New interview

This was fun. Enjoy. 

https://youtu.be/zCMOFHdR-1g

Cool! Looking forward to checking it out.

Another good interview. Thanks!

Luke and Aaron were a great songwriting team. I hope they connect again in the future!

When Luke sings gritty, he reminds me of John Bush from Armored Saint.

The song Mystery is excellent! I would love a full album of songs in that vein (but also some heavy stuff like on VL). I think Luke found a “sweet spot” with his voice. It’s not gritty or breathy… just clear and very melodic. 


It sounds like what Echo Hollow was trying to do on their second album (Superficial Intelligence), but this is better. Luke nailed it!

awesome interview! thanks for posting

wish I knew more about what happened in 2011 and 2015 with TQT....

kinda makes me curious about the "voiceless" version of that album that Ted released....

would love to get the FULL scoop on all that

Yup, really enjoyed the interview as well.

jaydeecrawson wrote:awesome interview! thanks for posting

wish I knew more about what happened in 2011 and 2015 with TQT....

kinda makes me curious about the "voiceless" version of that album that Ted released....

would love to get the FULL scoop on all that

I recall Ted told there had been fans asking for instrumental tracks of their songs for a long time and with Antiseptic Bloodbath he had for the first time access to audio tracks separate from the vocals. Personally I think Antiseptic Bloodbath, while very interesting to hear as an instrumental version, wasn't really that fitting for an instrumental version. I think the first three albums would've been a lot more interesting to hear that way.

Ted was supposed to release Onward to Freedom as a Voiceless version too. He had the covers art ready for that, and I think it was supposed to be a double disc release, the other having the original album and the other having the voiceless version.

I was surprised to hear Luke and Ted hadn't been in a same room since 2011 as Luke recorded vocals for the re-recording of Stereotaxic Atrocities around 2014. I guess Luke recorded the vocals somewhere else then (as obviously did Marty Friedman for the solos).

This was a fantastic interview! Really long too, loved every minute of it.

Luke always comes off as really likable in interviews. It was great to see him geek out a bit with the Star Wars laserdisc stuff.

Airola wrote:

jaydeecrawson wrote:awesome interview! thanks for posting

wish I knew more about what happened in 2011 and 2015 with TQT....

kinda makes me curious about the "voiceless" version of that album that Ted released....

would love to get the FULL scoop on all that

I recall Ted told there had been fans asking for instrumental tracks of their songs for a long time and with Antiseptic Bloodbath he had for the first time access to audio tracks separate from the vocals. Personally I think Antiseptic Bloodbath, while very interesting to hear as an instrumental version, wasn't really that fitting for an instrumental version. I think the first three albums would've been a lot more interesting to hear that way.

Ted was supposed to release Onward to Freedom as a Voiceless version too. He had the covers art ready for that, and I think it was supposed to be a double disc release, the other having the original album and the other having the voiceless version.

I was surprised to hear Luke and Ted hadn't been in a same room since 2011 as Luke recorded vocals for the re-recording of Stereotaxic Atrocities around 2014. I guess Luke recorded the vocals somewhere else then (as obviously did Marty Friedman for the solos).

Within the timeframe and the circumstances of the falling out with Luke, I think there is a chance it may have been a slight… and you said it yourself that Bloodbath wasn’t the ideal album to be a instrumental display. I don’t want to say anything negative about Ted, but Luke has indicated that it was not a amicable divorce. I understood it as a cold severed relationship.

I didn’t personally know Ted, but he did appear to have a tendency to hold grudges. Gary and Guy are a prime example. 

I still like Ted. He was an awesome musician and musical visionary. As a fan, I miss him a lot!

Onward To Freedom Voiceless was released on bandcamp...

I always see speculation and questions about stuff. If you have questions, fire away. I won’t promise I can answer them all, and I can’t promise all the answers will satisfy, but instead of speculating/wondering aloud, since you know I at least lurk, ask.

MagnusPrime wrote:www.askluke.com

Ha!

I just wanted to make it clear that I am willing to answer what I can.

crucifyd wrote:Onward To Freedom Voiceless was released on bandcamp...

True. I forgot that release. I bought it when it was released. For some reason I only remembered the physical version that he was going to release.

Luke Easter wrote:I always see speculation and questions about stuff. If you have questions, fire away. I won’t promise I can answer them all, and I can’t promise all the answers will satisfy, but instead of speculating/wondering aloud, since you know I at least lurk, ask.

Question #1:
Do you know (or personally believe) that the Voiceless instrumental album was (in some way) a slight towards you? Seeing that it’s not the best album to be featured in instrumental form… (Microscopic View seems a better fit). Not to mention the timing of its release after your dismissal from the band. 

Question #2:
Have you spoken to Aaron in any capacity since leaving the band?

Hey, Luke!
I recall you said when recording Antiseptic Bloodbath Neil Kernon had you pushed more with the vocals than ever before. Were there any certain parts that you remember you were doing more work with than usual?

