
Luke Raddon Jackson Interview
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: Hey Divide and Conquer, It’s great to meet you! I’ve just released the live version of my debut EP The Burning Sky which has received very positive reviews, including from Divide and Conquer. My musical style is rock, blues and funk with soul, but I was raised by a loving single mother who is crazy about delta blues. I ended up as the kid with the ‘weird taste’ in music through school. Muddy Waters, Son House, BB King; all these guys were playing in our house while the other kids were listening to manufactured boybands and dance music. I didn’t know it (or appreciate it) at the time, but she gave me a great musical schooling and I’ll forever be grateful!
Being from a poor family we barely had any music in the house (apart from the radio, which doesn’t often play what you want to hear!) and what we did have was copied to tape by friends; Dire Straits, Michael Jackson, ZZ Top, classical, baroque guitar… an eclectic mix. Although I went to college during the indie boom of the 2000’s, I rejected that scene completely; It seemed more about fashion and I couldn’t stand it! It pushed me even further towards the music of the pioneers of electric guitar. By the time I picked up my first electric, I knew the sounds of classic rock and blues like the back of my hand. I just needed to learn how to channel it through my fingers.
Q: Who are some of your influences? Musical or otherwise.
A: I consume so much music from all sorts of genres, but I tend to go back to melodic, heavy styles with deep grooves. Music where you can tell the artist had to go through hell and back to write; because it comes from the soul, rooted in life experience. Music that inspires me tends to paint with light and dark, melancholy and have high energy. I have a huge admiration for Richie Kotzen, Philip Sayce and Gary Moore and the energy they channel through their hands and how that translates through their music, especially their live shows.
After discovering blues/classic rock including Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy and Free and learning their music, all I wanted to do was play their songs to live audiences. I’ve been lucky enough to play regularly in bar bands and have done that for several years. I still play in a local bar band called The Fake News and that satisfies my urge to rock out to the classics!
A major non-musical influence was my father; although he was absent from my life while I was a kid and passed away when I was 17, he was a brilliant artist and I’ll always remember his uncontrollable need to paint to express himself. I have the same need to make music and play to a live audience. Apart from that, no one I knew growing up was particularly musical. I definitely would have benefited from some structure from a musical point of view at a young age!
Q: What are some of the themes and topics you explore on The Burning Sky?
A: I draw from raw emotion and experience, self-reflection, relationships, mental health, social anxiety, confidence, freedom, responsibility, choice. I believe in a person’s ability to change their world and despite dipping into some dark themes, I hope my music articulates a positive message about the power of the self to make a difference.
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: Hey Divide and Conquer, It’s great to meet you! I’ve just released the live version of my debut EP The Burning Sky which has received very positive reviews, including from Divide and Conquer. My musical style is rock, blues and funk with soul, but I was raised by a loving single mother who is crazy about delta blues. I ended up as the kid with the ‘weird taste’ in music through school. Muddy Waters, Son House, BB King; all these guys were playing in our house while the other kids were listening to manufactured boybands and dance music. I didn’t know it (or appreciate it) at the time, but she gave me a great musical schooling and I’ll forever be grateful!
Being from a poor family we barely had any music in the house (apart from the radio, which doesn’t often play what you want to hear!) and what we did have was copied to tape by friends; Dire Straits, Michael Jackson, ZZ Top, classical, baroque guitar… an eclectic mix. Although I went to college during the indie boom of the 2000’s, I rejected that scene completely; It seemed more about fashion and I couldn’t stand it! It pushed me even further towards the music of the pioneers of electric guitar. By the time I picked up my first electric, I knew the sounds of classic rock and blues like the back of my hand. I just needed to learn how to channel it through my fingers.
Q: Who are some of your influences? Musical or otherwise.
