East Quogue Musician Erik Luhmer Kickstarts New Album
Space City Kicks is the newest project from East Quogue native and rock musician Erik Luhmer, and to make it possible he is using the popular crowd funding website Kickstarter.
Luhmer aims to raise $4,000 to record Space City Kicks’s first album, Lo-Fi Contact High. A $15 pledge earns backers a digital download or a CD of the album, and the rewards get better with bigger pledges.
DansPapers.com talked to Luhmer about his aspirations for Space City Kicks and the debut album.
How long have you been Space City Kicks? How long have you been playing music?
I just recently adopted the name as my “band name.” I thought it was cool sounding and had a nice ring to it. I’m essentially a one man band, but I didn’t want to go under my name. I thought that was kind of boring, so I went the other way and came up with a band name. I’m always open to collaborating with other musicians. I even see this a musical cooperative at some point. However, right now, it’s just me making all the ungodly racket. I have been playing guitar and several other instruments since the age of 14.
What drew you to kickstarter.com?
The fact that I’m not independently wealthy. I’ve heard it thrown around several times in conversations with family and friends. I figured I have nothing to lose by giving it a shot. Hopefully, people are as excited about funding my musical project as I am in making it.
Are your songs all original?
Yes, 100% homegrown, original rock music.
What exactly does “DIY style” mean—what aspects of your process are you covering?
What I mean by “DIY Style” is that I’m doing everything myself. The writing, arranging, recording, producing, album artwork, packaging, promotion, the whole enchilada. I also aim to start my own record label, publishing house, and recording studio at some point. This project is the beginning of all that. The plan is that, in a few years, I will have all these other ventures up and running as well.
You say you’re interested in creating a label if the Kickstarter campaign proves to be successful. Could you expand on that?
I’ve always had the dream of starting my own record label, recording studio, and publishing house. I’ve always felt that Long Island was and still is and underserved market. There are a lot of great musicians out here. I wouldn’t want to record just one style of music. I have so many different styles of music that I enjoy listening to and I would love to capture that in the form of an independent record label.
What influences did you have going into the Lo-Fi Contact High project? Do you expect those influences will shift by the time you’ve finished?
Well, I’m firmly in the rock area of the musical spectrum. I have so many influences, way too many to list here. I don’t like to categorize music or put labels on things, but my style is firmly rock and roll of the indie vein. I don’t expect my influences to shift, but I’m always on the lookout for new flavors to add to my audio stew.
What excites you most about the project?
The fact that it’s finally about to come to fruition. The excitement of having total creative freedom and to be the one producing it as well. I’ve been working on songs for quite a while now and have a tremendous backlog. I’ve been able to whittle it down to fifteen songs that I will record and we’ll see, once the recording process is complete, which tracks will make the final cut. Who knows, they all may make it onto the album. It all depends on what moves me.
Now you know the artist, but get to know the album, too. Visit kickstarter.com to see a future East End rockstar get his start, and to help Luhmer realize his $4,000 goal.