Singer-songwriter Luke De-Sciscio has released his eclectic new album The Banquet via AntiFragile Music.

Oozing with idiosyncratically alluring twists and turns, The Banquet combines folk-rock and baroque-pop sensibilities in order to create a sound that is undeniably unique as a result. From the warm, intimate tones of Baby it’s okay, I’m here, wake up, to the uplifting, anthemic chimes of Happy to be Here (I might die tomorrow), Luke’s effortlessly rich vibrato is at the forefront, allowing his poetic lyricism to shine through.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Luke about the new music, technology, adapting during the pandemic and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?

I started making “Folk music” a few years ago when I really couldn’t express what I needed to quick enough for it to make sense in any other format. It was so unconscious that the idea of multi-tracking anything or ruminating over how to get the best sound out of a single element, made literally no sense. I grabbed the nylon string guitar I’d learnt to play on when I was young and, something about it and where my head was at, at that point, clicked.     I recorded the album ‘Good Bye Folk Boy’ over a couple months and really, any ideas I had of ‘production’ or ‘performance’ just melted away  –  me and those ideas were just entirely wrapped around in this life that was spilling over and I managed to catch enough of it in recordings that, when I released the songs, my life changed forever.

I was one of NPR’s top ten acts to catch at SXSW, I’d gone from playing at the same open mic night week after week, to being booked in New York and Geneva and Poland and Finland . . .I played one show in Switzerland and the promoter was sufficiently impressed that he asked me to open for Cat Stevens at Montreux Jazz festival.     In my mind, at that time, everything I’d been working towards forever had aligned …and I wasn’t surprised, it made total sense.  

Unfortunately for that, life doesn’t always give you what you want, sometimes it gives you what you need to learn from. The pandemic and the lockdowns meant that SXSW2020 never happened, my show with Cat Steven was postponed, twice, and then canceled. And, all of that energy, the momentum and general feeling of ‘it’s now’ were forced into being repurposed.

And, I’m grateful for it. Because over the following period of time I wrote a further 3 albums of ‘folk songs’ that – as if it was all planned – cohesively and markedly trace an evolution from one state into another.  

The nucleus that led to that first ‘Folk Boy’ album was a huge shedding of ideas. And with each subsequent folk album I feel like I managed to undress and hone in on the essential essence I was searching for more and more. To the point that, on the final one, ‘Extended folk boy playlist’ there were tracks that I’d literally made up on the spot. With no pressure to be anything but myself, and totally comfortable in the process, it was just like catching a feeling – preserving it – letting it be. I never looked on it with judgment, never questioned it.

But, if you get that comfortable inside of an idea, it’s inevitable that at some point your brain is gonna start looking for fresh soil  – and, the pandemic, or at least, being locked down – the idea of being locked down – it forced me to confront a project that I don’t think I otherwise would have ever been able to.

And, that is The Banquet.

I wanted to make myself uncomfortable. And, I wanted to confront that which did. The production is vast, because the ethos that permeated my folk songs: to forgive and accept the moment for what it is, evolved into a more realized version of itself: to forgive.

In a practical sense that meant allowing my whims to take full flight. 

In a theosophical sense, that meant inviting my demons to the table, breaking bread and making peace, forgiving them.

‘The Banquet’ is to my folk recordings what one colour is to the Rainbow. Or even, what a rainbow is to a kaleidoscope dragged infinitely through time. ‘Folk Boy’ caught single instances, preserved and unfettered. But this is a long exposure – coalescing several years into a single, absolute, unwavering offering. It goes from A to B.

And, it truly is unique for that. At some point along the way I realised EVERYTHING is weird, this album is pretty strange but at this point, it seems almost like the least strange thing. I’m proud of it. Deeply.  

How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?

I was 13 when my childhood bedroom was repainted and I was moved into the loft. I started recording up there, looking down – and have been showing increasingly more people the fruits of those adventures ever since.

Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?

The pursuit of truth, I’m a red pill addict. I believe music is my means of making the world a better place. My perspective, my song, my soul – I believe in them, fundamentally. I believe in them as a force for good and I believe the World is a better place for me having shared them. I seek to make my life something that has value, that edges the World closer to heaven. And all of my songs, every line, are just really poems, or spells, recitations or meditations that I undertake to remind myself, that we are already there.

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?

Forgiveness. Love. Resolution. I wanted The Banquet to be fully realised. I wanted every stone to be in place. Just one ‘perfect’ album.   My previous albums had been so much about letting go, that I don’t even know if I can take credit for them.  I guess I wanted to make something.  

It was always about inviting your demons to the table, and musically it was the same. Always about forgiving. Moving higher into the light, not by ignoring your darkness, but by imbibing it. Not be denouncing your demons, but by acknowledging them. By forgiving them. Breaking bread, making peace. Recognising that that which drives even the most heinous of sinners is a force within each of us.    We’re all a birthright away from the next man.    

So, I had to embody it. I had to confront it. I had to stare long enough into this project, to make it my abyss. And for that, it is something entirely new, and I believe it is something that reflects the sum of me.

What was the last song you listened to?

Anna by John Martyn

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

I like vinyl.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

I use Spotify and Bandcamp. And am grateful for the money.

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?

There’s a lot of music. But, that is a beautiful thing. It just reminds me that it is our life blood. And I genuinely believe that cream floats. I don’t need it to float and I’m not playing the short game here, I’m content with what I’ve made, of course it’d be nice to travel and live comfortably and have opportunities, put my stamp on the World, have the freedom to realise my vision but – I’m at peace with what I’ve done, it has its own journey now – I feel like I know what’s ahead of it – but, you can truly not know anything in this game so, people will find it, that is inevitable. It could fly. That’s a possibility. It’s really none of my business whether or not it’s attractive to other people though, it’s about realising a vision. Staying true. Being a leaf on your own wind.

Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?

I gig as much as I possibly can.    It is a gift that I get from giving and I adore the opportunity to share my songs with people.   They are really just spells, in magic, that conjure a present amongst a collective. 

I love singing, I love changing an environment, I love painting time with moods, I love being alive – and singing in front of people – is the point at which I feel most alive.

Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?

Spotify, Bandcamp, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Google, Apple…

Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?

Listen to The Banquet.