Hey there all you Junebugs! It’s been a helluva hot start to one crazy Summer. Last weekend saw us at a great new venue in Maumee, OH called the Village Idiot. What a great crowd, and there’s just something about playing in front of a life-size photo of Johnny Cash flipping the bird. Can’t wait to get back on October 4th for some more great times. We finished up Father’s Day evening w/ a show in our old back yard in Royal Oak, MI on the Memphis Smoke stage. Another great crowd, and we even had an encore at the end of the night. Guess we’ll have to come back there ASAP as well.
I stopped by the Livery in Benton Harbor, MI on the way back to Chicago Monday night. I have been hearing about the open mic hosted by Venitia Sekema for a long time, and finally was able to make it there. Venitia is the hostess w/ the mostess fo’ sho’…I know that is a corny way to describe how genuine & gracious she was to every performer but it is nonetheless fitting. What a truly one-of-a-kind venue the Livery is. Stop in and say hey to Steve, Leslie, and Mike, and don’t forget to try the “McGilligan’s IPA” that brewmaster Steve has prepared for your drinking pleasure.
I have a show this Saturday night @ the Wild Rover Pub on 6001 N Paulina St in Chicago starting @ 10 pm. There’s no cover, so come on out and drink up close & personal w/ me.
And lastly, I have posted some new unreleased demos of 3 new songs on my insider MySpace account a.k.a. The Last to Know for those of you who want to hear the latest and what could be the greatest. The feature tune is called “Henry Poole is here”, and was written for the movie of the same name as part of a MySpace contest. You had to follow the premise of the film and use the title in the song, and the winning songwriter gets a video produced/directed by Mark Pellington (U2, Springsteen, Public Enemy) who also directed the movie. Check out the Henry Poole is here site and all the details that went into the composition. The other tunes are “Moonlight” (a story about life lessons passed down from generation to generation), and “Agony” (a story about a desperate woman in dire straights looking to end the pain) featuring the mandolin stylings of…me. I’d love your feedback. So, have a great June wherever you are. Don’t forget about Radio Flower out there on the web and the airwaves! Support it if you believe, and we’ll all go on an amazing ride together.
Peace,
Luke
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CD Release party @ The Ark
Belief. It's a powerful word. I decided to look it up, and I found the definition surprisingly enlightening since it's by no means an unfamiliar word to me.
“Confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof”.
Belief in yourself comes a lot easier when people you care about believe in you and the work that you do. It's inspiring to me when I get to see friends coming together to lend support to one another. I saw a lot of that over the last few days when I came back to Michigan for my CD release concert @ The Ark in Ann Arbor. Sometimes I get caught up in the things that don’t develop despite my best efforts. I need to work on that. However, the thoughtfulness and humanity that is behind people making their best efforts to show me they believe in the music I make is not lost on me. Thank you to each and everyone of you for giving me such a boost. My love, my family, friends, fans, and the volunteers @ The Ark who all took so much time to share with me how they were moved by the concert should know that it matters a lot! There just aren’t enough moments where we can all be together & share some laughs, stories, and of course to hoist a few in honor of one another. So many of those moments were had, but they just seemed too short! Unfortunately the unholy price of gas has made me realize that I won’t be able to make many more trips back to Michigan this year. I’ll try to make it happen as much as possible since it does me good to be among my friends in the places I know so well.
I just found out that our CD Baby page for ’Radio Flower’ is now up and running. I would ask any of you that are looking to pick up your copy online to consider using this amazing little independent music resource to do it. We’ve got some early feedback too, with this little bit of insight from Mlive.com:
Sonorous acoustic folk-rock doesn't get much better than what Luke Sayers generates on his latest CD. The duet "Bitter Wine," with singer Jill Jack and guest Pat Shanley on guitar, sizzles with rare electricity. The Detroit Music Awards nominee knows how to write and sing.
