Local musician Luke Wesley is well known on the NYC scene, and recently he had some good news to share, being signed to Engine Room Recordings, who will be releasing his debut album this fall.
Photo by Justin Walker
Indie Sounds: So, you got a record contract. It's "money for nothing and chicks for free" right?
Luke Wesley: In contrast to what Dire Straits might have said ... it's still
"Nothing for free and Chicks for money." My life is kind of an abyss,
and I still pay for hookers.
IS: Seriously, what practically does this contract with Engine Room Recordings provide you?
Luke: Well, the beautiful thing is that they are picking up the tab
on all things pertaining to the album. At this level of the music
industry, it is kind of like both the artist and the label taking a
chance on each other because neither is nationally renowned or anything
like it.
So, they take a chance on me by giving me the money to make
an album (from studio time to paying musicians and eventually designing
and pressing the CD) and I take a chance on them by giving them
exclusive licensing rights (and it is in their best interest to get
this album into as many hands as possible, obviously, so they bring an
entire promotional aspect to the table that I can't provide at this
point in my career).
IS: Specifically, compared to a total DIY approach, where do you think this contract will help you the most?
Luke: As
I was just saying about the whole promotional aspect ... Engine Room
Recordings brings a far greater knowledge about how to get my music
into other peoples' hands. The bottom line is that since the industry
keeps changing, there is never an exact how-to on what you should do as
a singer/songwriter or a band that is starting out. So we all just
hack away at this entire thing and either figure it out, ask someone,
or maybe we never figure it out. With Engine Room behind the project,
there's at least this sense of, "Well, they know more than I do ... and
that's a good thing."
IS: So, who are Engine Room Recordings?
Luke: Engine Room
Recordings is a relatively new label (about four years old) born out of
Engine Room Audio, which at the time was a really great recording,
mixing and mastering studio on Canal Street ... they are still all of that,
but they have just moved even further downtown ... pretty much almost
into the harbor.
The label provides everything from recording to
booking to even licensing. It's a really great team of people who have
worked in the industry for years in multiple capacities and understand
what's going on and how to deal with that. At this point in time they
are expanding their roster and taking on more and more indie acts.
IS: And for those who don't know you, who is Luke Wesley?
Luke: I
am from a small town in Ohio originally and I majored in Religion and
Philosophy in college. I realized that what I really wanted to do was
music after my junior year of college and when I don't want to do
something I am really poor at sticking to it, so I attended my senior
year of college but slowly stopped going to classes (both semesters).
They promptly kicked me out at the end of that year, but I had pretty
much effectively dropped out at the beginning of that year. That, and
that alone, was the most furious my parents have ever been with me. It
took a while, but I think they started to understand what I was doing
after a time of my being here in the city. They pretty much sums me
up.
As for the music, it is piano pop rock. By that I mean
piano-based, catchy/melodic, and upbeat. That could mean a million
things but I think that if you listen to the music you will hopefully
see where I am coming from. That's really what I encourage someone to
do because no matter what I tell you something sounds like, you won't
understand until you hear it yourself.
IS: What advice would you give to another artist who is looking to work with an indie label?
Luke: That music is a business. It sucks that
that's the case, but it is ... so move on and deal with it (as long as
you want to make a career). The artistic part comes when you are
sitting around your room in your underwear hashing out lyrics and
chords. Once a song is written though, and you're trying to get that
song out there, that's business. Write for yourself, market to the
masses. So when it comes to any kind of contract, get some sort of
legal advice. Even if it is your cousin that used to intern in the
legal department at Matador Records, that is better than nothing and a
good start at the very least.
I was a little nervous when I first actually received the contract
for reviewing purposes. Up to that point, when I would talk to the guys
at the label everything was awesome and I was happy to be in the
meeting. Then I got the contract, and for the first time was faced
with the idea that I wouldn't be controlling every aspect of my career
anymore. Kind of creepy. So I scoured that contract and got
legitimate advice.
Honestly, use common sense. Be careful. Know the
label. Understand their roster. Do your research. Make sure a
contract makes sense for you too and not just them. Any reservations I
had about working with the label were taken care of once I had a better
sense of what the label stood for and how they operated.
IS: What can your fans expect from your record?
Luke: We
are talking about that right now. Like so many people I want something
that captures the energy of the live show. So basically, look forward
to an album of piano rock that hopefully punches like the live shows
do. Also, I don't plan on adding a lot of instrumentation or
production to the album. I would like to keep it as simple as
possible. I mean, there will still be plenty in there that will make
14 and 15 year old girls cry at my stadium shows, but nothing more than
that ... I promise.
Catch Luke live at Rockwood Music Hall, midnight on Saturday.
Great interview. Congrats Luke.
Posted by: Chris Owyoung | May 26, 2009 at 09:40 AM