Al Lukas

February 13, 2016

Location: Doc willoughbys
Address: 353 bernard ave
Time: 10 :00 pm - 1 am

2016-02-13 16:00:00 2016-02-13 01:00:00 America/Vancouver Al Lukas As a writer, Lukas generally looks within, utilizing personal experiences and emotions to come up with his insightful material. The moving “Lost With You,” for instance, comes from time spent helping a friend through a troubled time in her life. “I wrote that song at her kitchen table and left it with her as a way of saying ‘even when I’m not around I’m still lost with you,'” Al recalls. The evocative imagery of the title track was inspired by a chat Lukas had with his super at the building he was then living in. “I told him we needed doors that lock and he replied that people would still find a way to get in. I said ‘we can’t hand them the matches to light the fire,’ and that phrase resonated with me.” Al eagerly soaks up ideas generated from talking with friends. “If someone in a room says something interesting, I’ll take their thoughts and reword it poetically,” he explains. He actually shares songwriting credits with these non-musicians, as on the powerful “Don’t Let Your World Down.” Lukas has had a fascinating and freewheeling musical journey to get to this point. He toured northern Ontario in his mid-teens as the guitarist in his family’s bluegrass-based band, then played in rock’n roll bands in the bars of his hometown of Kapuskasing (while under-age!). As a solo artist, he honed his performance chops in settings ranging from opening for Blue Rodeo, joining Jack deKeyzer onstage in Windsor, playing blues and roots festivals through Ontario, and participating in a jam session with some of Detroit’s top blues and jazz players (including legendary trumpeter, the late Marcus Belgrave). His first two albums, 2007’s self-titled debut and 2009’s Fall & Flight, earned positive reviews, though Lukas now explains “the genre on those albums felt a bit directed by my management team at the time. On the last two, I got to be myself as a singer/songwriter.” A career turning-point came with his unique 2009 Good Faith tour. On this seven-month cross-Canada trek, Al didn’t book any dates in advance, but instead relied on the barter system. “I’d walk around town, go to the bars that had music and see what I could do. All I would say was what I could offer, and by saying that it was then ‘give me what you think it’s worth.’ That could mean meals, or a place to stay, or money for gas. The generosity was quite striking.” That tour fueled many songs on In My Soul and cemented friendships and connections that continue to pay dividends for Lukas, who now books his tours conventionally. This seasoned road warrior is already eagerly anticipating his next tour. In the meantime, he brings us Matches, an album sure to bring a warm glow to your heart and soul. Doc willoughbys 353 bernard ave events@kelownanow.com
As a writer, Lukas generally looks within, utilizing personal experiences and emotions to come up with his insightful material. The moving “Lost With You,” for instance, comes from time spent helping a friend through a troubled time in her life. “I wrote that song at her kitchen table and left it with her as a way of saying ‘even when I’m not around I’m still lost with you,'” Al recalls.
The evocative imagery of the title track was inspired by a chat Lukas had with his super at the building he was then living in. “I told him we needed doors that lock and he replied that people would still find a way to get in. I said ‘we can’t hand them the matches to light the fire,’ and that phrase resonated with me.”
Al eagerly soaks up ideas generated from talking with friends. “If someone in a room says something interesting, I’ll take their thoughts and reword it poetically,” he explains. He actually shares songwriting credits with these non-musicians, as on the powerful “Don’t Let Your World Down.”
Lukas has had a fascinating and freewheeling musical journey to get to this point. He toured northern Ontario in his mid-teens as the guitarist in his family’s bluegrass-based band, then played in rock’n roll bands in the bars of his hometown of Kapuskasing (while under-age!). As a solo artist, he honed his performance chops in settings ranging from opening for Blue Rodeo, joining Jack deKeyzer onstage in Windsor, playing blues and roots festivals through Ontario, and participating in a jam session with some of Detroit’s top blues and jazz players (including legendary trumpeter, the late Marcus Belgrave).
His first two albums, 2007’s self-titled debut and 2009’s Fall & Flight, earned positive reviews, though Lukas now explains “the genre on those albums felt a bit directed by my management team at the time. On the last two, I got to be myself as a singer/songwriter.”
A career turning-point came with his unique 2009 Good Faith tour. On this seven-month cross-Canada trek, Al didn’t book any dates in advance, but instead relied on the barter system. “I’d walk around town, go to the bars that had music and see what I could do. All I would say was what I could offer, and by saying that it was then ‘give me what you think it’s worth.’ That could mean meals, or a place to stay, or money for gas. The generosity was quite striking.”
That tour fueled many songs on In My Soul and cemented friendships and connections that continue to pay dividends for Lukas, who now books his tours conventionally.
This seasoned road warrior is already eagerly anticipating his next tour. In the meantime, he brings us Matches, an album sure to bring a warm glow to your heart and soul.