ROCHESTER — A local singer-songwriter racked up four nominations at this year’s Midwest Country Music Awards.
Luke Hendrickson, who readers might know from a 2020 Thesis Beer Project residency or opening for Lindsay Ell at the 2021 Down By the Riverside Concerts, received Songwriter of the Year, Americana Artist, New Artist, and Album of the Year nominations for " One Night at the Crystal Lounge .”
Hendrickson found out about the nominations when they were announced in early January. He’ll learn the results at the award ceremony Sunday, Feb. 20, in Medina .
Either way, he’s going to be there.
“It's just really cool to even be considered,” he said.
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Hendrickson believes there were more than 2,800 competitors in total.
He released “One Night at the Crystal Lounge” in February 2020 – but the awards’ cancellation in 2021 meant two full years of music were considered for the 2022 awards.
The album was named after a watering hole in Billings, Montana, where Hendrickson spent a heck of a night a while back.
It was partially funded via Kickstarter, recorded at Carpet Booth Studios over the summer and fall of 2019.
Since then, Hendrickson released and toured with “A Place to Call Our Own,” his second studio album.
What does Hendrickson think resonated with listeners about his first?
“It's just a (darn) good country record,” he said.
Still, Hendrickson is most proud of a different nomination — Songwriter of the Year.”
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“It represents the unseen work that makes up any ‘Album of the Year,’” he said. “You can't have an album without songs.”
Listen to “One Night at the Crystal Lounge” on Bandcamp or Apple Music .
