Jay Luke On the Making Of “Me And My Demons”
How does "Me And My Demons" reflect your musical journey and growth as an artist?
As a songwriter, I feel like my work is a personal diary. And each album is a continuation of what is going on in my life or what I am surrounded by. This latest single from the upcoming album is definitely a walk through my mind. It shows the journey is always an ongoing thing and I feel it is the most ambitious and strong effort we have released so far.
Could you discuss the lyrical themes or messages conveyed in this single?
As I mentioned earlier, my songs are always a deeply personal look into whatever I am going through. I have been thriving on chaos, so to speak. By saying that I mean when things seem to be in shambles around me or my life may be a total mess, I end up having the most success musically. Kind of ironic, I suppose. The themes in the song have to do with living under stress, battling insomnia, facing deadlines, madness, all sorts of daily frustrations and then finally when everything is silent in the vampire hours of the night, it's just you and your demons.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for "Me And My Demons"?
The recording process was very organic. I record at JL Studios in Olyphant Pa, with Joe Loftus (who is also my bassist) and Jay Preston as producers. They are the guys I trust most with my vision of these songs and they know just when to point me in a direction if I may be veering off or just generally suggest some ideas to help make things come to life. I personally feel this song more than most has one of the greatest lead guitar and solos on it all due to Michael "Duds" McDonald, who's been with me now for the last three albums and he just gets better and better. I think our guitar sounds really mesh well. We have really grown so much as an entity, which I think shows very much on this new album.
Are there any upcoming projects or releases that you are particularly excited about?
Well, this single is the title track for what will be my fourth album of the same name "Me And My Demons." It should be released in the early fall of 2023. In addition to that, I am in 2 other bands that are both also about done with each of our prospective albums. Reach For The Sky is a band I am in that is almost done with our fourth album release, and The Stones Of Atlantis is the other band I'm in which will be releasing our debut album. So there are a lot of exciting things on the horizon.
Are there any specific artists or musicians you dream of collaborating with?
I have been fortunate enough to work with a few artists I really admired and looked up to since I was a kid and had them both perform on my first album. Carl Canedy, who was a member of Manowar and The Rods, drummed on my first release. Adam Bomb, who has played guitar with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks, and so many others. I felt very fortunate to have him on my album and to have done some shows with him as well. As far as people I dream of working with, I would love to work on music with Andy McCoy of Hanoi Rocks, Shirley Manson of Garbage, and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones if I am throwing out my all time dream world scenario.