Jay Luke has been performing and writing music ever since the year of 2003. He has experience playing in bands such as The MESS, Sorrowsun, and ReachForTheSky, honing in on his craft, and paying his dues in the live circuit. After much frustration in getting the right line up secured to release an album with his first two bands, he decided to take the studio time he had left to record the songs he wrote to work on his solo career.
Jay Luke gets the ball rolling with the release of his single titled “Vandalized Memories”. High energy, striking vocals, and instrumental playing that gives full velocity and electricity, Jay Luke is a force to be reckoned with! “Vandalized Memories” was a blissful song that operated in a clean execution of each element of rock n roll greatness! The percussion-soaked drums and consistent zest through the guitars was piercing and breathtaking. Jay Luke keeps his listener on a high andrenaline rush. It feels like a never-ending fast-paced rollercoaster, filled with twists and turns. “Vandalized Memories” is a song that will leave its trailblazing mark on the album by Jay Luke.
Listen to “Vandalized Memories” here and get to know more about Jay Luke below!
Welcome to BuzzMusic Jay Luke! Growing up, what attracted you to the genre of Rock n Roll? Who would you consider some of your inspirations/influences?
Thank so much for having me! My earliest memories growing up were sitting in front of the television and seeing this new thing called MTV. Music Television for me was as foreign and exciting of a world as Star Wars was. I was part of the first generation of kids that experienced it before it turned into the parody it is now airing teen pregnancy shows 24/7 lol. It was a magical thing that transported me to a different place to daydream and I ate up every moment, every artist, and every video like it was my only sustenance. I was easily most attracted to Van Halen during those years. Not even ten years old and seeing VH with David Lee Roth quarterbacking the band was pretty much the whole reason music was soon to be my life. They embodied rock n roll so magically. In later years the band Hanoi Rocks would become my all time favorite band but I was first raised on the classics like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, KISS and Van Halen.
Knowing you’ve had that experience in a band with multiple personalities and opinions, do you ever feel any pressure as a solo artist?
The funny thing about doing my solo thing after performing with so many bands with clashing ideas and everyone trying to pull the steering wheel in a different direction is that there is no pressure in it now. The pressure is just largely that I always want to make something better than what I have done before. Someone once said you're only as good as your last release. So I am a firm believer that staying relevant means not resting on past glories. Satisfaction in that is what kills the desire in most artists. So I guess my only pressure these days is to keep on pushing forward with stronger tunes.
We love your music! What was the meaning behind the tough lyricism in “Vandalized Memories”?
Thank you very much, that means a lot. With almost every song I write I try not to avoid personal things I am going through. I work through them with the music and lyrics instead of sitting with a shrink lol. My songs are little windows in time of what I was going through. Vandalized Memories seems to be the track off the album that spews the most venom from a very ugly time I was in the middle of. There was a very abusive, violent person that seemed to ruin everyone's good time with jealousy, and a super controlling nature. So much so that it landed the person in prison and made their life a mess that affected everyone else around them. So it was the basis of what I call a vandalized memory. The song just sort of documented how not to let jealousy and violence make you an example that ends up making things a million times worse.
What was the most challenging aspect for you in creating this record? How did you overcome this obstacle?
The most challenging bit about making this release was trying to keep my sanity together through living the experience it was drawn from. The fact that I went so personal with it makes it a more intense release than my first album. It is a rollercoaster of emotions from song to song that includes love, hate, sadness, joy, loss, struggle, and triumph. So for me personally to overcome the challenge I wanted to make sure not to shy away from the personal aspect. Since the release I have put out a music video for a really beautiful song called "Keep Your Head Up Kid" and the title track "Vandalized Memories" has landed on 13 playlists that took me from 20 some monthly listeners to 3000 in a matter of a week. It's surreal to me. Radio stations are playing it on both sides of the country and when people tell me how they relate to something I wrote and lived through, it is easily the best feeling any artist can hope for. It makes every struggle worth it when you know you touch someone. Because at the end of the day the one thing you cannot change is the way you make them feel initially. There is a magic in that, a power that can't be taken away. You will always remember what you felt or were going through when a certain song plays if the connection is powerful enough. And to me, success isn't money or fame it's making people feel. Cause we are all going through similar struggles.
What’s next for you Jay Luke?
The next thing I am hoping to finish up is a new music video for a song off this latest release called "The Light of Night". I have worked with the same producers for the last two music vids and we seem to really sync up the imagery and clips to the music so well. With any luck, the video will be completed by Summer's end and aside from that, I am always doing live gigs. In the midst of the shows each week and the music video I am planning on heading back to the studio to get working on the 3rd solo album in the Autumn months. I have a lot of ideas and bits already assembled it's just a matter of finding the elusive time to sit down and sort them out into a cohesive pattern or theme. I have always felt like each new day is like a blank canvas and we as the artists are holding the paintbrush which can be both frightening and tremendously exciting to see what is to come next. I am just grateful that people are starting to take an interest in my work not just locally but all over America as well as overseas, I am forever going to be thankful for that.
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