Meet Lucas Minor

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lucas Minor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lucas, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.

I believe that doing things that are good for other artists benefits the industry as a whole. I honestly want artists and bands to play shows, connect with people, spread their music, and just do well. I had a lot of help when I was just starting, and I still get a lot of help from my friends and bandmates, so I count anything I can do in return for other artists as a win for everyone.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a songwriter and musician from Murray, NE. I suppose that my biggest passion right now is just getting to make as much good music as I can with the people that I enjoy playing with. We have a few really exciting projects happening in the studio, and I couldn’t be more excited to work with the folks involved. The engineer/ producer handling the projects is a good friend of mine Dillon Gaige. He has a great ear for studio work and production, which is something that I struggle with. I’ve got several players involved, some from my band, and some from other bands, and it is always incredible to watch them do what they do best. In the live scene, I currently travel with 4 of my best friends: Fernando Torres (Drums), Dan White (Bass), Evan Fay (Guitar), and Jay Tolliver (Guitar and Pedal Steel). We have a great summer schedule coming up. Most of them have been with me for years, and I cannot express how grateful I am to jam with all of them. In my spare time, I play bass with a bluegrass group out of Omaha called The Prairie Dogs. Those guys have quickly become great friends, and I am blessed to be a part of that project. My wife and I have also been doing duo acoustic shows for a few years. It is an absolute blast to do something I care so much about with someone that I care so much about. We had our first baby in January, so she will be stepping back from the shows for a while, but we are excited to get her back out and playing this summer. Evan Fay (the acoustic player in my band, and the Prairie Dogs’ fearless leader), and I have also been playing some casual duo shows. It has been fun to challenge each other to learn songs we each wouldn’t typically go after. Dan White (Bass), Ian Wenzel (Drums), and I (Guitar) started the Desperate House Band at Buck’s Bar and Grill in Venice, NE. We play about once a month, and bring in other artists/ musicians to showcase the talented folks that we know. Buck’s has played such a crucial role in the musical experience I have had over the last 10 years, so it has been fun to bring in new faces to a place that means so much to me.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Honesty: We are all out here playing the same gigs. We all deserve to be able to trust each other, whether that is the club you are playing for, or the players you are playing with. Be transparent with the money and expectations to everyone involved. Shadiness over money should never cause the art to suffer.

Hard Work: This one speaks for itself. If you want the better gigs, you have to go get them. They do not often fall in your lap. Also, the music needs to be solid, and that doesn’t happen on accident. Surround yourself with people that are willing to do the work with you. It is much more enjoyable when players become friends, so make sure you all put in the work that is necessary to the goals you have. I had a friend tell me a long time ago that the music is what makes people talk about you the next day, not the light show. I believe that is especially true in the bar and festival band scene. The stage and lighting are absolutely important, and need to be taken seriously (something I admittedly slack on sometimes), but the work has to be put in on the music end first.

Confidence: This one is probably the toughest, but maybe the most important. The only way you get better as a musician is playing shows. The quickest way to get better as a musician is playing shows with players that are better than you. I can absolutely say that all of the guitar players that I play with in my band and other bands are better players than me. I can also say that I surround myself with those guys on purpose. But, you have to have the confidence in your ability to go on stage and be the new guy, or not the flashiest player. To me, the confidence to go out and try new things and learn from players and people is what matters.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

My biggest challenge is that I am not a good “producer” of my own tunes in the studio. I have struggled with this since I started writing. Dillon Gaige has been an absolute blessing on that front with these new projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lucasminormusic.com
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/LucasMinorMusic
• Other: All streaming services @ Lucas Minor