Photo Credit: https://www.constellationsandcompany.com/
Luke is someone I wanted to introduce to The Many Colors of Natalie readers because of his passion and his drive for music. During a time when the world felt it was at a standstill it is nice to see a bright light with such ambition.
1) WHERE DOES YOUR PASSION FOR MUSIC STEM FROM?
I have always had an innate draw to music from birth. I started learning piano when I was 8 years old. My grandmother was an organist/ pianist and choir singer at the local church we attended growing up. I believe that’s where my talent extended from. My passion for music extended from my joy with entertaining people as a child. I would play music at family functions and I was able to feel what it was like to have an audience. The feeling was invigorating so I continued playing. I did not have a lot of talents that made me stick out as a child but this was the one thing I could do that would catch people’s eyes. I watched live performances at church from an early age and was encouraged to participate. There was always music in my grandparents’ house along with a baby grand and an organ. I would be excited to play for holidays with the family or birthday dinners we had at my grandparents’ house. My parents were very supporting and bought me instruments because they saw potential in me growing up. I remember my first lesson. I blew my instructor away. I remember he said play what you know. After a few ballads and classical pieces he responded with “
“WOW! You are a lot farther ahead than most of my students at your age.”
I had a handful of lessons and then moved onto teaching myself. 19 years later I am still fascinated with music and hang my hat on being an entertainer.
2) WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS?
I think it’s important to support local artists because I’ve seen from firsthand experience how it has taken its tole on me. As you know, musicians can be very self-conscious. Some people just need another voice telling them they can do it. I know that’s true with me because I demand high expectations from myself and often beat myself up. Having that support when you’re just coming up or new to town is a game changer. It allows you to keep going when I don’t feel my best. There’s been times in my life where I lost purpose and having that support really helped keep me going on my path. Having other people support me is what inspires me to keep working and growing. I want to do the best that I can so I can be the best that I am for others. If I don’t want to do it for myself I know there are other people out there who are proud of me and want me to succeed and I use that as inspirational fuel to put in the time. It solidifies my purpose as an artists and helps me believe in myself and who couldn’t use that? Supporting your local artists has a ripple effect on their work ethic and stage presence. It lets them know there on the right path because let’s be honest this isn’t the most secure profession to get into. With music everyone has to take a risk at some point or another.
3) HOW COULD VENUES STRENGTHEN THE MUSIC SCENE?
I don’t think the responsibility to strengthen the music scene falls on only music venues. I believe everyone can do their part in supporting live music. The problem we are seeing now is that there are no plans from the government to keep these establishments open. I don’t think it’s fair for the artists or the music venues. People are forced to struggle just to keep the lights on and the workers paid and after that what do you pay the musicians? I can see why owners are losing a sense of value in providing live music when they have 20 other hoops to jump through just to keep up. Covid-19 has put a real pressure on the live music industry and musicians have had to adjust. Once we leave the grip that the governing body has on the live music industry we can rebuild. Artists will have to re- learn how to work alongside live music venues and bar owners because the rules have changed. We are all in the people service industry and are facing the most hardship. People could start donating to musicians and music industry owners via Venmo, Paypal, Cash App or Patreon. The fastest way to support is to donate or buy products from people in the industry. Musicians starting open mics within their community is good as well. I started my own podcast to help in this effort and give musicians a voice who have either been suppressed or are losing hope. Open Mics help bring business into the venue and keeps the local artists sharp for performances. But with gatherings it can be a risk for the venue. Virtual shows won’t be the perfect financial substitute for musicians. There’s nothing that can replace “Live Shows” and that’s a fact. Charities like Recording Academy’s MusiCares have established programs to support various financial, medical, and personal emergency needs for artists daily. There are things happening in other places. NYC.gov has provided assistance and guidance if your business has been affected, including how to apply for financial assistance, and other city program offerings. But it’s hard to say what the answer is. There’s different routes music venues can take to support artists but until they get the much needed help and restrictions lifted, we have to be creative and innovate new ways in supporting our local music community.
4) I KNOW YOU ARE PREPPING FOR A NEW ALBUM RELEASE. WHEN AND WHERE CAN WE FIND IT?
YES YES YES!! I have been chomping at the bit to finally release my own music. I have been in 5 bands in my life and this is my very first solo project. We started working on this record 1 year ago. It contains 15 songs I have written over the last decade. We started recording in May 2020 and the band was formed August 2020. I was considering just cutting a single and moving to Florida before this whole thing started. My sound engineer/ producer (Sean Rugh) approached me and convinced me to stay here and see things through. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. I was starting to lose hope on myself as an artist and just wanted to get away. I realized moving was not going to fix my problems so I decided to stay in PA and work. Since I decided to stay I’ve built healthier relationships with others and myself. I am so excited to get my music out there. Right now, we are choosing a DSP (Distributor) that will upload our music to all the main streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes etc.). We are also setting up our music video recording for our 1st single “Mr. Hollywood”. We plan to have 2 single releases before we drop the full album. Single releases will be digital and the final compilation album will have a digital and physical release.