There is no record label lending its might to this effort, so I am counting on those of you who have heard or own ‘Radio Flower’ & supported us thus far to spread the word. Tell a friend to download the mp3’s through DigStation.com or to purchase the CD at either CD Baby or through lukesayers.com securely with Pay Pal. We’ve got the great looking T shirts ,which sold like hotcakes at The Ark, available on our site too. All these things help us to keep moving forward, and as independents we truly cannot get by without our fans. I’d love to get your feedback, so if you’d like to do a review just send it to me in an email to luke@lukesayers.com and I’ll get it out there to the proper places. People who are surfing the web looking for new music place a lot of value on the opinion of those who have already made the investment. Hope to see y’all soon!
“Confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof”.
Belief in yourself comes a lot easier when people you care about believe in you and the work that you do. It's inspiring to me when I get to see friends coming together to lend support to one another. I saw a lot of that over the last few days when I came back to Michigan for my CD release concert @ The Ark in Ann Arbor. Sometimes I get caught up in the things that don’t develop despite my best efforts. I need to work on that. However, the thoughtfulness and humanity that is behind people making their best efforts to show me they believe in the music I make is not lost on me. Thank you to each and everyone of you for giving me such a boost. My love, my family, friends, fans, and the volunteers @ The Ark who all took so much time to share with me how they were moved by the concert should know that it matters a lot! There just aren’t enough moments where we can all be together & share some laughs, stories, and of course to hoist a few in honor of one another. So many of those moments were had, but they just seemed too short! Unfortunately the unholy price of gas has made me realize that I won’t be able to make many more trips back to Michigan this year. I’ll try to make it happen as much as possible since it does me good to be among my friends in the places I know so well.
I just found out that our CD Baby page for ’Radio Flower’ is now up and running. I would ask any of you that are looking to pick up your copy online to consider using this amazing little independent music resource to do it. We’ve got some early feedback too, with this little bit of insight from Mlive.com:
Sonorous acoustic folk-rock doesn't get much better than what Luke Sayers generates on his latest CD. The duet "Bitter Wine," with singer Jill Jack and guest Pat Shanley on guitar, sizzles with rare electricity. The Detroit Music Awards nominee knows how to write and sing.
There is no record label lending its might to this effort, so I am counting on those of you who have heard or own ‘Radio Flower’ & supported us thus far to spread the word. Tell a friend to download the mp3’s through DigStation.com or to purchase the CD at either CD Baby or through lukesayers.com securely with Pay Pal. We’ve got the great looking T shirts ,which sold like hotcakes at The Ark, available on our site too. All these things help us to keep moving forward, and as independents we truly cannot get by without our fans. I’d love to get your feedback, so if you’d like to do a review just send it to me in an email to luke@lukesayers.com and I’ll get it out there to the proper places. People who are surfing the web looking for new music place a lot of value on the opinion of those who have already made the investment. Hope to see y’all soon!
Just around the corner
“Oh the weather outside is weather”...after seeing 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' I am not sure I'll ever be able to sing the all time classic 'Let it snow' the same way next Christmas. You may be interested to know that my Hawaiian name is 'Luka', so maybe Suzanne Vega was on vacation when she wrote the song that haunted my adolescence. Chicago seems to be the perfect place to sing that song since it's gone from the 70's to wet snow in a mere 48 hour period.
Life seems to be getting a little more surreal as the release concert for 'Radio Flower' @ The Ark draws ever closer. The show is May 8th, which is only a week from now...but I can't seem to grasp the nearness of this huge event in my own little universe. Since receiving the first shipment of 'Radio Flower' I have been doing nothing but mailing it out along with press releases to hundreds of indie friendly publications, radio stations, and most importantly to those of you who got in on the ground floor and preordered copies. In many cases this amounts to sending out wishes on the wind. This being the first full length fully produced recording I've released, I can't help but be very anxious to hear what y'all out there in the free world make of it. I shouldn't be nervous about how it's received, because after all it's about the art and as an artist you create what's in your heart and soul with all the care that you'd put into holding a new born baby instinctively to the best of your ability. The reality is I am reliant on those of you who do believe in and support my music to purchase the CD's, mp3's, T shirts, and concert tickets while hopefully spreading the word to your friends, family, and coworkers . There is no way to do what so many established artists in my field have the luxury of doing, which is to say that the opinion of the critics doesn't matter. I have to hope that my latest offering moves people who wield the pen or host the radio programs to spread the message as well. I would change that part of myself if I had the ability to do so. But Frank Zappa told me once that “you are what you is”.
