L.A.EDWARDS ‘TRUE BLUE’ CD
€15.00
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.
2015’s self-recorded Secrets We’ll Never Know marked L.A.Edwards’s departure from his traditional folk/acoustic roots to a rock band sound reminiscent of many of his childhood influences (CCR, Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, and the Beach Boys). Releasing the EP independently, L.A. began touring the West Coast with his brother Jerry on drums. The duo performed in breweries, dive bars, and living rooms from San Diego to Vancouver, Canada while honing their live sound and gathering material for a full length recording.
L.A. returned to the studio in 2017 to record what would become True Blue. Produced by Ron Blair (bassist of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), L.A. cut the album live in Blair’s home studio with his brothers Jay and Jerry. True Blue expanded on Edwards previous EP, moving him towards a more fully realized, classic rock sound with electric guitars, Hammond B3 organ, wurlitzer, and steady backbeats. The album would produce the singles “Louisiana” and “Leaving Los Angeles.” Upon the record’s release in April 2018, L.A. and his five-piece band toured heavily for the two years to follow, building to larger stages and audiences of sold out festivals and clubs across the US. The True Blue tour grew to include appearances with The Beach Boys, The White Buffalo, & Jefferson Starship, along with sets at FloydFest, Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, & Bumbershoot among others.
The band came off the road in early 2020 to write and record their sophomore album, Blessings From Home with Ryan Hadlock (Foo Fighters, Lumineers, Vance Joy) at legendary Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, WA. The album expanded further into the lush Socal sound implemented on True Blue, while returning to the folk roots of L.A.’s upbringing and early career. Backed up once again by brothers Jay and Jerry, L.A. also recruited Ron Blair and Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) as his rhythm section.
In November 2022, L.A. Edwards announced that their third studio album, Out of the Heart of Darkness, would be released on January 6, 2023. 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. From the haunting organ heard in Already Gone, to the lackadaisical rebellion of Hi Rite Now!, to the barroom punk-and-circumstance of Let It Out, each of the songs is vastly different while fitting comfortably within the cohesive collection of songs. The album comes to a full circle conclusion with the pensive yet hopeful closer The Lucky One.
“flat out amazing” -No Depression
“it marries the rock worldliness of Petty with the rootsy warmth and wisdom of Jackson Browne and Neil Young. Luscious Southernite yarns, realised under the West Coast sun” -Classic Rock Magazine
“lyrical strength and Americana grit” -The Bluegrass Situation
“the kind of sun-kissed Laurel Canyon sound…songwriting that conjures up images of lazy, hazy days and long, warm summer” -Louder Sound