My music gives me chills and I hope it has the same effect on our audience. We are also working alongside with Derek Woods (Front man for the Derek Woods Band) to help with the marketing aspect. Derek has been a huge supporter of my work and I see him as a mentor with a lot of experience and wisdom. The record is a collection of 15 songs that I have written in my life over the past decade. We have had several musicians and special artists perform on the record. Some names include Ray Kuchinka (East Coast Turnaround), Joe Scheller (Derek Woods Band), Nate Figlar (Trukster), Eric Semasko (Bring’m Brang’m), Sean Rugh, Brandie Servello, Maria Michelle, Jake Jones (Luke Weltz Band), and Anthony Farine (Luke Weltz Band). We are bringing the best product we can possibly create and making a tremendous first impression with our music. We are going for a knockout punch.
I’m grateful to have a lot of talented friends. After almost a year of recording we plan to release our first single titled “Mr. Hollywood” soon. Release date TBD
5) WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE SHOW MEMORIES?
One of my favorite show memories was playing at a dive bar. I had a wireless adaptor for my bass which meant I could parade around anywhere. At one point I was playing outside the bar on the road in the middle of the night to one of our songs. I remember standing out on the road and people looking at me from inside the bar while I looked up laughing at the night sky. I started thinking to myself “Man, I have a cool life.”
6) YOU ARE A MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED INSTRUMENT?
That is a hard question for me. I am a man of many instruments and enjoy the challenge in learning how to play each one. I’ve played piano for 19 years now. I picked up guitars when I was 16 years old. Lap steel and harmonicas are my new pursuits but I love playing everything. I never saw myself as a one-dimensional artist. I’m more comfortable doing a wide array of things rather than just one sole pursuit. I practice all of them but I would say my favorite on stage is bass guitar. The reason is because it makes me feel “sexy” ha-ha. I feel like a ballerina on a pedestal when I play piano. I am locked in one location on stage and that bugs me. The bass guitar allows me to parade around the room, be social with my audience, and be more physical with my performance. I like the idea of not just selling the music but selling the show! If you ever watch my band live you will understand what I mean. We are a wild crew and put one hell of a performance.
7) NAME ONE MUSICIAN THAT HAS INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST AND WHY?
I was lucky to have parents with good musical taste. My mother loved old Motown and my father was a classic rock guy. My grandmother was into gospel and my grandfather loved old country music. I started out learning gospel music in the church before going out to bars and eventually learning the blues. I had a great mixture growing up and believe it is the backbone of my song creation. Artists that come to mind early on are Jimmy Hendrix and Amy Winehouse. I wasn’t so much into the music but by their personas as musicians. The fact that someone could dress like that and sing in front of a crowd. It got my attention. From their sense of fashion to how they carried themselves. They wanted to be themselves and that is what I try to do as an artist. I believe authenticity and originality is the most important thing for me as an artists and I think those musicians really emulated that in their work.
8) TELL US ABOUT YOUR PODCAST
It’s so exciting! I have always wanted to do a podcast but never had the means or financial support to do it. I worked out an agreement with the guys at the Green Beacon Art Gallery here in Greensburg, PA in order to bring my podcast to the people. The title of the podcast is called “Worst Case”. The title stems from the idea of things aren’t always as bad as they seem and there is an optimism to existence. We live in troubling times but it’s not as bad as living in times before us. The title promotes a call to action for the audience listening to think about their life. Is it really as bad as we make it all seem? Are you in the “Worst Case” you could possibly be in? I think if most people thought hard about it they would say it’s not as bad as it seems. Right now, we are working on creating new content and making more episodes for our local audience.
The reason I wanted to start my own podcast was to promote artists and community interaction. I have a large amount of contacts and people that want to be on the show. Everybody is so distracted with the media and government I think they forget what people are doing in their local community and how we can support them. From artists, entrepreneurs, people service industry, and small business owners. This is my way of helping the community and local music scene. I believe with the recent world events musicians feel stunted. They feel like no one is listening to them and they have lost a sense of momentum in their music career. I want to help raise moral and increase hope within every individual creator in the community. Hugo’s Taproom in Greensburg, PA has recently been in contact about sponsoring our podcast so we are seeing progress and development with the podcast. Right now we are still working out the bugs and figuring out the sound engineering aspect and monetizing our content. It is a new realm to be in for myself. Not many people just sit and talk for long periods of time anymore. I have great people skills. My mother has the gift of gab so I believe that’s who gave it to me. I love learning about people and finding what makes them tick. Covid-19 and Social distancing bummed me out because I am so use to handshakes and hugs. Those things matter to me because they give my life texture and interaction. I am developing as a host and look forward to future episodes. It’s a new avenue in my life and I couldn’t be happier with the results so far.
Photo Credit: Constellation & Company & Brandie Servello
Photo Credit: Gene Fenton
