Blake Lewis: 6:30 Friday at A Taste of Edmonds

The following article is courtesty of the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce:

Eight years  ago, Blake Lewis was  on stage at A Taste of Edmonds with the a  cappella  group Kickshaw. This year’s festival attendees will enjoy a solo performance by Lewis, who brings his own eclectic style to the stage.

He performs Friday at 6:30 on the main stage.

Lewis grew up in Bothell, in a musical household. He joined the Columbia Boys and Girls Choir at an early age and toured with them to Europe. It was an experience that would shape the rest of his life.

“I was that kid in elementary school and junior high who was always doing impressions of comics and cartoon characters. I was always making  noises, not sure what it really was,” Lewis said.

At Inglemoor High School, Lewis joined the a cappella group M-Pact. During that time, he started beatboxing and developing his own sound. Following  graduation, he joined Kickshaw, a group he performed with regularly while  hosting raves in the Bothell area.

Then, in 2007, he got a break on the television show that would skyrocket his career, “American Idol.” While his second-place finish on the show brought notoriety and a recording contract, Lewis found it limiting to do things the way the producers wanted him to, and he took risks that paid off in the long run.

“I was the first person to write his own arrangements on the show and it worked out,” he said. “America liked my arrangements."

Since “American  Idol,” Lewis has recorded two albums, toured extensively and come back to the essence of his own style.

He describes himself  as an improv musician. He often uses devices such as loop pedals and the Kaoss Pad to layer beatboxing, instruments, vocals and effects to create a song while performing live on stage.

“I’m kind of a chameleon,” he said. Explaining that he loves to mix electronics with ‘80s British band sounds and beatbox-ing to add an urban feel, he said, “My music is kind of a hybrid.”