Artist description “This is an extremely intricate, complex folk-rock album, in that it’s full of intelligent writing and playing from start to finish.” WWW.MUSIC-CRITIC.COM – NOV 1999"A lot of thought was put into this cd. Listen and learn." THE MUSE’S MUSE MUSIC REVIEWS – SEPT. 1999"The more I hear, the more I like. Damn fine stuff. Should be going somewhere real soon. " AIDING AND ABETTING – JULY 1999"What Holder does best - creates a catchy melody with smart words." AMARILLO GLOBE NEWS - MAY 1999"Luke and his band leave us aware of our aliveness. And of our destiny." TR PRESS - JUNE 1999"Groundbreaking like a Y2K earthquake, sucka!" INDEPENDENT MONTHLY - MAY 1999"The quality of the music is amazing. I'm surprised they aren't bigger!" THE EDGE - JUNE 1999

Music Style rock

Musical Influences jeff buckley, tom waits, ben harper

Similar Artists jeff buckley, ben harper, elvis costello

Artist History Luke Holder grew up listening to good music, rock music…loud music…punk music…He is not a child prodigy. He hasn’t been performing since the age of nine. He just had an idea. He wanted to write good songs. Sometimes in elementary school he would fall in love with a one-hit wonder, but his older brothers would beat that out of him. He learned early how to identify what was good. He realized that the best songs were the ones that withstood the test of time. Luke had other plans for these songs. He wrote these songs for himself…to see if he could. It seems that he wanted someone else to hear these songs, because you are reading this. He had a job, a college degree, a “future”, and he dropped it all to get these songs to the people that want to hear them.With his sophomore effort, penumbra, Luke is passing beyond the realm of safety and pushing the limits of songwriting. Limits that he defined and experimented with in his first CD, Playing for an Audience of Candles. An album that received radio play on over 200 college radio stations and was loved by the critics. Penumbra is not the fulfillment of a record contract. It is a milestone in Luke’s growth as a songwriter.This is the strength that is represented in his writing – timeless, original, and thought provoking.

Albums Playing for an Audience of Candles and penumbra

Press Reviews Luke Holder - Playing for an Audience of Candles by Mark Feldman Luke Holder has released an intricate collection of folk rock songs. This is an outstanding disc, and is definitely worth checking out. Very professionally done, he shouldn't be playing for candles much longer. Playing for an Audience of Intricacy “What would life be without a few cracks?” muses this talented guitarist on the opening track to his new album. Indeed, imperfection seems to be a common theme in the songs of Luke Holder, whether it’s in the degeneration of a relationship going stale, the confessions of an immature college sophomore, the guilt of a criminal, or even the indulgences of an infatuated and tortured soul. And he succeeds by an intelligent synthesis of emotion and music in a way that very few acoustic guitarist / songwriters can. Take the very first song, “Cracks” - an effortlessly catchy upbeat tune weaved around words like “Oblivious to the things that are going good / I can’t think straight but I thought someday I could / It’s like making a million dollars and bitching about the tax / what would life be without a few cracks?” Or the sudden shift from a minor to a major key in “Dark and Lovely” coupled with “He had never felt these emotions before / all together in a positive way.” Or the happy-go-lucky refrain of “Curbside Philosophy” - “Curbside philosophy of the anointed sophomore / I spend my time feeling better than all the freshmen / who have to do all the things I did before.” Or how about the Eddie Vedder-like wailing in “Impress Me” - “Just to get the taste of lust / and the taste of sin on your lips” as a violin hums steadily in the background? He also succeeds by an ability to take a simple three or four chord progression and stretch it out into an epic beat poem like only a select few - think a punkish Bob Dylan, or more accurately a male and slightly subdued Ani DiFranco. “Curbside Philosophy” and “Feel Good” in particular both exhibit the DiFranco like twang, but with some added twists, like some haunting multi-tracked vocals, some fuzzbox guitar on the former, and some overly candid lyrics on the latter. But Holder forges an identity of his own by being so versatile. In addition to the twang, there’s some beautiful confessional stuff going on here. “Impress Me,” “Heart and a Hammer” and “K in NYC” are as stellar and plaintive a trio of pleas from the heart as you’re going to find in today’s irony-filled music scene. This is an extremely intricate, complex folk-rock album, in that it’s full of intelligent writing and playing from start to finish. If you do anything else while you listen to it you’ll probably miss something. Turn down the lights and play this one when you’re feeling introspective. If there’s any justice in the world, Luke Holder won’t be playing to an audience of candles for long.

Location amarillo, Texas - USA

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