All posts by Luke

About Luke

Luke Hurley guitarist and singer songwriter from New Zealand.

Arrowtown and More (John Dodd)

Arrowtown and More

This time away has been awesome. Got to pitch a song called “Before The War” to the director of a neo western being shot in Arrowtown. As a result of this we got a gig coming up at the Fork and Tap Arrowtown on March 30.

The day before pitching the song Craig offered me a spot in Queenstown where we met a German lady who was touched by my song “The Bridge” dedicated to my late brother Chris. She was moved to tears because the song reminded her of her tragic loss…her father passed away under similar circumstances at the same age within a few weeks of my brothers passing. There is a silver lining to the cloud as the song concerns a recognition not only of the tragedy but also the transition into the mystery…..the original recording times out at 9.28 which is about the time of night it happened.

I will write more on this when the song is released. I recorded it long before Chris passed away. Why am I telling you this? Because it astonished me that the song predates his passing and for years I could not understand what the song was about. One friend after hearing the original studio recording of the as yet unreleased song told me I am lucky to have been given a sign like this.

Tuatara Invercargill was a 🏆 and we again were congratulated by the bar manager. The secret was finding the sweet spot and turning up hours early to get warmed up and invite friends to be the white mouse in the experimental pre gig performance/warm-up . It went well and gave us great confidence in the pre gig melding into the gig itself. I am told that this is a key to getting a better main performance ……there’s no doubt that it is and in more ways than one.

The next stage was Dunedin playing in a house by the sea. We didn’t need to plug in as the acoustics were great. During this visit we also visited Lee and his amazing family. Absolutely beautiful venue he’s making at the hobby farm.

Cedar House the place that Lee returned to its former glory. It was built by the guy who set up the Otago medical school a century or more ago. A lovely place to stay

And the next gig is at a highly esteemed venue in Mapua called The Ruby Bay Store this Saturday from 7pm. Be there or be square.

Many thanks if you read this far and don’t forget to listen to the albums linked to www.lukehurley.co.nz and call me 021 0259 2919 if you can suggest any spontaneous gigs we can do anywhere anytime no matter how big. Got it? Good!

God bless ya’all
Luke

Cedar House the place that Lee returned to its former glory. It was built by the guy who set up the Otago medical school a century or more ago. A lovely place to stay

Main picture is John Dodd – the guy who kindly agreed to play on Make Room way back in the day. Was Midge Marsdens wingman and head of the music department at a high-school in Dunedin. Here we are at 7 Balmac in Dunedin. Great Cafe…superb hospitality.

Waitati & Invercargill This Week

Was in Queenstown the other day and a prominent journalist told me I am a has-been while at the same time someone very lovely told me my music was just what the doctor ordered. What do you think?

The next gigs are Tuatara in invers this Saturday from 7pm with my friend Craig Hubber and Sunday at the Blueskin Gallery from 1pm to 4pm. Note: Waitati gig was double booked by them and cancelled at the last moment so sorry to all those who were coming along. Might be some other events in Dunedin or Queenstown instead but will update later on.

After this there is a huge hole in the itinerary so beam us up 👆 if you can. Call me on 021 0259 2919 if you have any leads. No gig too big

Band camp.com holds many albums so have a heart to listen close…OK?

Go there NOW
happy trails
Talk soon
Luke

Luke and the Tacoma

I’m in love with the Mona Lisa

I expect  this finds you in a good space. We all in the same old boat aren’t we? in the  mind forged manacles of media it’s easy to believe we are doomed but another way of seeing it is that this is just another ground hog day and we been through this before many times. A kind of pass the parcel until the four horsemen arrive. Something to look forward to.

But that’s not what you are reading this for is it? No.

You are wanting to know what the latest recordings are and I’ve been remiss by not announcing the long awaited Mona Lisa released not so recently on Bandcamp but totally unheralded. It’s not the original track of ” Im in Love With The Mona Lisa”…this is kinda like  The album I meant to release but better. It’s a Mona lisa sandwich.

