We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lucas Penner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lucas below.
Lucas , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
1) Other artists and creatives. They help me remember that uncertainty and constant risk is normal in this line of work. Helps me deal with rejection sensitivity.
2) Daily disciplines: getting outside, meditating, yoga, working out, eating well, sitting at a library to work instead of sitting at home. Keeps my brain (and body) from turning into goo.
3) Calls/meet ups with family and friends. Remembering that I’m a loved human being and not just a meat sack with the sole purpose of facilitating a career is absolutely essential for continuing on.
4) I just started renting DVDs from the library and it is life-giving.
5) Getting creative about money-making strategies: I’m about to take a one day course at the ACTRA union office. I’ve started doing Background and Stand-In work in between acting gigs. I still need to get more creative so if any readers have ideas drop me a line because AHHHH!!!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve just released an instrumental album called “Lost Palms Oasis”, with my new band, Desert Friends. Desert Friends is a collaboration with Antrom Alexander in Joshua Tree. The album is a blend of guitar-based psychedelic, middle-eastern, pop and Spanish flavours that takes heavy inspiration from the Mojave Desert. Desert Friends will be curating the Joshua Tree House’s New Moon Winter Playlist at the end of December and “Lost Palms Oasis” can be found on all streaming platforms. We have plans to start playing shows in the new year.
“Mergatroid” is my 2023 genre-kaleidoscope of a debut record as Lucas Penner. It’s named after the frog with wings my late Grandma used to have in her shower. It’s a singer/songwriter album that has elements of folk, alternative&punk, electronic and classical music inside it. Think Father John Misty and The National collaborating together. I toured “Mergatroid” all over Canada and made eight music videos to accompany the 11 tracks. It’s available on all streaming platforms.
As an actor you can see me briefly in series like Sight Unseen, Laid and The Night Agent, and in supporting roles in movies like “The Last Thing She Said”, “The Wedding Contest” and “Love and Where To Find it.”
I also am part of The Dead and Lovely Collective, a group dedicated to mixing the indie music and theatre scenes We have weekly accountability sessions to write and collaborate on strategies to support each other in our artistic and professional goals.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1) I think I’ve been pretty good at giving myself permission to fail. Do it once, do it twice, do it three hundred times. You’re never too experienced or established to avoid failure. Risk is essential and it’s where anything worth doing is found.
2) Turning ideas into actions. The more I’ve committed to my vision the more it all becomes tangible and possible. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but I constantly have to work against my overthinking to permit a greater sense of flow.
3) Learning how to play guitar as a thirteen-year-old completely changed my life. I don’t care what anybody says, the guitar is an incredibly versatile instrument that you can make your own no matter how many people play it. It’s a wicked way to break into making music and expressing yourself.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal clients are film/tv producers, directors and music supervisors.
1) They have a script they need Lucas Penner or Desert Friends to score. They want to license songs from “Mergatroid”, “Lost Palms Oasis” or commission a brand new piece.
2) They crave to hire Lucas Penner to act in their new film or series. Drama or action, period piece or sci-fi baby, I’m yours.
3) They need to commission a script from The Dead and Lovely Collective because they want a unique, ambitious and entertaining project that will make them lots of money.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lucaspenner.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pennerlucas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucaspennermusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-penner-ba51a2190/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lucaspennermusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lucas-penner-543877245
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2AProCnZlF2qv8whnrwsrE?si=_80vddmoQz6JMZN7O0eKEA
Image Credits
Séamus Easton
Farhad Samari
Amber Morgan
Kristine Cofsky
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.