Morinville guitarist Luke Nolin plays at Smith Music. – Stephen Dafoe
By Stephen Dafoe
Morinville – A local guitarist has been getting a reputation in town as a go-to-guy when you need to hear some metal. Thirteen-year-old Luke Nolin has played a variety of events in Morinville as a solo player and with other local musicians.
Nolin has been playing for the past four years. He said it was three years before he started to play the guitar his grandparents bought him when he was five. Like many parents, Nolin’s decided to put him in music lessons when he was eight. But it wasn’t something he took to right away.
“I didn’t really like it that much for the first couple years,” Nolin said. “During my third year I really started liking it and started practicing. I’d play for three or four hours a day and more than that on the weekends.”
It wasn’t until the young musician came upon the music of Nirvana that he really found music he was interested in playing. “As soon as I found Nirvana I started practicing a lot more,” he said. “I just found their songs really fun to play, a lot of really cool riffs that weren’t hard to play. I really liked the music.”
Nolin said he still likes Nirvana, though his playing tastes have shifted from 1990s grunge to heavy metal. He also enjoys funk and reggae.
To be able to pick at the speed of the songs he picks, Nolin said he practices as much as five hours each day. “Some days if I’m busy with homework I’ll maybe only get in an hour or two but if I don’t have much to do, I’ll do that at least five hours,” the young guitarist said, adding he also plays and practices drums and bass.
Whether solo or in a band, Nolin said he enjoys playing his music live. “I like people hearing me play guitar,” he said. “I really like playing with other musicians. It’s really fun doing that. I like it a lot more than playing by myself.”
Nolin is in his final year at Georges H. Primeau Middle School. He said he would like to pursue music as a career after high school but is not certain that he will.
In addition to school and music, Nolin said he enjoys playing basketball and has played for the Morinville Road Runners’ boys division.