Last night was fun in a really unexpected way, as I ended up performing in the middle of the club where my show was booked instead of the stage where the sound system is set up. The fill in sound man had no idea how to get the P A working, which would've meant no show and many upset folks who so graciously came out on a Tuesday night if I wasn't an acoustic musician. Thankfully I have had enough humbling experiences of this kind throughout my 3 years of performing solo to prepare me for making some lemonade out of them there lemons. I played some new tunes, some not so new, and some old reliable covers for the cozy little circle that formed around me by the wall opposite the bar. It did my heart good to see everyone laughing, drinking, and getting to know each other on a night that could've ended up with me apologizing profusely and promising that “the next show is gonna be great!”.
So, if you've got 'Radio Flower' already please take a minute after you've given it some thoughtful listening to send me a review. It really helps to have some fan feedback for the folks out there surfing the net for new music. Just drop me an email and I'll get your thoughtful reflections out to the proper places. If you haven't picked up 'Radio Flower' yet and/or can't come to The Ark please go to the 'MUSIC' page on www.lukesayers.com where you'll be able to purchase the CD and/or link to where you can download mp3's. If you're in the Evanston/Chicago area on Thursday night please come to Bill's Blues on 1029 Davis St. in Evanston, IL for a 'Bluebird Cafe' style songwriters in the round show presented by Lil'fest. Don't forget that we'll be performing this Sunday, May 4th @ 10 AM live on WCSX 94.7 FM in Detroit during the 'Over Easy' program hosted by Pam Rossi. Listen live by clicking this LIVE link to listen along on the internet. Have a great weekend!
Life seems to be getting a little more surreal as the release concert for 'Radio Flower' @ The Ark draws ever closer. The show is May 8th, which is only a week from now...but I can't seem to grasp the nearness of this huge event in my own little universe. Since receiving the first shipment of 'Radio Flower' I have been doing nothing but mailing it out along with press releases to hundreds of indie friendly publications, radio stations, and most importantly to those of you who got in on the ground floor and preordered copies. In many cases this amounts to sending out wishes on the wind. This being the first full length fully produced recording I've released, I can't help but be very anxious to hear what y'all out there in the free world make of it. I shouldn't be nervous about how it's received, because after all it's about the art and as an artist you create what's in your heart and soul with all the care that you'd put into holding a new born baby instinctively to the best of your ability. The reality is I am reliant on those of you who do believe in and support my music to purchase the CD's, mp3's, T shirts, and concert tickets while hopefully spreading the word to your friends, family, and coworkers . There is no way to do what so many established artists in my field have the luxury of doing, which is to say that the opinion of the critics doesn't matter. I have to hope that my latest offering moves people who wield the pen or host the radio programs to spread the message as well. I would change that part of myself if I had the ability to do so. But Frank Zappa told me once that “you are what you is”.
Last night was fun in a really unexpected way, as I ended up performing in the middle of the club where my show was booked instead of the stage where the sound system is set up. The fill in sound man had no idea how to get the P A working, which would've meant no show and many upset folks who so graciously came out on a Tuesday night if I wasn't an acoustic musician. Thankfully I have had enough humbling experiences of this kind throughout my 3 years of performing solo to prepare me for making some lemonade out of them there lemons. I played some new tunes, some not so new, and some old reliable covers for the cozy little circle that formed around me by the wall opposite the bar. It did my heart good to see everyone laughing, drinking, and getting to know each other on a night that could've ended up with me apologizing profusely and promising that “the next show is gonna be great!”.
