New interview

This has become the official Luke Easter thread. 

TZ75 wrote:Any chance of you performing the songs you wrote with Tourniquet? I know there is a stylistic difference with your new music… but imagine the surprise of the crowd if you did a few as an encore!

Or you could rearrange and re-record one as a bonus track.

I don't know if I'd do that. Not so much because of the stylistic differences, but because I just don't have any real interest at this point. I suppose that could change; its been awhile since I've been on stage, and I'm more into the idea of doing my solo stuff.

jaydeecrawson wrote:Are you still in touch with Victor Macias at all?

I recently reconnected with Victor. 

jaydeecrawson wrote:I had his email address about ten years ago and he replied twice but I get the feeling he's very reclusive. and I full on totally respect that!

I wouldn't say he's reclusive, but he is fairly private. He's a good dude.

jaydeecrawson wrote:Do you remember when he got into Eastern Orthodoxy and left the band, etc. (not an expert on that era, so not exactly sure what came first: his interest in Russian Ortho or him leaving the band)

What do you remember about that period and do you know if he is still active in the Ortho Church (I personally am, so that's why I'm curious)

I do remember. As far as I know, he's still active in the Orthodox Church.

Bahana wrote:Are there any genres you'd like to experiment with besides Pop Rock? Industrial or electronic?

Not really. What I'm doing now is what comes naturally to me. That said, I dig collaboration, and if the right opportunity came up to do something different I wouldnt say no, regardless the genre.

Pethead wrote:Are you a fan of thrash in general? If so, who are some of your favorite bands?

I like thrash. It's not my go-to musical pick, but I am a fan. My tastes are more old-skool, so would have to say bands like early Megadeth, early Metallica, Slayer, stuff like that. I don't listen to metal as musch as I did when I was younger, and even then I was more likely to be caught listening to rock/hard rock or alternative music than metal. But i do love some of the heavy stuff from time to time.

I just heard Slave to the Grind on the radio today and I can totally hear your voice in my head on that! It’s the same power shouting that you did on Vanishing Lessons.

Do you like Anthrax’s PoT album? 

The reason I ask is because the vocals are much more melodic than most other thrash albums. And it doesn’t have the high pitch falsetto like the previous albums.

Please tell Victor (if you don't mind)... that there is a big fan of his on here and I'd love to chat about Ortho sometime with him.... (offline, not on here)

I emailed him recently after flying to San Francisco in Sept last year.... visited an Ortho Monastery out there.... it was an old email address I had a long time ago... didn't hear back but that's okay. trust me... he might not even use the same address. not a problem at all....

Luv ya man. thanks for answering our questions....

Last one:

what's the story behind the "Live in California" VHS show? anything you remember about that? Who shot the videos, the recordings, set list, etc?

I bought it new when it came out and enjoyed it big time....

jaydeecrawson wrote:Please tell Victor (if you don't mind)... that there is a big fan of his on here and I'd love to chat about Ortho sometime with him.... (offline, not on here)

I emailed him recently after flying to San Francisco in Sept last year.... visited an Ortho Monastery out there.... it was an old email address I had a long time ago... didn't hear back but that's okay. trust me... he might not even use the same address. not a problem at all....

Luv ya man. thanks for answering our questions....

Last one:

what's the story behind the "Live in California" VHS show? anything you remember about that? Who shot the videos, the recordings, set list, etc?

I bought it new when it came out and enjoyed it big time....

I was at the Live in California show. It definitely was superior to the other time I seen them at a smaller gig in Norco. What I know about the Live in California gig is that it was at an auditorium called Walker Hall in the city of Orange. It was sponsored by Golgotha Music Center. The opening band was a group called Oil. I was a fan of them too… their singer was Ron Rinehart from Dark Angel. That’s about all I know.

Speaking of the Walker Hall gig aka “Live in California”, the guys in Oil (specifically the guitar player) said that they got screwed over with the video recording of the show. If I remember correctly, they were under the impression that they would get their gig recorded. 
 
Do you remember anything about that Luke?

