Category Archives: Song Stories

backgrounds to songs -( write this in the post section)

Photo shows me and Mr Moon - John Davy sometime in the 80's

Everything is already Ok album

music, Song Stories

Hope you enjoy this new one. (some notes on each of the tracks.)

07 walk in the light has a chorus about how .. everything is already OK…

This being the phrase a father used to encourage his daughter with in her times of trouble and woe and this phrase continues to be an enduring source of comfort and meaning not only for her but for us also yes? It’s gonna go viral!

She would stop by when I was busking and sit beside me writing her diary. A ruby in the dust who passed on a diamond.

03. Almost Anything was written in Avenal St Invercargill (the New York of the ice wall) after a house concert back in about 1985…. It was organised brilliantly by brother Paul who is just the greatest promoter.

Of late he has taken to saving the world on fb batting for the the greening of the whole earth…… So much better when he organised gatherings of blissful conviviality. One friend calling by is worth more than a million thumbs up on fb.

It was a great setting and as always the support was generous and hearty. The love of many was not distracted.  There’s nothing to compare with a convivial house concert.  It’s a rare event on account of people being ever busier these days and subjected to intense pressure and many distractions.. isolating us and making the day to day pressured and confusing.

It’s not acceptable.

Luke and Mr Moon, John Davy in 80's.

Almost Anything means a lot to me as it captures the atmosphere of that wonderful night. I wrote all night and was greeted by dawn and a gem of a song.

The words… The music… Everything about it was simply a gift from the most high.

Probably my most reassuring message. God bless the spirit it was given to me in my prayer is that it brings a ray of sunshine into the hearts of those who need some gentle reminder that life is steeped with love and hope and kindness.

Photo shows me and Mr Moon – John Davey sometime in the 80’s about the time I wrote “Almost Anything”. John lives in Christchurch now. His company is called Boots on the Ground.

01. This song (River) found it’s first expression at a gig I did for TedX 2012 in the Aotea Cnr Auckland. Thanks Jason and Vaughn for getting that gig for me. It was literally 15 minutes of fame followed by a hasty return to the dirty old city streets.

Two other songs from this slot are still awaiting release. River is about seeing an actual river as a metaphor for the unbroken circle of life itself. From cloud out of sky to river to sea up through sky again and back to the river.

I was writing it’s first incarnation right on stage in front of more than two thousand very attentive people. Check it out

02. Facebook. O my. What can you say? It’s invasive, heartless and profoundly distracting. A perfect example of encirclement by mainstream of a once free internet given to us by kind loving people – who warned us not to use it for commercial gain. They even stipulated writing everything lowercase.

I am believing for a change for the better.
Imagine if Zucks teamed up with Electric Jesus?

06. . I had visions of Steve Jobs looking for the perfect components to make his marvel. Gorilla glass was promised. Unbreakable screens. Yeah right.
It’s one heck of an amazing dehumaniser and yet handy as……..
Convenience in heartlessness at a price we can’t afford.
Still
I want one. Ha ha

Happy Isles! There is even a soap named after this song of mine. (the raw by Jess)
Love the way we live in islands trying to abide y continental Metropolitan vibes

The above says what I mean here. It was the last thing I did on my south island tour. Here we are in Motueka talking about being an island pretending to be a continental metro polygon. Ha ha

05. This one’s about unconditional love on after pay. Ha ha

Enough said for now. Please support https://lukehurley.bandcamp.com/ where you can hear my sounds for free but a donation would be even better

God bless. Please let me know if you have a convivial event you need me for…..
My number is 021 0259 2919

Email. Happyislesnz@gmail.com. I need to play.
Be good.
God bless

Arrowtown and More (John Dodd)

Arrowtown and More

news, Song Stories

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.

Albatross – Song Stories

Song Stories, video,

This was my first song.  It started out as a campaign piece to support the opposition to the Aramoana Aluminum smelter can you imagine how mental that proposal was?

