Meet Jay Luke | Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Luke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My latest album weighs heavily on this topic. It is called “Me And My Demons,” I wrote it about how difficult it can be to be a working musician/artist nowadays where you wake at 7 AM work full time, and often race straight to a gig or rehearsal afterward. Before you know it is 3 AM and you are sitting home alone after not being home for 13 or 14 hours at least, wiped out but unable to sleep knowing the stress and chaos await the following day. It isn’t a life for the faint of heart. In those few sleepless hours, I often say I am sitting with Me And My Demons. Trying to manage it all is overwhelming for sure. Oddly enough after doing this for so long I am almost used to this life. It has its moments where the escalation is so great it is tough to breathe but overall it is just par for the course in this sort of life we lead. I suppose it helps I am a lifelong insomniac which helps. In the years since 2003 of performing I have learned little things to help keep my sanity and health in check.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The life of an artist/musician is never easy. We feel things a lot of other people don’t. For me, I feel each song I write, record, or perform is a snapshot of a time in my life that I will always remember. When I look back on an album or song I instantly am transported to that time and what I was surrounded by or going through. Songwriting to me is a process that is therapeutic in that it lets me get things off my chest, vent, or observe things. I am not the type of artist who writes about fantasy things everything has to be real. My music is very personal and I suppose like a lot of musicians my lyrics will tell you more about me than I would in a conversation. I find that as each album comes out I delve deeper and deeper into things that a therapist never would be able to pull out of me. So for this latest album, I put it all out there to show the most personal and vulnerable side of me. The hectic life of deadlines, stress, anxiety, struggle, and all of the things we face in being working musicians where it is so hard to survive. I made the album a concept album about the struggle and how in the end it can be overcome. Lessons learned along this journey is that when you are a bit fearful of not looking cool or doing something a bit out of your element that is the very time to DO IT. That is where the true magic happens. I was so afraid my fans might not have understood what I was doing or saw me differently and it turned out that it skyrocketed in terms of success as so many people relate to the feelings or themes involved. I am most proud of this album for the fact that we have gotten press for it on almost every continent in the world and people truly got the message as well as critics alike. The feedback you get from fans can be amazing when they tell you certain songs got them through a hard time. While the days of millions of dollars and Ferraris from record deals may be long gone to me real wealth is when people in other parts of the world relate to the things you put out.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am someone who truly loves history. If I wasn’t an artist/musician I think I would have taken up archaeology. So I love tracing things to their roots and even wrote a book about the town I grew up in Olyphant, PA a famous coal mining town. If I were to take a friend or a stranger through places around my neck of the woods it would be places that are rich in history. They’re not always the most glorious or pretty but they have the most character. The area I am at in Northeastern PA is in the Scranton area. If you ever watched the show The Office with Steve Carell that is the town. There are a bunch of old restaurants and taverns that have so much history. A few staples to visit are: – the Lackawanna County Coal Mine tour. The area was built by the anthracite industry so the tour takes you underground to experience the life of what it was like to be in the Coal Mining days of yesteryear.
-Another great place in town is the Houdini Museum. I am lucky enough to be close friends with the owners Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks who are world-famous magicians in their own right (Dorothy is the first woman to ever catch a bullet in her teeth) a trick Houdini himself was unable to perform. The museum has artifacts and tons of cool paraphernalia from Houdini’s collection as well as times he had performed in Scranton in the early 1900’s.
-The Steamtown National Historic Site is a cool stop as well showcasing steam engines and their contribution to America’s economy in the 19th century. The site is viewable from the local Mall to take a look into the trainyard and all the goings on.
-As far as restaurants and taverns go that is probably the one thing we have such a surplus in that you can almost choose any and find an adventure in itself. There is a hot debate in the pizza world that Old Forge a town here is called “The Pizza Capital Of The World” and they take that title extremely seriously. Pizza is in such abundance it is tough to avoid. So we have Revello’s where a lot of famous visitors have stopped in for a meal. Arcaro and Genell’s which is the other competitor but equally as great.
Coopers Seafood which many presidents have stopped by while in town to grab some food and drinks.
And I can list so many places to grab a drink and see entertainment but I will try to narrow it down to two. The Bog in Scranton. It is like Cheers in Boston. No one is a stranger they have the most eclectic crowd, dim lighting but not too dim but just cool enough, and always great conversations the bartenders are some of the best people and in fact when the cast of The Office comes into town they usually can be found behind the bar as guest bartenders.
Finally, a place called The V Spot in Scranton. The undisputed best venue for live entertainment in the area. They have entertainment 7 days a week and amazing food specials. The owner Vinny is one of the absolute most entertaining human beings on the planet and you will have the time of your life as well as catching some incredibly talented solo musicians as well as bands. That is a brief mini tour of my Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In my story, the woman who changed my life the moment I met her is that person who deserves all of the credit possible. Her name is Lori Leader. She has been the single best thing to happen to me and she’s inspired me more than almost anyone or anything else in the world. I have written songs and practically 2 or 3 albums about her, and her inspiring story, She is my muse and inspiration. She is the kind of person who has lived a life that would have broken anyone down during a very trying time and hardships galore her ability to overcome obstacles, her talent, and her art have been so amazing. Her kindness and patience are to be mentioned as well. When you grow up like her and you are still kind it is what they canonize saints for. I love her as a person, a friend, a mention, and a lover. She is perfect.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messmusic/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-luke-437513114

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jay_luke

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaylukemusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Tn6LxUh1GBa0mM0vx5CyA

Other: SPOTIFY- https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ImlBhWVrk1kpXjzbvTG54?si=qEQH5uPtQ9e1_aX_TY3ljg

Image Credits
Eugene Lucas