Luke, when it comes to a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich, are you a more jelly, or more peanut butter kind of guy? Or straight up peanut butter and honey? Oh wait, what kind of questions are we asking?

deathisgain wrote:Luke, when it comes to a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich, are you a more jelly, or more peanut butter kind of guy? Or straight up peanut butter and honey? Oh wait, what kind of questions are we asking?

You forgot the Elvis style with banana. 

jaydeecrawson wrote:Last one:

what's the story behind the "Live in California" VHS show? anything you remember about that? Who shot the videos, the recordings, set list, etc?

I bought it new when it came out and enjoyed it big time....

I have almost zero recollection of that gig. I know I drove to SoCal from the SF Bay Area, and drove right back the next day. I didn't even really know anyone had been rolling tape until Ted told me we were releasing the original VHS version. The set list was the basic set we'd been playing since C2C dropped. I do remember our backstage was a preschool classroom, that there were a lot of friends in attendance that night, and that's about it.

TZ75 wrote:Speaking of the Walker Hall gig aka “Live in California”, the guys in Oil (specifically the guitar player) said that they got screwed over with the video recording of the show. If I remember correctly, they were under the impression that they would get their gig recorded. 
 
Do you remember anything about that Luke?

I don't know really anything about that. I have heard over the years that there was a lot of drama in the aftermath of that gig, but I was - thankfully - spared from it. Whatever happened in terms of Oil or Golgotha, or anyone else, I don't know what happened. It does bum me out, though, to hear that. I don't like the idea of being connected to something that left a bad taste for anyone else. 

deathisgain wrote:Luke, when it comes to a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich, are you a more jelly, or more peanut butter kind of guy? Or straight up peanut butter and honey? 

I am all about the PB&J. Peanut butter and honey is not something i have ever, or would ever enjoy. The proper vehicle for delivery of precisely measured peanut butter (Jif - Creamy) and jelly (Smuckers - Grape) is via Wonder Bread. Accept no substitutes. 

deathisgain wrote:Oh wait, what kind of questions are we asking?

I get tired of speculation and innacuracy, so I opened the floor to questions. I had no idea the thread would take on a life of it's own.

Being that you’re a huge Star Wars fan, how many times have you heard someone tell you: “Luke, I am your father”?

Luke, it's nice that you are taking your time to answer our questions. Appreciate that!

What were the most difficult songs to sing live and the ones you had to work more when recording?

Going back to the Pop/Hair Metal questions…

Do you like Dokken and the Lynch Mob? And what albums are your favorite?

Hopefully Luke’s recent delay on answering our questions is because he’s working on new music (rather than him getting sick of the questions).

Tourniguy wrote:Luke, it's nice that you are taking your time to answer our questions. Appreciate that!

There is no me without folks like you who have decided that I'm somehow interesting enough to follow. That goes for any and all of us artist types, and we'd all do well to remember that.

Tourniguy wrote:What were the most difficult songs to sing live and the ones you had to work more when recording?

There are a few songs that were challenging in parts. Usually because of timing stuff, vocally. Ted would have a clear picture of how some lines should be sung so they locked in with what he was playing on the drums - the problem being, sometimes, that he wasn't s singer and so had little concept of what was reasonable to ask for in a vocal track. A good example is the "Follow the crowds..." bit in "Chamunda Temple Stampede." The line sounds really cool, but trying to sing it - on pitch and in time with the drums and guitar - was super challenging in the session. There's not much natural about that line in terms of singing, but we did it until it was correct, and it was worth it.

The most difficult, hands down, live or in the studio is the same song: "The Tomb of Gilgamesh." It's a cool long with a lot of moving parts, and as we built it in the studio, we just chased the goal of recording a cool, epic song; little to no thought for doing it live. The vocals start with the low, quiet breathy part, doubled. We recorded that vocal three different times before we had the final version. Recording that type of vocal is a lot of work. Singing in that register is a lot more tiring, and singing at that volume is a challenge in terms of both control and pitch. Add the double track, and its a real arduous thing to do at all, let alone three times. Again, though, it's worth it in the end. Live, the song is just hard. Period. It wasn't really written for that, so a lot of adaptation was needed. The breathy part is needed, but it has to be sung harder so it cuts through in a live setting. Then the hardcore/shouted vocals come in, and those are way easier, but if you're not careful you won't have anything left for the big finish. Because the song was generally early in the set, not having anything left for the finish meant not much - if anything - for the rest of the show. So it was a lot of stress. Still, it always went down well live, and it was fun to do. But it was nerve wracking.