Building such a thing in close proximity to the only albatross colony that is close to a city it would have snapped the golden thread of Dunedins environmental appeal.  It would have been an environmental catastrophe; like the one in bluff that exudes lethal toxins over a massive area and kinda puts the kibosh on other potential industry and all for what?

We run at a loss to support the vandals – enough said.

Anyway, the song became more about comparisons between man & machine vs nature. We can fly high and fast but the envirocost is incalculable.The albatross is loyal and faithful and at one with nature and entwined with mystery.

We by contrast are living by logic and tempered by greed. It’s not logical to shit in our own nest but the ghastly fiction of LTD is our operating system and our psychopathic justifier.

It’s totally nuts but because it’s common practice sanctioned by a crooked legal mechanism – alls well that ends badly.

It’s a good song, tho i say so myself and in fact probs my best song; I should have quit while i was ahead ha ha. Here is a live version from last year. Played on a baritone guitar (Tacoma Thunderhawk) rebuilt by Steve Barkman.

The line that i was proud to find was “every day is your judgement day”.  I feel that a good song is there to be found. It’s like it existed already. All i had to do was chip away the junk around it and reveal the message that was waiting to be found.

It’s like that playing live also the audience can draw new things out of the performer and link their search (with the song.)

Anyway the campaign to stop the madmen from building a smelter was a huge success and I wasn’t directly part of it.  The leader of it was some years later gunned down by David Gray.

I really want to know more about this Save Aramoana issue and write more about it.  Anyone out there remember anyone who was involved with the movement to stop the smelter? (Comment below please.)

The people involved deserve the equivalent of the Victoria cross for environmental heroism.  Dunedin owes them a huge debt of gratitude if only there were more people willing to front up and appose the Licence To Destroy (LTD) merchants.

Listen to another version of the song and buy if you like it ( below.)

A perfect day in leafy over privileged inner suburbia

news, Song Stories

Casting my mind back to the days prior to making HIGH RISK late last century in fact.

The day it happened was a perfect day in leafy over privileged inner suburbia”.

There was the father in law loading up the trailer with the few things needed from the old life;
And in a moment they will get in his car.

The wife and the kids and just about everything of any meaning,
Will cruise sedately down the driveway and out of my life FOREVER.

And the home you had will turn into a museum,
Things will remind you of moments and moments will remind you of things.

You just know that your are the worst boy in the school of life and that the headmaster is gonna expel you;
And all the things you could have done and didn’t will haunt you FOREVER.

Not only that but you won’t even have ashamed parents to return to.

And where you live was a home and is now just a house you can barely afford to rent;
You will have only yourself to blame.

Only yourself to console yourself…

So there it was
Knowing myself to be a miserable failure. Feeling deeply hurt and terrified but……..

Also knowing a deep peace.
The deep peace of Reha (the feeling of knowing that you live forever and that you are loved by your creator.)

It didn’t come from me.

Why does it take twenty years for me to be able to recognise it?

Because at the time and for many years after it was way too painful to really think about.

My own sense of failure was too great to allow any acknowledgement of the absolute

But the thing I did do is start working on an album.
It was possible thanks to a friend who put up the money.

He never turns up these days but perhaps he doesn’t need to.
Perhaps he felt he needed to at least help me get my confidence in writing back.

And I discovered one thing for sure. When you are in despair that is the time to express yourself.

As Malcolm says IMPRESSION WITH0UT EXPRESSION = DEPRESSION

The song – Small Town starts off at this point. Have a listen by clicking play below. You may download this song for free or pay more as you wish. The full ‘High Risk’ album is $10 or more if you want to.

Am I doing alright
To settle down
In a small town

I don’t want to leave the city
& make me blue
thinking of the pity
of doing it like you
you know you don’t care now
what it is that I do
you’re a fashion designer
I see the labelling
you do

“I don’t want to leave the city”
you say
“It would make me blue”
if I ever left the city
until I make
a million or two

“Things will remind you of moments and moments will remind you of things.”