Here’s a link to the Mona Lisa which I hope you will download. A Koha would be nice but that’s up to you. You can listen to the whole album and stream or download in the format you prefer.

First and last tracks are different  versions of the song and between them there’s a bunch of recordings you will never have heard. This came about because Arnie at Nightshaft Studios Christchurch  was able to bake some reels from long ago and discover these lost singles recorded long ago.

Jan Bille produced and mastered it using a new mastering system….which he can explain   if you are interested. By the way…if you are looking for a fast efficient and profoundly capable producer I can recommend Jan. Give me a call 021 0259 2919 and I can pass you on. Also I can recommend Alex Sound in Auckland if you want purist acoustic (of which more to relate soon).

There haven’t been many calls of late and I’m counting my fingers waiting for the announcement of a gig*. I will play anywhere  so long as expenses are covered. I live in Auckland. Airfares are cheap if you go standby 0800 737 000.

*Actually doing a mini tour in South Island starting 15th of Feb so more dates soon.

See you at yours soon once you invite me.

One day I will write at length about these songs and the circumstances around the recording thereof. It’s a tale from long ago when life was harder but perhaps less scary.

Talk soon
God bless us and save us!
Luke

Mona Lisa the album

Mona Lisa the album

Mona Lisa the album is back from the lost archives.

Hi good people here’s something both new and old. Jan Bille put some hard yards in to create Mona Lisa the album out of tracks that nicely fit with my little hit from 1986.

Picture is the artist Michael D Clarke who made the cover. Mona Lisa Video link is here or here

To come up with this he had to enlist the support of Nightshifts Arnie Van Bussel who is credited with recording many musical projects coming out of the south. He is still in business and we recommend him to anyone who needs technical assistance resurrecting analogue recordings or making new ones in his famous studio. In this project he helped rescue reels that date back decades. He had to bake them in order to remaster them. His charges are more than reasonable.

The critical response to Mona Lisa has been enthusiastic. There is material here that will be unfamiliar to you like Anthony Jack’s poem put to song ‘The Friend I Had’.  Always loved the poem. Moneywise and Summer Blue are two songs that will be new to many.

Then there’s Gravity that co write with Dave Robb. The tones of the 12 string Ovation are unique. Made with James Wilkerson on bass and Matthew Lawrence on drums.

Since then I preferred to use SB guitars and Godin Guitars.
Hope you enjoy this project and season your admiration with a small donation!

Making music is one thing. Creating albums that are worth a listen is another. For this support is required! Look forward to your feedback. Please call should you need advice with the things within our scope of our activity 021 0259 2919 or happyislesnz@gmail.com

In Queenstown at the minute. Keen to hear from anyone based here. You can listen on Apple or Spotify already. Now on bandcamp too.

Firebird Tonight

Firebird Tonight

In Levin playing at Firebird again . Be there or be square.
The latest idea is a ticket price but with the proviso its Koha if you are broke.
So if you are a povo there’s no disgrace…I’ve been a povo most of my life.

Visit bandcamp.com if you haven’t visited lately. We got a new one called Express Emotion that was recorded by Facundo. Listen below.

He is a music producer and filmmaker who is keen to come back from Costa Rica and travel with me all over this beautiful New Zealand and document the lives of the  wonderful supportive  people who help me…….so one day we are gonna call on ya with a production manager and all the bells and whistles. It will be all about you too.

Thanks to those of you who have given expressemotion a listen and few who have bought it. Very grateful.

Also last month an old instrumental song of mine was released by Strawpeople. It is called Busker. Give that a listen below and support if you want. What do you think?

And if you are in Wellington this weekend come along to Moon Bar for pizza and live music. I’m playing there on Sunday night.

Back in Auckland for November and expect to be playing some more at Scarecrow but will add those dates when confirmed.

Hope to see you all soon.
Luke