I started the year by posting this on Facebook, 2 Jan 2023. It feels even more important now. This is a collaboration with Todd Lawrence.
Here’s what I wrote then:
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Hey Friends! My friend, Todd Lawrence, brought a line to our first ever writing session (after knowing each other for decades!) and we came up with this. I miffed a few words in recording this draft last night, but I like what we did. I’d love to hear people singing along to this! It was Todd’s idea to ride the “we…’ll” Stack those harmonies! Most of all I hope it could be used inspirationally to free some souls.
Here are the correct lyrics:
“When All Souls Are Free”
Words & music by Todd Lawrence & Jason Luckett
In this broken world
Your get used to the thought
That our prayers go unanswered
That our dreams are for naught
And all that is now
Shall always be
And it’s only in a child’s dream
That all souls are free
For a child see the world
Through innocent eyes
No false complication
Or logic that lies
And I have no answers
When they ask me
When will the time come
When all souls are free?
Till all are free
Till all are free
Till all souls are free
We’ll never be
With this broken heart
I walk out of time
Looking for traces
Of reason and rhyme
I struggle for answers
There’s none I can see
When will the time come
When all souls are free?
Till all are free
Till all are free
Till all souls are free
We’ll never be
And we’ll never feel real
And we’ll never feel right
And we’ll never have peace
Lie with us at night
We’ll be locked in a cage that we can’t even see
Till all are unshackled
Till all souls are free…
© 2023 Todd Lawrence & Jason Luckett
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“This is a time for resolve, and not revenge. For purpose, and not panic. And for security, and not surrender,” said soldier Lloyd Austin (US Secretary of Defense).
Let’s resolve to free souls, to create peace, so that we all may be free.
Here’s a link to the chord chart.
-->I’ll be releasing a live album in the next couple weeks on Bandcamp. Here’s one cut.
This is from Homecoming Sunday at All Saints Church in Pasadena. It was such an honor to be a part of this celebration. The camera takes a while to find me and I’m singing behind a mask, but it’s a thrill when the choir comes in for the bridge. And if you listen through the sermon, Rev. Kinman weaves the lyric throughout and we reprise the song with the whole church to close it out! A gorgeous experience!
-->I’m really excited that at the beginning of the summer I was invited to play at The Grand Annex in San Pedro. I was able to debut a batch of new songs and rearrange some old favorites for an in-person audience for the first time in months. It was also the first time I’d played piano onstage for probably a few decades! Here’s “Reimagine,” a song I wrote thinking about what we were going to do when we emerged from this time of lockdown.
I’ll be releasing more music from this show very soon, so watch this space.
And, if you haven’t already, please join the mailing list to get announcements when the new music becomes available.
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Singing and playing is the best part of it all. I miss doing regular shows here in LA. That involves more than just singing and playing, I guess, which explains my reluctance. And recording induces a similar fear of permanent impressions and failures. I didn’t realize until I decided to make this little video today how this song (with my recording struggles with it) was so appropriate for the moment. It makes me giggle at the perfect nuttiness of the universe. But it also makes me happy that the song is true, that music and my connection to playing and writing it is what keeps me going. It always seems to be there when I need it.
So take a look at my studio and listen to one of the songs I’ll be putting out when I feel like it’s ready.
Goodnight from LA.
-->My friend, Janet Grey, captured this performance from a beautiful night celebrating Harry Nilsson! Thanks so much to Chris Price for playing the piano that I couldn’t pull off, Lyn Bertles for the string arrangement and all the players! One run during rehearsal and one shot at Molly Malone’s. A good time was had by all!
-->I filmed some friends at my studio for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert contest and decided to submit myself, too! I had a cold, but it turned out okay. I’m loving my new space as its possibilities unfold!