TZ75 wrote:Going back to the Pop/Hair Metal questions…

Do you like Dokken and the Lynch Mob? And what albums are your favorite?

I do like Dokken. Back for The Attack is my go to album when I want to listen to them, although all the records have some great songs. Favorite song by them, I'd have to say, is "It's Not Love." I love Lynch Mob; well, early Lynch Mob. I lost interest after the second album. Wicked Sensation is the best one, and my favorite songs would be the title track, "River of Love," and "Bed of Roses." It was awesome talking about Back for The Attack and Wicked Sensation with Neil Kernon when we were tracking Antiseptic. He had some killer stories.

TZ75 wrote:Hopefully Luke’s recent delay on answering our questions is because he’s working on new music (rather than him getting sick of the questions).

It's been a busy week. A lot going on in my world. I have been demoing and writing. Hopefully I'll have stuff to share on that front soon.

The Tomb of Gilgamesh is my favorite TQT song. 

Agreed about Back for the Attack, although “It’s Not Love” is my favorite song of theirs, as well.

I had bought the first Lynch Mob album “Wicked Sensation” as a new release. It was the last Hair Metal album I got before going fully into Thrash. The vocal melodies and guitar solos are top notch and super catchy (to this day)!

I’m not sure you’re interested, but recently there was a wonderfully remastered reissue of the first two albums by HNE recordings. It’s called “The Elektra Years”, and available at Amazon. I own it and definitely recommend it to fans of the early Lynch Mob albums.

1) Did you know back in the day what Guy's last (unwritten) falsetto lines to Broken Chromosomes were (do you know them now)? Did the band ever consider performing the song live in a way that would've included the last lines?

2) Was it tough to learn the "my my my my my my self I love so much..." part in A Dog's Breakfast?
I'm not a native English speaker so that explains my problems with that to some extent, but I've really tried to figure it out over and over again for decades now, but getting the rhythm and the correct amount of "MYs" together and trying to finish the full line still feels impossible to me. Even when I manage to get through the beginning I always end up stumbling with the words after that, even when I only try to think the line in my head.

Airola wrote:1) Did you know back in the day what Guy's last (unwritten) falsetto lines to Broken Chromosomes were (do you know them now)? Did the band ever consider performing the song live in a way that would've included the last lines?

I do not know what the lines are. As far as I can recall, no one did. It was a vamp. It's not very clear on the recording. So it was one of the songs I was pretty much given free reign on, and so we locked in on the way that I did it for twenty plus years.

Airola wrote:2) Was it tough to learn the "my my my my my my self I love so much..." part in A Dog's Breakfast?
I'm not a native English speaker so that explains my problems with that to some extent, but I've really tried to figure it out over and over again for decades now, but getting the rhythm and the correct amount of "MYs" together and trying to finish the full line still feels impossible to me. Even when I manage to get through the beginning I always end up stumbling with the words after that, even when I only try to think the line in my head.

It wasn't too difficult, but I didn't get it right the first couple tries. That was one of the songs I did in my audition, and when we got to that part the band came to screeching halt. I'd done it wrong. They showed me the timing, and we did it slowly a couple times, and then jumped back in. I did it correctly every time after that. It's a cool part.

About the songs you wrote with Aaron, how was
the process of putting drums on it?

Tourniguy wrote:About the songs you wrote with Aaron, how was
the process of putting drums on it?

Aaron would write the music and shoot it over to me. It was usually just the guitar part arranged how he heard the song going, musically, and I’d come up with a lyric and melody. Sometimes there was a drum machine or loop also for tempo/dynamic. Ted would get a copy of the same thing I did, and he’d figure out what to play. They’d track, I’d show up and track, and voila - drums on the song.

