Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Pittsburgh-based indie-emo outfit Luke and the Second Coming will be releasing their debut single titled Sun Dont Shine on 20 January. The upcoming single is the first on the band’s soon-to-be-released self-titled full length album, which will be available this spring. Before the single drops we got to speak with the band about the new single and about what’s coming up next.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. What should our readers know about the members and music of Luke and the Second Coming?
Thank you for taking the story! I guess that they should know that we’re all excited to be doing this again and that if I have it my way then this release is going to be the first of many, many more.
Congrats, on the release of “Sun Don’t Shine.” Could you tell us a bit about this track and how it came about?
So one thing about me is that I love all the artists that people like to talk down on for being too digestible or derivative or whatever. I love Taylor Swift, Oasis, Walk the Moon. If they’re writing bangers, I want to hear them. So most of the time when I sit down to write, I really want to make something timeless that everybody is going to vibe with immediately. I think “Sun Don’t Shine” is 100% that song. It starts off with a silly little arpeggio and immediately turns into some Nashville/guitar wall bombast. It was a quarantine song; I think the hook came to me in the shower one morning and I built the rest of the song around that.
The Pittsburgh area has always seemed to have a strong tie to political punk. As a more indie/pop-emo act, what affect, if any, have the cultural and political landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
There’s a lot to unpack here, haha. I don’t consider myself to be overly political, or whatever. I’m very lucky in pretty much every area of my life, but I think my politics are that as a culture and society, we can do better. I guess what I’ll say is I just take it back to the music and what I want my place in the world to be. There’s a lot of really ugly stuff happening all the time and we’ve never been more aware of it. I think if nothing else, music should give people hope and be something that we can agree on, and if I’m fortunate enough to become someone with a real platform, it’ll be time to have a different conversation.
What is it about music that you are most passionate about? What motivates you to keep writing?
I think peak achievement for me would be getting people to show up for a 3 hour concert of deep cuts and for all of them to be happy about it. What I’m most passionate about is writing songs that people are going to listen to for years to come. I think every time I’ve finished a song and I’m ready to do something with it, it’s something that I think is really special and is something that I want to share. I guess what motivates me is that I want to have a legacy and a catalogue of really extraordinary material and for everyone to think that I really am one of the best.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
Haha. Well I’m going to out myself as being deeply entrenched in music that isn’t relevant. My Spotify wrapped was like 60% Oasis and 40% Dawes. Dawes is not exactly up and coming but they’re a mainstay and I rarely go 24 hours without spinning a Dawes album. I guess as far as up and coming bands on my radar, I’ll plug the boys in Space Weather. They’re a group here in Pittsburgh in the vein of Dance Gavin Dance, CHON, etc, but those guys are incredibly talented and I feel like they’re about to start showing up in a big way.
Beyond the release of “Sun Don’t Shine”, what’s next for Luke and the Second Coming?
We’re starting an album release cycle that should see the full album come out this summer, so keep your eyes peeled. After that we’re gonna spend some time recording some old material that has sat unused, and probably look at an EP in the fall, 5 tracks or so. We’re looking at getting on the road pretty soon and after that, who knows? I’m gonna make records for the rest of my life and the next step is figuring out what that looks like in a forever kind of way.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
Not that I can think of! Just that I hope anybody listening enjoys the new single and I’m excited for everyone to hear the record!
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
