L.A. Edwards (Luke Andrew Edwards) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Julian, CA. Formed in 2015 as a solo project after his tenure with the Smart Brothers, L.A. Edwards has recorded and released three studio albums. Backed by his band of brothers, he has toured extensively in the U.S. and Europe. Their third studio album, Out of the Heart of Darkness, was mixed by Grammy-award winner Tom Lord-Alge (Blink-182, Steve Winwood). The album taps into the full range of human emotions and their widest instrumentation to date, taking the listener on a musical rollercoaster.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hello L.A Edwards. What strengths do you have that you believe make you a great musician?
Good hair, good songs, and a desire to bring people joy.
Who inspired you to make music?
Our Grandpa Pops taught us ukulele and harmonies when we were very young. We’re from a long line of traveling musicians on our Mom’s side, so it was in the cards all along.
Your latest release is 'Out of the Heart of Darkness'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
This is our first self-produced album in about 6 years. It was written and recorded a month after we got home from our first European/UK tour. We were exhausted and hungover, but being on the large stages was inspiring and led us to create a bigger rock album.
Can you shortly describe each of the tracks that are on the album?
All of the songs are guitar forward, we stepped away from any sort of stripped down treatment and went full bore wall of sound. The themes and production are dark with a silver lining. There’s plenty of hope if you listen for it.
How do you stay up-to-date with the latest musical trends?
I don’t keep up to date. I mostly listen to what my kids are listening to which is shitty top 40 stuff or Baby Shark, I watch more Bluey than I listen to music right now.
What makes you different from others?
Brothers harmonies!
What’s an average day like for you?
We’re living on the tour bus right now, so each day differs quite a bit. Usually, the day revolves around getting enough sleep, enough healthy food, enough time at soundcheck, and not too much alcohol.
Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans.
Email is best la@laedwards.net
What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Focus on songwriting, don’t do hard drugs, and take advice carefully.
What are your plans for the future?
Lots of time on the road. I’m looking forward to getting back in the studio and writing and demoing for the next project but that’s a ways off. Working on getting better at golf. Taking the kids to school whenever we get back home.