Written interview with American guitarist, songwriter, and composer Gary Lucas – Lucas & Lukas – Omnidirectional.
Jazz Blues European Union: – Thank you for taking the time to have this interview with Jazz Blues EU. Tell us about your music. When did you start performing?
Gary Lucas: – I started when I was 9 years old playing concerts on acoustic guitar for kids in our neighborhood in Syracuse NY. At this point I’ve performed in over 40 countries worldwide, including all over northern, southern, eastern and western Europe, Australia, Africa, China, Japan Cuba et al.
What do you consider to be your hometown and how does that affect your music?
I consider NYC my hometown, specifically the West Village of Manhattan, where I;ve lived since 1977. I always wanted to live here ever since visiting NYC in 1964 for the World’s Fair. NYC being such an incredible melting pot, its no wonder my music is informed by the music of Latin, Asian, West Indian, African and Industrial sounds which permeate the atmosphere here.
What performers have been your inspiration?
Skip James, Captain Beefheart, Fela Kuti, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin, Jimi Hendrix, Burning Spear, Dr. John, Sly Stone, John Fahey, Tim Buckley, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Soft Machine, Lou Reed, Syd Barrett, John Cale—the list is endless.
What do you find most challenging about being an independent artist in today’s music industry?
Trying to be heard amidst the din of every other artist out there trying to be heard. In a world of digital streaming where something like 75,000 new tracks go online every day this is very daunting. The vast majority of this to me is pretty soulless and formulaic sad to say so not sure why people bother to make it or listen to it but that’s the world we live in.
What do you base your success on?
Hard work, relentlessly putting music out there (to date I’ve released 50 plus albums in every conceivable genre) touring as much as possible in as many territories as I can, all the time.
Can you talk about your experiences collaborating with other artists or musicians? How does it influence your creative process?
I love collaboration. I think the net results are usually greater than the sum of the individuals involved as far as achieving artistic excellence. Some of my most famous songs have been collaborations (my songs co-written with Jeff Buckley, for instance).
What was your latest musical release?
“Omnidirectional”, a collaboration with percussionist / composer Lukas Ligeti under the duo name Lucas & Lukas.
Do you have any news to share? Could you share the story behind your latest new CD Lucas & Lukas – Omnidirectional what inspired its creation?
Lukas and I have played on and off together for years. I certainly knew his father Gyorgy Liget’s music which was used in the film “2001” and when I checked out Lukas’s work I was impressed with the high level of skills he brought to the table both as a percussionist and a composer. He first subbed for me drumming in my longtime band Gods and Monsters when a member was not available to perform and he was great! We then developed a trio called Church of the Blood with James Ilgenfrtiz, and finally whittled it down to duo performances here in NYC at Tonic and The Stone. This album was recorded absolutely improvised live with no overdubs.
How does your latest album fit into your creative path? Is this a goal you wanted to achieve?
I always have used elements of pure improvisation coupled with avant-garde touches in my playing throughout my career while retaining the twang of the Blues. Here I wanted to go full on Free Jazz for an album’s worth of music, something I haven’t done in ages (the last was an improvised album with Swiss guitarist Gerald Zbinden entitled “Down the Rabbit Hole” some years ago). I think this is one of the most exciting albums I’ve ever made frankly from a pure music standpoint—exploratory and incantatory.
How do you approach the process of songwriting, and are there any specific themes or emotions you tend to explore in your music?
I try to turn myself inside out and compos hypnotic riffs and motifs that stir me deeply and cannot be denied that function as building blocks of the songs. Lyrics are usually somewhat secondary but always come from the heart and in fact are sometimes full of literary allusions (I was an English literature major at Yale).
As an indie musician, how do you navigate the balance between creative freedom and commercial appeal?
I don’t think about it too much. I just trust that whatever direction I take some part of my audience will inevitably be there checking it out if only out of curiosity. I think if my playing is good and my heart is deep into it considerations of “commerciality” fall away. I think if the music is ingenious, challenging and not boring you will find an audience who will follow you everywhere you go next.
What role does technology and social media play in promoting your music and connecting with your audience?
I use social media a fair amount to promote my album releases and upcoming shows.I also use it to “play DJ” by posting clips of all sorts of other music not my own, films and books I like etc. to try and turn my base on to what I like and at the same time entertain them with stuff they may not know about.
Could you describe a memorable live performance experience or tour that has had a lasting impact on you and your music?
Yes, I was pl;ying solo on the Knitting Factory Tours Europe Tour 1991, 20 shows in 21 days in 6 countries across Europe, on a bill with James Blood Ulmer’s trio, a band called Chunk, and the Thomas Chapin Duo. It was an incredible experience to move across Europe like that with very little sleep on trains, planes and buses, night after night plying my hear out to European audiences, some of the most discerning and cultured folks around. The thrill of turning on crowds with my own music solo was something I became enraptured by on that tour and Ive tried to continue doing this as much as possible.
In an era of streaming platforms, how do you feel about the changing landscape of music consumption and its impact on independent musicians?
If the notion was to “Level the Playing Field” (which was an ironic title of one of my earliest compilation albums) by everyone and their brother to post tracks online and make an “eual” chance of success in music available to all I think its failed and in fact has had the opposite effect, with about 98% of these artifacts (some now created by AI) utterly unlistenable garbage. The old skills based on songwriting and compositional abilities and instrumental faciltiy have gone out the window and made the world of music paradoxically a vast (albeit) cluttered landfill (albeit in the cloud) of stuff that doesn’t land with anyone but the creators and their buddies. However if you can manage as an indie musician to be heard through this “too much of nothing” landscape and you have something to say or give to people of worth, an audience will form and hopefully expand if you stick with it.
Musicians often have a close relationship with their fanbase. How do you engage with your fans and build a dedicated community around your music?
I’m available to chat with them on social media and do so nearly every day. I try to keep them abreast of all my upcoming projects and gigs as best I can with in a tight budget
How can fans find you? Lastly, please share some final words with the fans.
They can go to my wwww.garylucas.com and my Facebook, Soundcloud, YouTube channels, X account, and Instagram account.
Thanks to all the fans for all your support over the world—you make the whole thing worthwhile for me!
By Olivia Peevas