So, if you've got 'Radio Flower' already please take a minute after you've given it some thoughtful listening to send me a review. It really helps to have some fan feedback for the folks out there surfing the net for new music. Just drop me an email and I'll get your thoughtful reflections out to the proper places. If you haven't picked up 'Radio Flower' yet and/or can't come to The Ark please go to the 'MUSIC' page on www.lukesayers.com where you'll be able to purchase the CD and/or link to where you can download mp3's. If you're in the Evanston/Chicago area on Thursday night please come to Bill's Blues on 1029 Davis St. in Evanston, IL for a 'Bluebird Cafe' style songwriters in the round show presented by Lil'fest. Don't forget that we'll be performing this Sunday, May 4th @ 10 AM live on WCSX 94.7 FM in Detroit during the 'Over Easy' program hosted by Pam Rossi. Listen live by clicking this LIVE link to listen along on the internet. Have a great weekend!
Exclusive new music!
Hey y'all!
As i mentioned in my last newsletter, we're now making all of our music which is not yet on any CD available to you exclusively through our website. You can stream AND download these songs so that you won't have to be without your own copy ever again.
The first song we're making available to you is a live cut of "They don't want me" from our last visit to the studio of WNMC 90.7 fm in Traverse City, MI. This was our second time performing on the "Folk Aire" show, and our engineer Sandy Blumenfeld did a great job capturing the moment. You get to hear the trio of myself on nylon string guitar/lead vocal, Mark Iannace on accordion/harmony vocal, and Mike Gabelman on percussion all acoustic and all the way live!
I wrote this song while waiting my turn to play at what was billed as a songwriter contest in a local Ferndale bar. As the night unfolded, I soon began to realize that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time once again in my hometown. It is always discouraging when you're siting in a room full of fellow musicians/songwriters and you find yourself playing to everyone's back. Even the host of this event couldn't pay attention long enough to know when each individual's set was ending...and this person was also the judge! I had to laugh in spite of myself, and as my mind wandered through all of the other similar situations I have been in I couldn't help but start writing. The fact that this turned out to be a blues song should say a lot about my feelings when it comes to being a singer/songwriter playing original music in the Detroit area. I hope you'll enjoy the tune as much on your mp3 players and/or CD players as you do live.
Access "They don't want me" on the MUSIC PAGE
If you want to go directly to the download click here: THEY DON'T WANT ME
peace,
Luke
Mandolin reign
If you're reading this then it must mean that after 32 years on this planet I have actually begun actively recording my everyday thoughts...at least without having to worry about coming up with cool phrasing & rhymes. My birthday just passed, and all i wanted was a mandolin. So, I emptied out all of my birthday cards and headed out to Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI just as I have so many times before. I was on a mission, and I wasn't leaving till I found what would be the latest addition to my growing string family. Needless to say I was successful so you can look for some new tunes featuring the ol' 8 string very soon.
I am always amazed at how music continues to hold such wonder and mystery for me. Thankfully I have never been without the creative impulse that fuels my passion for making a life in music. It doesn't matter what the future holds in terms of recognition and/or noteriety. I know that I am a willing participant in this unrelenting journey that has been chosen for me. Thank you all for coming along with me.
There are currently some brand new songs, both original and some selected from our favorite artists, that are making there way into our set. My goal is to just get us out there as much as possble. This will mean playing in some different venues which in the past I have avoided. We're going to "play the game" here in the Detroit area, and by that I mean we're gonna find all of those elusive music lovers in their favorite hang outs. The live performance is the truth, and it shall be told acoustically! See you soon...
peace,
Luke
I am always amazed at how music continues to hold such wonder and mystery for me. Thankfully I have never been without the creative impulse that fuels my passion for making a life in music. It doesn't matter what the future holds in terms of recognition and/or noteriety. I know that I am a willing participant in this unrelenting journey that has been chosen for me. Thank you all for coming along with me.
There are currently some brand new songs, both original and some selected from our favorite artists, that are making there way into our set. My goal is to just get us out there as much as possble. This will mean playing in some different venues which in the past I have avoided. We're going to "play the game" here in the Detroit area, and by that I mean we're gonna find all of those elusive music lovers in their favorite hang outs. The live performance is the truth, and it shall be told acoustically! See you soon...
peace,
Luke
