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Guitarist. Rocker. Multi-instrumentalist. Improviser. Songwriter. Artist.

Nathaniel Lutes is all of these things. Born and raised in Madison, WI, his musical heritage began at conception. Both of his parents are classically trained pianists and teachers, so at the age of five Nathaniel began taking piano lessons. The keyboard was the perfect tool for him to learn the basics of theory, sight-reading, dynamics and articulation. At age eleven, he left the piano behind for a “cooler instrument”. He began playing baritone saxophone in middle school and continued through high school where he participated in every Solo and Ensemble competition, jazz ensemble and honors band along the way. At the age of thirteen, Nathaniel got his hands on his first guitar. Finally he found an instrument that he felt he could really express himself on and would allow for his musical voice to come through. He was mostly self-taught early on with guitar, taking private lessons later when he realized that making a career with the guitar needed to happen. He gained experience founding and playing in a handful of rock groups throughout high school that would go on to win Battle of the Bands competitions that earned them prize money and studio time. In 2008 his group Roulette Notations released their debut album titled Theories of Tension to great acclaim. That same fall, the band went their separate ways as Nathaniel moved to Saint Paul, MN, enrolled at McNally Smith College of Music for a Bachelor of Music degree in guitar performance. At MSCM, he met many phenomenal musicians, producers and engineers that widened his experiential scope even further. In the fall of 2009, Nathaniel founded the instrumental progressive rock quartet Epic Snake who quickly earned respect in the Twin Cities’ jam music scene. In 2011 he was recruited to be the guitarist for the successful cover band, The Sugar Benders who were busy gigging every weekend and widening their reach as far as southern Illinois and Iowa. This experience reinforced Nathaniel’s ability to play a wide variety of styles while still injecting his own flavor and soul into the music. The year 2012 finds Nathaniel scoring music for a friend’s first feature film, teaching guitar lessons, singing more and playing baritone sax again. Fans of his playing can be assured that a new project is always in the works so keep your eyes and ears peeled for future announcements.