A modern-day folksinger rooted in the classic tradition of Townes Van Zandt and John Prine, Leon Majcen got started early. He was still a teenager when “Love and Misery” became a hit on SiriusXM’s The Coffee House Channel, introducing a nationwide audience to his unique spin on American roots music. What followed was a decade of traveling, performing, and chasing down new horizons, often with an acoustic guitar in his hands and a fly rod in the trunk.
Making A Livin’ (Not a Killin) marks Leon’s fourth album in five years. Inspired by the tours that have taken him far beyond his adopted home of Nashville, it’s the sound of a road warrior who’s grown all too familiar with the highs, lows, and heartbreaks that pave the long road out of town. He writes poignantly about a life spent on the move, bouncing between solo songs and full-band performances. For a songwriter who first hit the road as an infant — back when his Bosnian refugee parents moved the family to Florida, determined to find a better life for their children — Making A Livin’ (Not a Killin) is Leon’s most honest album to date, fueled equally by melody and momentum.
“The road is calling; don’t leave the light on,” he sings during the first track, delivering the line to all the people and places he’s left behind in the rear-view mirror. Making A Livin’ (Not a Killin) often revisits that theme of departure, from tracks like “Down The Road” — a laidback, loping tribute to skipping town, punctuated by fiddle solos and a deep, countrified groove — to the darkly humorous “Sleeping in a Car Is Fun Until You Gotta Pee.” Both of those tracks are driven forward by Leon’s acoustic guitar, a nod to his longtime roots as a disciple of Guy Clark and Bob Dylan. That doesn’t stop him from getting loud out with “Walking Down The Street,” a bluesy rocker packed with amplification and attitude. That’s uncharted territory for Leon, and it’s proof that even the most seasoned travelers deserve to explore new places once in awhile.
“I’ve always occupied the folky side of country music, or the country side of folk,” says Leon, whose father introduced him to outlaw country at a young age. That influence helped shape albums like 2020’s Back ‘Till I’m Gone, 2024’s self-titled Leon Majcen, and 2025’s Better Days, but Making A Livin’ (Not a Killin) makes feel like an expansion. “For years, I’ve felt most at home when it’s just me and my acoustic guitar,” he adds, “but this record is a pivot. It’s a bigger sound with more layers, more intent, and a real producer. It just feels right.”
The producer he’s referencing is multi-instrumentalist Pat Lyons. Celebrated for his work with Americana mainstays like Colter Wall, Lyons became a mentor to Leon shortly after he moved to Nashville. Leon had already spent years trying to balance his songwriting career with a series of day jobs, working on a commercial fishing dock in Florida before landing an office gig in Nashville. Eventually, with Pat’s encouragement, he embraced the troubadour lifestyle instead, dedicating himself to the stage, the road, and the writing room. Working with a small rhythm section, the two collaborators recorded Making A Livin’ (Not a Killin) during a pair of whirlwind days, leaning heavily on live performances and Leon’s strength as a stage performer. They also teamed up with Riley Downing (of the Deslondes) for “Tallahassee,” a duet steeped in the influence of New Orleans. The result is an album about tour stops, roadside revelations, and the lessons learned at 75 miles per hour.
There are more shows on the horizon. More songs to write. More fishing holes to track down. Leon is part of the Cloverdale family now — a record label and musical collective overseen by Evan Honer, another Gen Z songwriter who uses folk music as a launchpad for a more expansive sound — and he’s grown his circle, too, touring alongside Americana rule-breakers like Margo Price and country hitmakers like Kip Moore. If the road truly goes on forever, then he’s ready to run it down. This is how Leon makes a living, and right now, life is good.
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