Meet Jay Luke: A musical journey from basements to global
stages. Insights into collaborations, pandemic challenges, and crafting
personal stories. Stay tuned for Jay's latest album, 'Me And My Demons'.
Can you tell us about your musical journey and how you got started in the music industry back in 2003?
I think 2003 was the year when I said to myself I had to try
to get out of basements and out of my bedroom to play out in front of crowds if
this was something I wanted to do with my life. Until that point, I didn't know
many musicians that lived around me so I played and played and played. I tried
to learn as much as I could until the day came when I met someone that wanted
to play as much as I did. That year I found a local guy named Jon Moli and we
became a duo. We performed for about 2 years and my journey began there and has
not stopped yet.
You've played in several bands over the years, such as
The MESS, Sorrowsun, and ReachForTheSky. How have those experiences shaped your
musical style and career?
I think any band you play in offers a different dynamic than
the next one. So the more people you play with, the more styles you experiment
with, and the more types of crowds you play for all shape you in a significant
way whether you realize it or not. I guess it can be likened to pieces of armor
you gather for bigger battles and greater challenges. One thing I think most
kids nowadays may not realize is how important it is to have bad shows, to play
for terrible audiences, to be heckled, to argue with bandmates, and to go
through hard times because they offer you the experience, endurance, and real
test to see how badly you want to do this for a living. A lot of people give up
and a lot of people find things are too difficult. A lot of times the risks are
nowhere near what the rewards are but if you want it bad enough or if you have
it in your blood you can't even consider giving up. Playing in the bands I have
played in and still play in are all very different and I love the freedom I
feel to be able to perform different music with as many people as I can. It has
taught me so much.
Throughout your career, you've had the opportunity to
perform alongside some iconic artists like Duff McKagan and Joey Belladonna.
How did those collaborations influence your approach to music?
Seeing the inner workings of a lot of things most people
don't get to see behind the curtain with bigger acts may take a lot of the
mystique away from things but if you want to be great you cannot surround
yourself with people who are not as good or even as good as yourself. You need
to be around people better than you to learn and to progress. There is always
something to be said for learning what to do and also what NOT to do.
Performing shows with musicians I looked up to and often idolized as a kid was
an incredible feeling. Sometimes it is smart to not meet your heroes as they
can easily shatter the image you have of them in your head but when they turn
out to be even cooler than you imagined is a great thing. I think Duff and Joey
are two of the nicest guys in the business. They have seen it all being in some
of the biggest arenas all over this planet and have remained humble. That
speaks volumes and sets an example I hope to live up to as well.
Your solo album "It's About Time" featured a
variety of guest musicians. How did you select these artists, and what was the
experience like working with them on the record?
My first solo album was my first taste of complete musical
freedom. I was able to write and arrange things exactly how I wanted without
wrestling with three other bandmates. So I had a pretty specific idea of what I
wanted to do. When it came time to do lead guitar on the album I chose all
different friends in the local scene I am in to pop in to take a solo. The
highlights of that album were that I got two musical heroes of mine to perform
on it. Adam Bomb performed on a song called "Bukowski" and he's
previously played guitar for John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin and Michael Monroe
of Hanoi Rocks. Carl Canedy performed a song that was a tribute to a dear local
musician friend who passed away called "One For Walt." Carl has
drummed for Manowar and The Rods, he is one of the nicest fellas in the music
business. That first album was a lot of fun for me to make.
"Vandalized Memories" took a more personal
route in your songwriting. Can you share some of the inspirations behind the
album and its overall theme?
The theme of the second album marked a period in my life
when I had gotten out of a very long-term relationship and was a real
transition in my songwriting. It has a lot of moody themes as far as sadness,
melancholy, and inner things I hadn't expressed much before but also showed a
positive side with songs such as "How Long Is Forever" and "Keep
Your Head Up Kid." I found with this album that I got Michael
"Duds" McDonald on lead guitar who has since performed on every album
since. It marked a steadiness in a lineup that remains today. Overall this
album marked a change in how I write and to not feel any shame or regret in
sharing my personal side.