I've mentioned this before but I still think that near the end of Flowering Cadaver is perhaps your best vocal performance in Tourniquet. I think your best overall performance was in Vanishing Lessons where the voice matched the music the best through the whole album, and Going Going Gone is among your best tracks too, but the part in Flowering Cadaver (the "out of the same mouth" part), to my ears, has a feel that you are very "locked in" to the moment and with zero "barriers" in front of you. There's a bit of gospelish soul music type of vocal run detail in the ends of each line and the first high "I end up doing the opposite" line sounds perfect. I wonder if that was a part where you had to do more takes than usual or you had been pressed more than usual. Or was that part easy for you?

Before I forget…

Here’s another question: 
Have you fully heard the last Tourniquet album “Gazing at Medusa”? And do you think your voice would have been a better fit?

TZ75 wrote:Question #1:
Do you know (or personally believe) that the Voiceless instrumental album was (in some way) a slight towards you? Seeing that it’s not the best album to be featured in instrumental form… (Microscopic View seems a better fit). Not to mention the timing of its release after your dismissal from the band. 

I was still with the band when that was released, but no; I didn't see it as a slight. Ted was very pleased with Neil's production, especially on the drums, and he'd put a lot of work into the music and arrangements. He thought of it like a symphonic/orchestral piece that happened to have vocals over the top, and thougfht people would be interested in hearing the instrumental tracks.

TZ75 wrote:Question #2:
Have you spoken to Aaron in any capacity since leaving the band?

Yes.

Airola wrote:Hey, Luke!
I recall you said when recording Antiseptic Bloodbath Neil Kernon had you pushed more with the vocals than ever before. Were there any certain parts that you remember you were doing more work with than usual?

I don't recall any parts being more challenging than others. Working with Neil was different than what I'd done up to that point with Jim or Bill. He was easy on some parts, and more demanding on others. But in the end it's all about the song, right? So, then same as now, I'm more than willing to work to make sure things are as good as they can possibly be. 

Airola wrote:I've mentioned this before but I still think that near the end of Flowering Cadaver is perhaps your best vocal performance in Tourniquet. I think your best overall performance was in Vanishing Lessons where the voice matched the music the best through the whole album, and Going Going Gone is among your best tracks too, but the part in Flowering Cadaver (the "out of the same mouth" part), to my ears, has a feel that you are very "locked in" to the moment and with zero "barriers" in front of you. There's a bit of gospelish soul music type of vocal run detail in the ends of each line and the first high "I end up doing the opposite" line sounds perfect. I wonder if that was a part where you had to do more takes than usual or you had been pressed more than usual. Or was that part easy for you?

I think that part was relatively easy. Again, I try to always give the absolute best performance I can in service of the song, but some parts are in a more natural cadence, range, or style than others, and so they wind up seeming more effortless than others, I guess.

TZ75 wrote:Before I forget…

Here’s another question: 
Have you fully heard the last Tourniquet album “Gazing at Medusa”? And do you think your voice would have been a better fit?

I have heard it.

I’m glad you don’t see AB Voiceless as a slight. While I almost always listen to the vocal version, sometimes Voiceless is nice to throw on while I’m studying.

Now, it’s question time:

What’s your favorite song you and Aaron co-wrote, and why is it “Duplicitous Endeavor”? 

Pethead wrote:Now, it’s question time:

What’s your favorite song you and Aaron co-wrote, and why is it “Duplicitous Endeavor”? 

I don’t have a favorite, honestly. I think the songs he and I wrote are solid, but I think I’ve written better ones since. Collaboration is good, though; it’s a good way to learn how to do something, and if you find a good partner it can make for a very rewarding creative relationship. I think the best song I had a hand in writing for that band is “Convoluted Absolutes,” but I honestly don’t have a favorite song.

Luke Easter wrote:

Pethead wrote:Now, it’s question time:

What’s your favorite song you and Aaron co-wrote, and why is it “Duplicitous Endeavor”? 

I don’t have a favorite, honestly. I think the songs he and I wrote are solid, but I think I’ve written better ones since. Collaboration is good, though; it’s a good way to learn how to do something, and if you find a good partner it can make for a very rewarding creative relationship. I think the best song I had a hand in writing for that band is “Convoluted Absolutes,” but I honestly don’t have a favorite song.

Convoluted Absolutes is one of my favorites on WMaRD.

I would love to hear a new collaboration with You and Aaron. Any reasonable chance of that happening? Your song with Gary was an awesome blast from the past (similar to the “new” songs from Collective Works). 

Maybe Aaron is unofficially retired from music, I have no idea… but that could change over time. You guys wrote some very good stuff together. If you were to make a Luke Easter “metal” album, I would hope you would reach out to him. Or if you were to write a song as a tribute to Ted’s memory.