Were you satisfied with Tourniquet as a single guitar arrangement, or did you secretly wish Ted would add a second guitar like the original lineup?

*Note* (I know Mark Lewis wasn’t an official member, but he temporarily filled the void of the band’s original idea of two guitars). Mendez joined shortly afterward.

Even though you joined after Erik left, there was a certain dynamic with two guitars that you lose when you only have one. Like dual harmonies and the loss of rhythm during a solo section.

TZ75 wrote:Were you satisfied with Tourniquet as a single guitar arrangement, or did you secretly wish Ted would add a second guitar like the original lineup?

*Note* (I know Mark Lewis wasn’t an official member, but he temporarily filled the void of the band’s original idea of two guitars). Mendez joined shortly afterward.

Even though you joined after Erik left, there was a certain dynamic with two guitars that you lose when you only have one. Like dual harmonies and the loss of rhythm during a solo section.

I preferred the one guitar lineup. Aaron handled it more than adequately. Two guitars sound killer - when you have control of things. But given that we did not have a sound person, and that there were a lot of times that we barely got a line check, let alone an actual sound check, we did not have any real control of our live sound. If we had found a second guitar player to add to the lineup (which we talked about from time to time) I would have been okay with that, but I think we did well as a four piece, one-guitar band.

By the way, your statement that I joined the band after Erik left, that exactly the sort of inaccurate misinformation I was referring to earlier in this thread. I joined the band in June 1993 for the Pathogenic tour. The lineup was Gary, Ted, Victor, Mendez, and me. Mendez left at the end of that tour. I was actually the first to know; I drove him home when we got back to LA, and he told me he was done.

Back to your assertion about two guitars, most rock bands - metal or not and two guitars or not - have rhythm parts playing behind the lead parts on a solo. Van Halen, Extreme, White Lion... tons of bands - and no one quibbles much about the lack of rhythm guitar or the absence of harmonies in parts of songs, but for some reason some folks are hung up on this point when it comes to us. The record is the record, and live is live. You approach each from a different perspective, and each comes with its own set of perks and challenges.

Luke Easter wrote:

TZ75 wrote:Were you satisfied with Tourniquet as a single guitar arrangement, or did you secretly wish Ted would add a second guitar like the original lineup?

*Note* (I know Mark Lewis wasn’t an official member, but he temporarily filled the void of the band’s original idea of two guitars). Mendez joined shortly afterward.

Even though you joined after Erik left, there was a certain dynamic with two guitars that you lose when you only have one. Like dual harmonies and the loss of rhythm during a solo section.

I preferred the one guitar lineup. Aaron handled it more than adequately. Two guitars sound killer - when you have control of things. But given that we did not have a sound person, and that there were a lot of times that we barely got a line check, let alone an actual sound check, we did not have any real control of our live sound. If we had found a second guitar player to add to the lineup (which we talked about from time to time) I would have been okay with that, but I think we did well as a four piece, one-guitar band.

By the way, your statement that I joined the band after Erik left, that exactly the sort of inaccurate misinformation I was referring to earlier in this thread. I joined the band in June 1993 for the Pathogenic tour. The lineup was Gary, Ted, Victor, Mendez, and me. Mendez left at the end of that tour. I was actually the first to know; I drove him home when we got back to LA, and he told me he was done.

Back to your assertion about two guitars, most rock bands - metal or not and two guitars or not - have rhythm parts playing behind the lead parts on a solo. Van Halen, Extreme, White Lion... tons of bands - and no one quibbles much about the lack of rhythm guitar or the absence of harmonies in parts of songs, but for some reason some folks are hung up on this point when it comes to us. The record is the record, and live is live. You approach each from a different perspective, and each comes with its own set of perks and challenges.

My mistake… (misinformation not intended). 


I’m not necessarily against a one guitar lineup… 
I couldn’t imagine Pantera or Black Sabbath with a second player!

I was just asking what you preferred. Since I was not in the band or present during band discussions, all I can do is assume or (thanks to this thread) get the truth directly from you here. But if I make a false assumption, it’s not intentional.

This isn’t a question. Just a comment…

I really like your cover of Dogman from King’s X.