Bay Harbour: November 23, 2016

PAGE 10 BAY HARBOUR
Wednesday November 23 2016
News
Back to the future for Jordan Luck
Jordan Luck has written some of New
Zealand’s most iconic rock anthems. He spoke
to Tom Doudney about life after The Exponents
and the inspiration behind his latest material
ahead of The Jordan Luck Band’s performance
at Lincoln’s Selwyn Sounds concert in March
MORE THAN 30 years after
their debut single Victoria
established The Exponents as
Kiwi rock heavyweights, singer
Jordan Luck’s songwriting is
again in the spotlight.
His new outfit, The Jordan
Luck Band, was nominated for
best rock album at Thursday’s
New Zealand Music Awards.
It didn’t win the award but
Luck said it was phenomenal to
have the album, Not Only . . .
But Also, getting such a positive
reaction.
While his songwriting hadn’t
changed much over the years,
he works harder on the lyrics
these days than he did in the
early years of The Exponents
(originally known as The Dance
Exponents).
“I find the tunes are still coming
out of the air for me but it
takes a lot longer to do lyrics
than it did,” Luck said.
“I was pretty spontaneous back
in the day, whereas now I am
a wee bit conscious of the fact
I might be singing these in 20
years again, so I really want to be
singing something that I want to
be singing.
“That has been the case since
about 1990, when Victoria was
about 10-years-old and I was
thinking ‘wow, people still really
like this song, I wonder what
is going to happen to the new
stuff?’ And here we are nearly 20
years later and people are still
singing ‘Why does love do this
to me?’ And I’m going, ‘flipping
hell, I better make the next one
really good’.”
However, Luck said this process
had resulted in his best lyrics
yet on Not Only . . . But Also.
“Even if you didn’t hear the
music, it’s a good read,” he said
The songs, written over the last
three years, cover some very New
Zealand territory, often with an
interesting twist. There is one
about a murder in Lake Tekapo,
another about selling paintings
ROCKING ON: The Jordan Luck Band will play Lincoln’s Selwyn
Sounds concert in March.
on holiday in Southland and “a
beautiful one” inspired by his
memories of getting lost near the
Wanganui River while on a road
trip with original The Dance Exponents
guitarist Steve Cowen.
He and Cowen, who died in
1986, had been on their way to
record Victoria at the time, when
Luck, who was behind the wheel
of their Bedford van, decided
to take an alternative route.
The Exponents’ induction into
the New Zealand Music Hall
of Fame last year, with Cowen
also recognised, had brought the
memories back.
“The song is really about missing
him in a way that is pretty
strong.”
Luck said starting a new band
after the success of The Exponents
had been tough in some
ways.
“The Exponents turn up all the
time, there is no getting away
from that – we got into the hall
of fame last year and now there is
a TV film that they are doing on
The Dance Exponents.”
However, he still enjoyed playing
the old songs and said the
band’s performance at Selwyn
Sounds was likely to be about 75
per cent The Exponents material.
Unlike many of the line-up, it
will not be Luck’s first time playing
in Lincoln. The Exponents
have played a number of gigs at
the university over the years.
•Selwyn Sounds will be
held on March 4, 11.30am-
8.30pm. Tickets can be
purchased via Ticketek and
buyers will be able to prepurchase
a return bus ride
between pick up points in
Christchurch, Rolleston and
Lincoln Domain.
LINCOLN’S FINEST SUBDIVISION
presents
Our pre-Christmas exhibition
is once more, a lovely mix of
five female artists working in
a range of media, both two and
three dimensional.
Jane Downes continues to play with her
dandelion structures. She manages to
make metal ethereally beautiful.
Katrina Perano’s anthropomorphic painted
portraits of familiar and exotic creatures are
so endearing.
ON THE DOMAIN
MARCH 4 2017 LINCOLN
Mi-Sex Dragon
Sharon O’Neill Debbie Harwood
Blanche Fryer is a whimsical ceramic artist
who incorporates painting into her recycled
native timber framed artworks.
Kate Beatty uses appropriate botanical
references in repeating pattern as a
backdrop to her detailed and beautiful
native bird paintings.
Elisha Jordan’s birds belie their sturdy
stainless steel structure, they are graceful
and animated.
Margaret Urlich Annie Crummer
Jordan Luck Band Jason Kerrison
www.selwynsounds.co.nz
nine bands.
one day.