A Deeper Look at the Boy: Lucas James McCain

Lucas James McCain is a twenty-one-year-old musician hailing from Adams County, Maryland. McCain began releasing music in 2018 with help from guitarist and producer Tommy Milton, from Franklin County, Pennsylvania. While he only started releasing music in 2018, McCain has

Photo of Lucas James McCain
Photo of Lucas James McCain provided by Instagram

been involved in music since he was about seventeen years old, beginning with hip-hop tracks, drawing inspiration from R&B and rap music, evolving into a more mature, folky sound, drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan. McCain was fascinated in it since he was a kid. He explains that not only was he influenced by his older brother, who was a musician himself, but “I always had a feeling people would know who I am”, and that from a young age he “wanted to be known for something”. When talking about what he wanted his music to do, he tells me that he wants to impact people’s lives. McCain said that he wants to be able to relate to people through his music and continues saying that he draws a lot of inspiration from Bob Dylan and that even though he never knew the guy, he feels like he knows him through Dylan’s music. He continues on to say that “I want people to take away [from his music that] it’s good to be in touch with how you’re feeling. The good and the bad”. McCain also reveals that he wants to tell a story through his first three full length albums. He explains that the first album “Sounds of Sapphire” is about him leaving home, falling in love, and traveling all over in a van, while the second full length

Photo of Lucas James McCain
Photo of Lucas James McCain performing provided by Instagram

album “One for the Road”, which is yet to be released, is about him going back home, heartbroken. His plans for the final album “Return to Love” will be about falling in love again. Not only is he looking to tell a different story with each album, but he wants to evolve his sound and go from what can be described as a folky, bluesy, sound with the first album, to what McCain describes as a folky, bluegrassy sound in the third album. He also wants to go from recording and mixing the music at home with his own equipment, to recording in a studio, possibly even live, to provide a raw, natural sound for his third full length album, “Return to Love”. As well as music, McCain is also the cofounder of Alaskan Pipeline Revival, or APR. McCain describes Alaskan Pipeline Revival as a “collective of musicians”. He goes further into detail, explaining that he and cofounder, Tommy Milton, wanted to create a platform to put out not only their own music, but also a place for other musicians to feature their work. McCain said that it also serves as a way for larger musicians to bring more attention and provide exposure to smaller musicians that are a part of Alaskan Pipeline Revival. He also reveals to me that he is working on a memoir in his spare time and as he lives out what it will end up being about, as well as an accompanying soundtrack. McCain is finding other unique ways to broaden his name and seek opportunities online through things such as the Gems in the

Screenshot of "Running Scared" music video
Screenshot of “Running Scared” music video by Lucas James McCain and Tommy Milton provided by YouTube

Rough contest 2021. The Gems in the Rough 2021 is run by GemsOnVHS. The brand is a collection of artists that showcases mostly acoustic musicians on YouTube. Their contest is for songwriters that are eager to get their music more exposure. Prizes include a video done by GemsOnVHS, a gold tone instrument, various recording opportunities with other YouTube channels and a studio in Nashville, along with some other cool stuff as well. McCain explains to me that he is most excited for the opportunity to get his name out more and get exposure from the video opportunities, and that he is eager at the prospect of the chance to record in a studio. Overall, Lucas James McCain is a still relatively new and ambitious musician that is just trying to connect with people through his music and help people get more in touch with their emotions while also creating a name for himself as he lives out a childhood dream. “Sounds of Sapphire” can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, and on the Alaskan Pipeline Revival website under Lucas James McCain and he and Milton’s music video for their hit song “Running Scared” can be found on Youtube and on Alaskan Pipeline Revival’s site also under Lucas James McCain.

Leave a Reply