Inside the Studio: Erich Luening and Nectar's Local Bash

In true Island fashion, the quiet nightlife that we've become accoustomed to over the last six months comes to a loud, abrupt halt this weekend. We are all suddenly faced with not just one option of what to do this Saturday night, but mulitple options, all of them amazing, all of them more than worthy of staying up past midnight—otherwise known as 9 p.m. a month ago.

One that many will opt for, one that many have been waiting for, is the CD release party of Erich Luening's debut "Red Flags" this Saturday, May 28 at Nectar's MV. Luening, who usually makes appearances throughout the winters and gives us a way to hear great music between Labor and Memorial Days, has been hard to find this winter and has been missed. Now, after a year of waiting while Luening was holed up in Matthew Cullen's Pit Stop recording studio, all his fans are about to get the payoff.

"Red Flags" is a labor of love nearly a decade in the making and will be played in its entirety on Saturday night at Nectar's Third Annual Local Bash. Special guests for the evening include Nina Violet & Marciana Jones, Philly D, Sabrina Brooke, & DCLA. We were able to catch up with Luening in between interviews and rehersals to learn what this process was like and what is next to come.

What was one thing about the recording process that surprised you?

The amount of fellow musicians, friends and family alike, who found the time and space in their schedules to come from as far away as New York, Boston and here on the Island to lend a hand, note, chord, or harmony to the project. My cousin Evan Dando and The Lemonheads came in for a long weekend and helped out on two songs, the single and title track, "Red Flags," as well as some whistles on "Why Must You." My sister Sabrina came in one day with her daughter and my little niece Ella and sang her amazing vocals on "Uncle's Sweater." Juliana Hatfield came in from Cambridge and sang backing vocals on "Hold Your Breath" and "Hard Fall Down." And Joe Keefe, of Family of The Year, played solo guitar and bass on "Hard Fall Down." I just can't believe how it all came together between two different studios on the Island and mastering off-Island to have the final product in hand. That's what's so surprising and inspiring.

How did you know which of your songs to record?

Myself and Allan Cole, longtime friend, fellow songwriter and CEO of Junko Records, wanted to have a collection of the old and the new. I'd say a majority of the songs came out of the last decade. I was in a catastrophic car accident in 2002 and had to learn how to walk again and recover physically and mentally. Through that process a lot of songs were written. "The Only Way" beckons to any higher power out there that I felt, after the accident, I had to ask for a way back to wholeness and clarity. "Hold Your Breath" is also about the impact of trauma, not only to the victim, but what it does to those around you. But "Hard Fall Down," written by both myself and Cole back in the late 1990s, is more about the journey to "rock bottom" many of us have to get to in order rediscover ourselves and find life renewed.

What’s your favorite Island summer meal?

Pan-fried Fluke caught by myself and friends and family. Hold on, any fish caught by friends and family cooked up that same late afternoon or early evening is the best of the best. That and fresh or pre-cooked lobsters from Larsen's in Menemsha.

What can folks expect to hear at Nectars this weekend?

A whole assortment of local musicians from Nina Violet and her sister Marciana Jones, to my sister Sabrina—singing her own set and with me on "Uncle Sweater"— as well as Phill DeRosa. Then at the end, after I have tired my old self out, the new and upcoming island band DCLA will close the night. Then I can get off the stage for a while and press some sweaty flesh and hopefully meet new and some old fans on the dance floor. It will be an unmistakably local music explosion of fun, sound and rollicking.

How has being an Islander informed the kind of music that you make?

Well, I think the feelings of occasional isolation on an island like this can either drive you insane, or to the bottle, or to the guitar, notebook, or with others the paint brush and pallet.

Where’d you go to elementary school?

I went to the former Oak Bluffs School—now a bunch of run-down town buildings, but in my day a hallmark of good old Island education.

On which format do you listen to music: CDs, iPpod, LPs?

I hate to say it, because of my love for the folks at Aboveground Records, but I mostly listen to music off of my iPad and iPhone. But a lot of that music came and comes from purchased CDs.

Who is currently on heavy rotation?

Black Keys, and their side project BlakRoc—collaborations with hip hop and soul singers; Bon Iver; Spoon; Yo Yo Ma; My Morning Jacket; any John Coltrane on Sundays . . .

Where else will you play this summer?

We are preparing for another CD release event in Cambridge, MA, where I spent many years after college and began writing some of the songs found on this CD. I have many musician friends and fans still up there, and can't wait to perform the new works for them. My cousin Evan and I have talked about teaming up for some tour stuff in the next coming months and I hope to play two or three more local gigs here on the Island.

When did you first know that you were a musician?

I always loved to make sounds. My first instrument was a trumpet in fourth grade. I always sang and acted in Island theater groups. So from a very young age, music has always been a part of my life.

What instruments do you play?

Now I play a couple different acoustic guitars, Gibson and Taylors. And I write songs in the living room mostly.

If you could play with any artist, alive or dead, whom would you choose?

Of course alive, my cousin Evan is always a first. I would also like to open for Neil Young. Singing with Otis Redding would be a blessing.

Is there any particular spot on the Island that is your muse?

For now, where I live on Nip & Tuck Farm is a muse. Actually, the last song on the CD, "I'm Ready," was written in my living room overlooking the summer fields below my window.

What are looking forward to most about Saturday?

Just to share and perform as professionally and robustly as I possibly can to give this finalized project its due reward. I am very proud of what we all put together and I just want to translate my pride for the work and express my excitement about a job well done. In the end, I want to rock and have a good time with the music community I love here on the Island.

Nectar's 3rd Annual Local Bash takes place Saturday, May 28. Doors open at 9 p.m. The show is 21+, with a cover charge of $5.