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May 2021 MENDO-UTOPIA NEWSLETTER Meet Blue Luke Exclusive interview with local musician Blue Luke. He talks in- spirations, aspirations from his humble beginnings and making his musical dreams come true. May Music Calendar Check out our Mendocino Coun- ty Music Calendar and find an open mic or a show near you! Join Mendo-Utopia Make a donation or sign up for a LOCAL ARTIST PROFILE: BLUE LUKE yearly membership to our newsletter for just $12/year and help us build a musical movement in I had heard of Blue Luke through the Mendocino County Mendocino County. grapevine before, but I had never seen him play live or listened to any of his music. After a year of pandemic lockdown and the void of not having live music, I decided that I would go to Rivino Winery and see what all the “hoopla” was about. “Hoopla” mean- Sponsors ing that I had heard that Blue Luke was a “monster” on the guitar and that he could play, so I decided to go check him out and enjoy a nice afternoon with some live music. I am the founder of Mendo-Utopia which is a non-profit committed to promoting music and performing arts in Mendocino County and being a non- profit, we decided to publish this monthly newsletter with a music To advertise in our news- calendar that would feature local musicians and artists to help letter visit us online@ bring awareness to our cause. So, in our inaugural edition we decided to feature local musician and songwriter Blue Luke. www.mendo-utopia.org Upon arriving at Rivino, I was struck by the beauty and the serenity of the venue and since I was a little early it was sparsely seated with a handful of people. Noticing that this was a great chance to possibly talk to the band, I approached who I assumed was Luke and sure enough it was him. He was very inviting and kind as I asked him for a moment of his time. He graciously agreed and I gave him my best elevator pitch about Mendo- May 2021 Join Us! To join our musical revolution and volun- teer just visit us online at: www.mendo-utopia.org Utopia and our mission statement as well as a sticker and a flyer with our logo and contact info. He introduced himself as just, Sign up for a $12 membership by sign- “Luke” as I almost had expected him to say, “Blue Luke”. This ing up on our mailing list online and would be the first of many subtleties that would lead me to believe making a yearly donation for $12 or more that he was in fact a very humble and non-pretentious person. He to our GOFundMe link, or send a check was supportive and receptive of our cause and agreed to be the or money order to Mendo Utopia with first local musician that Mendo-Utopia would profile in our news- your information and we’ll do the rest. letter. “Approachable” would be a good way to describe him, how- ever with an aura of quiet confidence in himself and the mastery of You will receive our digital monthly news- his craft which he would soon demonstrate. letter, and be eligible for future promo- He is tall and slender and wore black glasses, a rimmed hat, tions at Mendo-Utopia events. Thank you slacks and a vest. He looked the part of a seasoned performer for your support. Our ultimate goal is to which in fact, he is. He was already well on his way to becoming a build an outdoor music venue one day in local success story by age 14, started producing by age 16 and this county to showcase our local talent recorded his first album by age 18, graduating from the Berklee and also to put on festivals and concerts College of Music in Boston in 2006 after he had already worked for the community. and co-written with grammy nominated producer and musician Dennis Walker. Luke has also had his music featured in film scores, toured around the world and been the lead guitarist for Julian Mar- ley’s Uprising Band where he co-produced two tracks “Violence in Membership by Mail: the Streets” featuring Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and “All I know”. (Send check or money order for $12) So, his resume is extensive and impressive to say the least. How- ever, upon meeting him for the first time and knowing very little First Name: about him, he seemed extremely down to earth and did not exhibit even a shred of the arrogance that often accompanies some per- Last Name: formers of his stature. I was impressed by my initial introduction to Luke and sat down in the sun to enjoy my first musical experience Mailing Adress: at Rivino Winery in Ukiah. Sipping on his red wine, Blue Luke took center stage and began Phone #: with a song that I thought was Black Magic Woman but later learned was an “old jazz tune that sounded similar”. Nonetheless, Send to: 1300 West Clay St. it was an excellent rendition hooking me in immediately and making Ukiah, Ca 95482 me almost forget that I was in little old Ukiah. The bass and the congos mixed perfectly together along with the drum beat that held down the percussion section as Luke’s silky lead May 2021 licks cascaded over the rhythm and instrumental melodies. He effortlessly shredded through the notes like the consummate pro that he is, and left me wanting more when the song’s last note rang true. It was a beautiful instrumental version and I instantly knew that Blue Luke was one of those local talents that had already spread his wings well beyond the Mendocino County border as a professional, touring musician. He already carries himself with the mystique of a rock star, and it was apparent, that he and his band were seasoned pros who had been doing this for a while. Blue Luke’s soulful fusion of blues, funk, and jazz rhythms along with his genuine, artistic style and approach to music makes for a very pleasurable musical experience. Luke knows how to lay back in the pocket and allow his band mates the time to shine in their solos and seems to choose the perfect moment to let loose and showcase his skills as a lead guitarist. Mendo-Utopia was honored to be able to sit down with Luke at this point in his career before he starts making some major noise in the industry in the coming years. We sat down and spoke to him to learn more about him as a person and the roots of his musical prowess in a candid interview. He is our first featured artist in this series of exclusive interviews showcasing our own local Mendocino County talent. Without further ado, here is “Blue Luke” or as he so humbly put it, “Luke”. Luke Andrews was born in Ukiah, but moved to Dos Rios near Laytonville “out there in the hills a couple miles from the Eel River” when he was 7 years old. He is now 40 and started playing guitar when he was just 12 years old. Quickly pick- ing it up, he used to accompany his father to his job sites doing construction where his dad listened to blues tapes and classic rock on the job. After a day’s hard work, his father and his friends would drink beer, hang-out and play music. Luke was hesitant at first, so he stuck to the bongos and shied away from the guitar, until one day they told him to try playing an electric guitar. “I plucked the bottom string and felt that electricity go through me and I was like whoa what is this? I have to do this and that was it. From then on, I just begged my Dad for a guitar everyday.” After 3 to 6 months, Luke came home from school one Blue Luke at Rivino Winery April 3, 2021 day and his Dad had bought him one. “And, I never stopped”, he says reminiscing about his early musical memories. Luke immersed himself in his music completely, as he had grown tired of the “cliquey high school dramas” and went on home schooling. His teachers supported his musical pas- sion by allowing him to do reports on Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson and Jim Morrison. He studied ”A Peo- ple’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn and his teachers helped him “do the packets, you know whatever I needed to do to pass.” But, his eyes and ears were already focused on doing music and he claimed “he never thought of anything else” to do for a career. He recalls doing a project on demonstrating blues styles as one of his reports for his teacher. “When we were kids, we were all into reggae. You know, it was like the hot, cool thing. Reggae on the River was happening. When I was 12, that was the first year I went to that too. So, all my friends were into reggae. I wanted to play reggae initially.” Andrews remembers listening to the lead guitar parts in reggae songs and he quickly realized that all the lead riffs were based off the blues. “My Dad would listen to blues tapes, and classic rock is what I grew up with. You know, The Stones, The Beatles, Jimi and all that kind of stuff. So, I figured I better learn the blues if I want to play reggae.” And learn the blues he did, get- ting so serious about it, that he quickly surpassed his dad’s friends and his dad thought it was time for a real lesson.

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