The single "Trapped In Your Cell" from the
album "Alone in the Crowd" seems to have a powerful message about the
impact of technology on society. Can you elaborate on the meaning behind the
song and its significance to you?
I feel incredibly strongly about how much less observant we
have become as human beings with technology today. You cannot have a
conversation with someone for more than a few minutes before their attention
span falters and they soon are scrolling through their phone while nodding their
head. Couples drift apart over it, families lose closeness from it. Text
messaging can complicate things so much in the fact that it creates
miscommunication in how you feel to others and misinterpretation of what other
people mean. It is deadly in that regard. But we are becoming a civilization
that would rather type it out than to speak to one another. The two minutes it
may take to talk to someone can prevent hours or sometimes days of fighting
over the miscommunication created by text messages.
The pandemic disrupted many plans, including the release
of your album "Alone in the Crowd." How did you adapt to the
challenges posed by the pandemic and the subsequent delays in releasing new
music?
The pandemic seemed like the most surreal thing. The world
collectively shut down and we all had to figure out how to stay afloat. As a
musician, it affected me on many levels. I had about 50 shows booked that got
canceled, and an album that I couldn't release until it was safe to get back
into the studio. During that time I was able to release the aforementioned
single "Trapped In Your Cell" which seemed to hit at the perfect
time. It is currently my most streamed track. And also to make up for the lack
of shows in clubs most of us musicians ended up taking to performing live on
Facebook or streaming services. It was a way to adapt and connect while we were
all sort of imprisoned at home and strangely allowed me to connect to a bigger
audience. So I try to look back on that time as a productive time instead of
looking back with anger.
Your most recent single, "Me And My Demons,"
was released in June 2023. Can you give us some insight into the upcoming album
and what fans can expect from it?
As we discussed earlier my albums are deeply personal as far
as lyrics and subject matter and I think this is the most sincere and powerful
of a release as we have done so far. It deals with so many emotions and an open
and honest look at so much of the struggles I feel, and see as well as how I
handle them.
Judging by the reception of the title track "Me And My
Demons" being so universally accepted I think we have a successful album
on our hands. As an artist, I feel we aren't necessarily in competition with
others as much as we are with ourselves. I always want to write something
better than I previously did and I truly feel we achieved our best work with
this new album and I cannot wait for everyone to hear it.
As an artist, how do you balance your personal life with
the demands of a music career?
That is a great question. I am a pretty well-known insomniac
so I think while people sleep I am still working or tinkering on things and
have somehow adapted to a lifestyle with very little sleep. There is some weird
tranquility or peace that occurs once the world is silent as the vampire hours
seem to provide the solace that I don't find in the chaotic and tumultuous
hours of daylight. I seem to thrive on chaos in the way when my life is in
shambles on a personal level my career flourishes. Kind of an ironic thing.
When things are bad or I am frustrated I try to take it right to my music and
write. I may not get a lot of free time but when I do and I can shut everything
off I often sit in silence and just absorb that like a sponge. A lot of people
think I listen to music nonstop but that is the real truth, I cherish the
silence like it is golden.
Over the years, you've amassed over 300,000 streams of
your music. How does it feel to see your music being appreciated by a global
audience?
There are very few things that mean as much as knowing my
music has been welcomed to such a large scale globally. You don't ever write
something and think to yourself "I really hope the kids in Finland are
gonna like this" or "If this song isn't streamed a few thousand times
I can't feel complete" or other things like that. To me, you release a
sincere and honest bunch of songs out into the world and the magic is to see
where they land. To see who grasps onto them. And more often than not it is in
places you least expect. I cannot thank the fans all over the world enough for
their support. It means the world to me.
Can you share a memorable experience from one of your
live performances, either with one of your bands or as a solo artist?