Reflections on the remains of the day

gigs, news, Song Stories

i often feel kinda low biorhythmically especiaĺly earlier in the day. By the time the office workers are heading home i start to feel like starting my real “work” in fact back in my youth i could work all night on a song and finish by dawn and feel like a king.

The rest of my life was a trainwreck though ….but at the time i didn’t realise how good some of my writing was. I underestimated the worth of my material. Perhaps that was the secret.

Self Doubt can be a spur.
—-
Concert Update: for tomorrow 6th August

  • We are pleased with the support so far. Radio campaign is covered and other expenses will be covered considerable tho they be BUT we need your input. Pls book here.
  • Kids have free entry and the event is family friendly
  • Refreshments will be available. A new development. However you welcome to bring a bento or other food.
  • The show will be recorded and filmed. The material will be original. Atmosphere convivial
  • Cost of entry minimal – with 5+ performers on the night

So; Turn your pc off. Watch Netflix some other time. Bring a friend if you have one and if you don’t come along and make new friends at the concert.

See you there and if you need help to find us call me on 021 0259 2919

LETS BE SHOCKINGLY CONVIVIAL AND GENUINELY FRIENDLY

Here is a taster from Duncan & Angel

—–
But……there is one area where self doubt is not required…when reaching out to a long lost buddy. And i can illustrate it with this story

Long ago i went to a Berkley School of jazz course being held in Wellington. John Schofield was one of the guitar teachers. Love his playing still. Check him out.

At this course i also met Jeff Dickie from Dunedin. He told me that being a pro wasn’t for him and he preferred to look elsewhere for his livelihood. He went on to achieve great things both in music and other pursuits and for decades i have often reflected upon what he told me the best part of four decades ago. He is a great chap and i always felt in awe of him

I assumed he wouldn’t want to hear from me but for once i decided to give my self doubt a break.

I found his number and called and naturally expected him to be kinda distant and perplexed as to why i should call. His response was the reverse. He was very pleased to hear from me and filled me in on what he did immediately after the Berkley course. He also offered to play on my next recording session ….the last thing i expected! He is kindness itself.

Here is what he wrote to me following our chat regarding that time way back in the early 80s

“I went to the USA in 1981 to buy a Mesa Boogie amplifier. I read about them and couldn’t sleep until I had one. I went through epic iIiad sagas to get my hands on one….. the factory couldn’t supply me with one as the waiting list had a who’s who of world famous guitarists waiting.. Including Clapton, Townsend, BB King etc etc. I then spied what I wanted in a free San Francisco newspaper and rushed off to buy it. When I returned to my hotel I turned on the TV to find a bloke had sat down on the same park bench where I had read the paper an hour before and was shot dead by an unknown assailant! How did I digress to here? A week later I was traveling through the Rockies near Denver when the Greyline bus stopped at a small mountain village in the middle of nowhere. Pete Peterson, the red-neck bus driver suggested we try the one local bar for a beer and a sandwich. There we were greeted by John Hinckley Junior, who about a week later shot President Ronnie Reagan! This is absolutely true. “

Angel_Duncan

By the way the show on Saturday. Let me explain

  1. It’s a long show why? It’s not just about me. We have some great acts and it starts early so families can come. Btw. Kids free
  2. It costs heaps but if it fills up we will cover expenses. If it doesn’t then the next show is gonna cost a lot more to attend so pleeeeeeeeease support it
  3. Bring by all means your own picnic. It’s not a cafe
  4. Come and go as ya please and yes you can get tickets at the door or now online BUT its filling up fast and with the interview on BFM from 6 tonight i aim to plug the last seats and fill the venue… “Every day is international blues music day” but apparently that happens tomorrow too.
  5. We have the best soundman and soundsystem that you can get. His name is Paul Crowther SPLIT ENZ drummer and Hotcake inventor
  6. Great friends – Basant. Tabla. Duncan and angel. Marcus. Steve. And mystery guest

I will be playing short sets early on and a long set to finish the show. It will be fun please come and or sponsor the event.

Thank you Alan for supporting the BFM campaign

Any questions? Call me 021 0259 2919