By Victor Skinner

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Muskegon native Trace Routt is making his dream come true.

The 1987 Muskegon Catholic Central graduate moved to Phoenix, Arizona after high school and returns to the West Michigan every year with his wife to visit with friends and family.

But next year will be a little different.

“I plan to do some acoustic sessions in the west Michigan area this summer,” Routt said. “We come up every summer for a couple of weeks and I think it might be longer this summer.”

Routt, 46, plans to extend his stay to promote his debut album “Spirits,” which his group Trace & The 8 South Band released in March.

The 11-track album melds Routt’s lifelong passion for music with self-taught guitar licks, some very unique life experiences and a raw style that’s earning him fans across the age spectrum.

“Basically, I’ve wrote music my entire life. I was a Beatles fan since I was 5 years old,” Routt said. “I was born in Muskegon, and I relocated to Phoenix in 1993.

“I moved out here, bought a six string, and taught myself how to play,” he said.

Routt said he dabbled with song writing for years as he perfected his playing, but it was his now wife MJ’s support and encouragement to pursue a music career that motivated him to get serious.

The desire to write an original album “nagged at me my entire life,” he said, “but she was the prod to get me going, that’s for sure.”

About four years ago, “she asked me if I had any original material and I played her a few songs,” Routt said. “She said, ‘you need to play these out.’ The next week she found an open mic night for me to play at.”

A favorable reception and interest in a record deal followed, but Routt continued to write music and went into the studio in 2013 with four songs.

“I wanted to be an independent artist, so I have control of my own destiny,” he said.

Routt played all of the guitar and vocals in the studio, and brought in musicians to fill in on bass and drums. A year later Trace & The South 8 Band wrapped up recording. Another year went into the album art, and Routt released “Spirits” last spring.

“My influences range anywhere from John Denver to ACDC. I’ve always been big on classic rock and 70s rock,” Routt said. “We tried to use as few effects in the studio as possible.”

“It seemed to turn out really good,” he said.

Routt said he attributes the authentic sound and lyrics of his album to its close ties to his life experiences, including life-altering trips to Peru and Mexico.

The South 8 Band is a reference to Interstate 8, which Routt took in multiple trips to Rocky Point, Mexico – “where the desert meets the ocean” – on the north side of the Sea of Cortez.

The tracks “Wall” and “Open Heart” were also influenced by four trips Routt has taken to Peru since 2013 to participate in psychedelic ayahuasca ceremonies, he said.

“When I sit down to write, it’s from the heart,” Routt said. “It’s basically from life experience is where most of the material on the CD comes from.”

That real connection to life is undoubtedly one reason “Spirits” is resonating with fans from 15- to 75-years-old, he said.

“That sort of surprised me, the wide demographic that enjoys it,” Routt said.

In the months since the album’s official release, The 8 South Band picked up Phoenix guitar man Brian Lindsay, who toured with Eddie Money, and are now auditioning bass players and drummers to complete the ensemble.

Routt said he’s also lining up work in West Michigan for this summer, his first return home since the album’s release, in hopes of earning a following in his native Muskegon.

Routt will also bring his son Kai, born in December, to visit with his brother, step-mother and other extended family who still live along the lakeshore.

“I love Muskegon,” he said, adding that he looks forward to connecting with Muskegon’s 100.9 listeners while in town. “It’s just beautiful in the summer, and my wife likes it too.”

For more information about Trace & The 8 South Band visit www.8southband.com or find them on Facebook.