In all of the years of performing live and doing what has to
be close to 1,000 gigs or more, you tend to see a bit of everything. I have
been fortunate to share the stage with a lot of the musicians I had looked up
to since I was a kid. Played for everyone from children, to patients at mental
facilities and all points in between.
A cool random highlight was one time the cast of the touring
theatrical show Riverdance came to a gig once after their performance in town
and performed a routine during a pretty surreal set. Moments of sing-a-longs to
stuff you write are a true highlight on any day of any year always. I have seen
the extremes of both good and bad at live shows. A lot of the bad consisted of
fighting and the general sort of chaos you might imagine at concerts. There is
always one bad apple y'know?
But I think the good outweighs the bad every time.
How do you approach songwriting, and has your process
evolved over time?
There isn't any particular set-in-stone formula for me when
it comes to writing. Sometimes you have the riffs and you look to write the
words or vice versa. There are moments when they both sort of magically come
together simultaneously. I consider the process a lot like assembling a jigsaw
puzzle. You have all of these pieces which are sometimes literal on my end
where I have scrap sheets of lyrics or lines that I am piecing together while
also joining guitar parts to form a cohesive unit. The part that I think has
evolved with my writing is that I am learning to channel what I feel strongly
about and keep it general so that it is relatable to people. I can't very well
write about a specific time, place, or person and expect someone half the world
away to understand it. So I think the skill in making personal situations
relatable to others is something I have been continually striving to improve on
with each song.
Are there any specific themes or messages that you aim to
convey through your music?
Any themes or messages I have in my music I try to boil them
down to things that people have experienced or have felt before. My catalog is
a perpetual diary of my life. So I think the appeal of what I do is that it
translates well with the listener like we are on a journey together in a matter
of speaking. The themes are strong and also different ways to look at the
common things we all go through.
As an independent artist, what are some of the challenges
you face in the music industry, and how do you overcome them?
There's not much that isn't a challenge these days in the
music industry. There is a constant adaptation you have to accept to even
consider surviving the cutthroat world of the modern music business. It has
always been a difficult industry especially when you go into it thinking it is
all about music and creating. The thing you learn quickly is most of us who are
doing it ourselves have to be our own bouncer, lawyer, public relations person,
manager, designer, roadie, and everything imaginable. The luxury of having a
label or team behind you sounds nice in theory but at the end of the day, you
only have yourself to depend on. The big downside of the music business is
there is very little music and way more business and that shatters a lot of
spirit and motivation for musicians. Ultimately you have to really believe in
yourself and have music in your blood to not give up as it requires you to
constantly learn, be alert, and aware, and stay on top of new things that once
you are used to change over and over. It is quite a maddening thing honestly.
Besides music, do you have any other creative interests
or hobbies that you enjoy pursuing?
I am a graphic designer, artist, and writer so I have been
fortunate to have a few different ways to vent and use for creative outlets
when I am not making music. I have a hard time sitting and relaxing as I feel
my mind is always on the go. So making art or writing is a way to make me feel
productive while also making me calm myself down. I also like to read and spend
time with friends and family when the time allows with the increasingly busy
schedule I keep.
What are your future plans and goals as a musician, and
is there anything you'd like to achieve that you haven't yet had the chance to
do?
My fourth solo album "Me And My Demons" is set to
be released in about a month or so, once that happens I will probably be
promoting it for a few months and continue to keep on doing 2-3 shows a week as
I have been, then right back to work on the next album. I think one thing for
certain is that momentum is building more and more and if I don't keep on top
of that I fear I will lose all I have been working for and that is a battle I
continually fight. I would love to achieve a #1 album or a massive
backing/support team that lets me have creative freedom in developing the ideas
I have without limits. My goal is to find myself in a place where I can live
comfortably enough, not worry so much about bills, or wonder where my next meal
is coming from, and just simply enjoy life. I suppose deep down that is the
goal we all have.
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