A: I consume so much music from all sorts of genres, but I tend to go back to melodic, heavy styles with deep grooves. Music where you can tell the artist had to go through hell and back to write; because it comes from the soul, rooted in life experience. Music that inspires me tends to paint with light and dark, melancholy and have high energy. I have a huge admiration for Richie Kotzen, Philip Sayce and Gary Moore and the energy they channel through their hands and how that translates through their music, especially their live shows.
After discovering blues/classic rock including Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy and Free and learning their music, all I wanted to do was play their songs to live audiences. I’ve been lucky enough to play regularly in bar bands and have done that for several years. I still play in a local bar band called The Fake News and that satisfies my urge to rock out to the classics!
A major non-musical influence was my father; although he was absent from my life while I was a kid and passed away when I was 17, he was a brilliant artist and I’ll always remember his uncontrollable need to paint to express himself. I have the same need to make music and play to a live audience. Apart from that, no one I knew growing up was particularly musical. I definitely would have benefited from some structure from a musical point of view at a young age!
Q: What are some of the themes and topics you explore on The Burning Sky?
A: I draw from raw emotion and experience, self-reflection, relationships, mental health, social anxiety, confidence, freedom, responsibility, choice. I believe in a person’s ability to change their world and despite dipping into some dark themes, I hope my music articulates a positive message about the power of the self to make a difference.

Q: Can you talk about your creative process?
A: Where possible my main approach is to ‘get in the zone’ by taking my mind back to particular experiences and then picking up whatever instrument I feel I can express the feelings that come. Then it's all about playing, playing then playing some more until I hit on something good sounding! I write the lyrics, sing, play bass, keys, guitar and drums on my records. I tend to be bass or guitar-led, using those instruments to create and explore ideas. If I have my Fender Jazz bass in my hands, I tend to write funk infused songs. Lyrics tend to come after the fundamentals of the songs are set, but can develop as the music progresses.
I have a great little home studio that is an island in the storm, a place I love to be, surrounded by instruments and my recording equipment ready to go as I try to capture lightening in a bottle! I write my best music and express myself best when I’m feeling on the edge emotionally. That drives my creative process.
Q: Are you currently taking these songs on the road or playing them live?
A: I’ve played my EP to live audiences in the UK and have several summer festivals booked. My plan is to promote myself as an artist more and more throughout this year, leading up to my debut album release. I should have a decent setlist once my album is released!
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: I’m currently writing and recording a full studio album that will be released in Summer 2020. It will have high-energy, funk and blues rhythms and have some heavier tracks than The Burning Sky EP, but with the same emphasis on riffs and melodies. I’m collaborating with other musicians on this one and using studio time more than ever before and my hope is to create an album that I’m proud of!
A: Where possible my main approach is to ‘get in the zone’ by taking my mind back to particular experiences and then picking up whatever instrument I feel I can express the feelings that come. Then it's all about playing, playing then playing some more until I hit on something good sounding! I write the lyrics, sing, play bass, keys, guitar and drums on my records. I tend to be bass or guitar-led, using those instruments to create and explore ideas. If I have my Fender Jazz bass in my hands, I tend to write funk infused songs. Lyrics tend to come after the fundamentals of the songs are set, but can develop as the music progresses.
I have a great little home studio that is an island in the storm, a place I love to be, surrounded by instruments and my recording equipment ready to go as I try to capture lightening in a bottle! I write my best music and express myself best when I’m feeling on the edge emotionally. That drives my creative process.
Q: Are you currently taking these songs on the road or playing them live?
A: I’ve played my EP to live audiences in the UK and have several summer festivals booked. My plan is to promote myself as an artist more and more throughout this year, leading up to my debut album release. I should have a decent setlist once my album is released!
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: I’m currently writing and recording a full studio album that will be released in Summer 2020. It will have high-energy, funk and blues rhythms and have some heavier tracks than The Burning Sky EP, but with the same emphasis on riffs and melodies. I’m collaborating with other musicians on this one and using studio time more than ever before and my hope is to create an album that I’m proud of!