Toronto musician LUKA is back on the East Coast with performances at In The Dead of Winter, Stereophonic and Shivering Songs.
When last we checked in with Toronto-based romantic balladeer LUKA (Luke Kuplowsky), he shared a number of memories surrounding his early trips to the East Coast. These memorable moments and friendships forged in Sackville, Halifax and Fredericton have helped make Atlantic Canada an annual destination for his regular touring and festival performances.
This winter Luka is back on the East Coast in support of his latest album, Summon Up A Monkey King (Yellow K Records) with three festival performances at In The Dead of Winter, Stereophonic and Shivering Songs, backed by a pair of Halifax musicians, Kurt Inder on electric guitar and Bianca Palmer (The Everywheres, Vulva Culture) on drums.
“I met Kurt and Bianca while hitching a ride to Sackville two summers ago from Halifax,” he said. “I got to see them both play in Kurt’s band that night and even snuck a LUKA set onto the bill. When I returned the following winter for Stereophonic, Bianca and I toured as a duo. And just this past August, we played our first trio show in Halifax with Kurt.”
Kurt Inder has released a number of recordings under the name Kurt, each an off-centre mix of dreamy pop and folk influences, and drummer Bianca Palmer has to be one of the most creative and dynamic drummers currently performing on the East Coast scene. Together, they make an ideal complement to LUKA’s soft and swoon-worthy ballads.
“The songs leave a lot of space for players to integrate their own musical voice,” said Luka. “Bianca has a wonderful sensitivity to the lyrics and her drumming creates a real comfortable space to be adventurous. Kurt has a beautiful sense of melody and harmony in his guitar playing, so it’s always a welcome surprise to how he shapes the songs.”
“For this tour, I’ll be touching down in Halifax in the afternoon of the 19th and we’ll be playing that evening at the Seahorse for our first show. There is an element of risk that I feel makes the set more exciting for myself and the audience. Risk is good when you trust the people you’re playing with.”
LUKA plays The Seahorse Tavern (In The Dead of Winter – Halifax) on January 19, Sackille (Stereophonic – venue TBA) on the January 20 and YogaGrow (Shivering Songs – Fredericton) on January 21.
