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Jason Luckett sits in a hardwood studio untouched by time, tapping rhythm on a foot stool used by Andrés Segovia, singing through vintage preamps used on a Spice Girls tour…. OK, the story’s getting weird, but this sets the scene for recording The Second Half of the Bet (Hope Again), a warm collection of songs traversing the afterglow of youthful wagers. With an eye toward hope, the sounds of jazz, samba, reggae, bluegrass, soul and folk blend seamlessly into a coherent whole.
In the past two years, the Los Angeles based artist has performed with classical Indian musicians in Kerala, toured the western United States to promote healthcare reform, been published in the groundbreaking literary anthology The Black Body, and read as part of the prestigious ALOUD series at the Los Angeles Public Library and Sit ‘n’ Spin at the Comedy Central Stage. He also contributed a solo theatrical piece to The Emmett Till Project at Highways Performance Space and was featured at the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival twice, once for his musical work, once for his literary.
Jason recorded The Second Half of the Bet (Hope Again) as 2010 came to a close, layering guitars, bass, vocals and percussion in that magical wood-paneled studio mostly solo, with a couple loving assists from vocalist Nailah Porter, bassist David Sutton and engineer Ted Blaisdell. As wide-ranging as his activities of the past couple years, SHOTB, moves organically through folk, jazz, rock and world rhythm influences, retaining the strong personality of what Jason irreverently calls “groovy acoustic soul.”
“A lot of the work I did during the past couple years dealt with the diverse cultural influence in my life and how I was able to create a coherent identity bumping through the ‘mulatto moments.’ This album takes the jazz and Brazilian sounds I heard growing up along with the classic rock and post-punk that I got in the ‘burbs and integrates them better than I ever have before.”
Another byproduct of his recent literary work is the freedom Jason felt to leave his biography behind and dig deeper into the situations and stories in these songs.
“After a couple years of seriously mining my history for different projects, I found a real freedom in searching for emotional truths within largely fictional constructs. I no longer felt the need to portray myself in my songs.
“Still, these songs represent the questions I’m pondering now. It’s called The Second Half of the Bet because I like that we make these grand wagers in youth, then we have to figure out what they all mean. Then when I considered Steven Simko’s beautiful cover image, I knew that I had to append the title to include ‘Hope Again.’ There’s beauty in retaining youthful wonder as we move ahead with a bit more wisdom. Grappling with the imperfection of where we are personally or politically after making euphoric and idealistic decisions, I consistently remind myself to choose hope.”
Jason’s played festivals all over the world from Glastonbury to South by Southwest, recorded or played with musicians as diverse as the Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge, Kenny Burrell, and members of Bauhaus and Red Hot Chili Peppers, been a staff writer for EMI and is a published poet. Check jasonluckett.com for discography, publications, tours and more info on Jason, Segovia and the Spice Girls.
He’s released six discs on his Lucky Masala Head label.
I am operating on four hours sleep, but I’m feeling such love that I wanted to capture it before I drift off. And I want to do it publicly, because the feeling is so externally driven. Good word, actually, driven, because it was as I was driving home that I was almost in tears. I’d just left this beautiful, spirit centered gathering celebrating the love of one friend and her love, whom she’ll join on his walk from Los Angeles to Brazil (http://iamwalking.org/). And it was just around the corner from the spiritual center of my boozy early 20s, Al’s Bar. I’d try to tame that place with just my acoustic guitar, or play nasty blues in this band called “Victor’s Sister” that once got to pay with Big Jay McNeely.
I’d just received a glowing e-mail review of my new album from one of my favorite supporters, as I left Traction Ave to head by Olvera Street as I got on the 101 heading back home. I was thinking how great LA would be if we had some infrastructure investment somewhere before that horrible Melrose exit off the freeway. (Why is the gas at the “Petrol” station always so cheap?) I passed the old Anti-Club, Paramount Studios…. And that’s when I started to well up. I guess it’s just the diversity of experience from my organic spiritual type scene, to my DIY punk-ish life, to the silly Hollywood stuff I’ve done. Maybe it’s because I’ve been able to make music in all these places and I’ve just put my new album up for sale on my site?
But then it got even better, reaching the heart of Melrose where I worked at the Gap and the fancy Gelati per Tutti across the street. I used to play my demos and watch how the hipsters would react as they came in, bopping their heads to the guy scooping their cappuccino cones. As much as I loved living in the Los Feliz/Silverlake area, I kind of think I love WeHo even more. It’s definitely not as groovy, but I’m so beat today because I went up to a friend’s last night, ten minutes away up Laurel Canyon to share new music, finished and unfinished, over wine and pasta, then I got woken up early this morning to meet a friend of 20 years a block away from my house at Urth for breakfast. And this is the neighborhood where during college I lived down the hall from the bass player from Cheap Trick in a rent controlled apartment. And the next thing I knew Warren Zevon moved in across the hall.
But, really, it’s all of LA. So many good people and landmarks that are the healthy roots that allow me to grow. And I’ve been away for periods of time now, so I appreciate it even more. And now I’m blessed to be living in the most wonderful home, a home which still carries the creative vibe of the couple who lived here for 70 years just before I moved in. I’m not sure if I’ve said anything you don’t already know tonight. But I just wanted to share my love letter to the city.
-->It’s ready! Thanks so much to all you who supported my project financially and spiritually. I’m so excited to hear your feedback and see you as I tour around the country this spring. Honestly, as I write this I’m a little sleepy from trying to get everything ready. Who knew it would take so long? Every step took three times as long as I expected, and I now know that I need more RAM on my computer!
But it’s here! I’ve seen the big smiles and tears on the faces of the few I’ve played it for already. That always blows me away. I love the photos Simko took. I took a few myself for the 18 page digital booklet (which you can only get by download—being green is also economical). I like the journey of the album from hope to longing to hope again. Maybe I really should change the title to “Hope Again.” That photo was just a cool location, but it captured the mood. It’s called “Second Half of the Bet” because I like that we make these grand wagers in youth, then we have to figure out what they all mean. That’s how that stuck. But the beauty of life is retaining that youthful wonder as we move with a little more wisdom. Hope again… I like it.
OK, I’m off to sing in a show about love downtown…. No big CD release plans yet. But when the little things are stacked at my doorstep, I’ll let you know when we’ll be celebrating!
Love to you!
Buy the album now
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“One Step” for Jason Luckett’s 6th Album
I’m over the moon with all the support I’ve received for this new record — from those who’ve pledged (http://kck.st/aaezQv) and the team helping me to get it done. You’ve made me feel very loved and emboldened! We’ve passed the initial goal by $600, so at this point we’re about $400 short of my being able to do a full pressing and get the physical CD out to more people beyond those who’ve asked for the special edition. I was talking to my mother this afternoon, and you know how mother’s have that way of asking the simply perfect questions. She asked, “Why didn’t you just ask for all you needed in the first place?” All I could say was that I wanted to absolutely make sure I could get the music done and wasn’t really sure that I would be able to raise $3000 in an all or nothing proposition. But you’ve all made me believe and now we’re so close! If just two people decide to have a private concert in their home for $250, or if one person wants me to write a song and another wants to be on the list to all my shows for a year, I’ll be able to do the full run and have the commercially available CDs ready in January. That’d be the best start to a year for me ever! Think about it and know that every pledge helps and entitles you to beyond the value of a regular CD purchase or download. But those special offers end at 4pm PST on Thursday. So if you’re thinking about it, please contribute today.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! It’s been such a boost of energy to feel this support!
Love and Peace,
J
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