecting on the successes of the previous year, “I traveled and met all these people I didn’t know would become some of my closest friends.” Despite being rooted in Carmi, this became something to make the miles all worthwhile. “But now, I’m finding how to keep Kentucky’s attention” without relocating.

He'll travel nearly 300 miles to Eastern Kentucky this February to record his long-awaited debut studio album, "Wookin Overtime," at Fat Cave Studios. This can, however, come at a high cost; "I remember thinking, how am I going to pay for something like this?" Not to mention this was a project fellow musicians were eager to get their name on.

“So I just wet a line, so to speak. I was looking for 25 sponsors and I'd even name them as a Producer on the record.” In just over 24 hours, the project was fully funded.

“I just started crying. Only 4 sponsors were from my hometown.” The remaining 21 are local to Kentucky. “One sponsor: I didn’t even recognize their name… It’s humbling.” 

You can expect names like Brother Smith, Cody Lee Meece, Nolan Taylor, The Shelby Lore Band, and Jordan Lee King to be featured on the record. “There are some heavy hitters, some that'll make you laugh, some familiar, some not. A lot of good times and memories going into it.”

“I mean, my name is going on it, ‘cause they're my songs, but everybody's name is on it in a way. They helped those songs become what they are and write those stories. They’re what made it real.”

Moments like these have made Nelson realize, “the things I loved about this place weren't really the place, it was the people.” As long as the community he loves calls Kentucky home, Nelson will continue to endure the drive. Then he’ll finally return to his roots in Carmi and continue to work to build the passion-driven culture from the ground up—fueled by his 24-pack of Ale-8-One.

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