Local musicians speak about their musical path and preferences, share experiences and talk about life and music at large.
After wandering for years through the vast Canadian landscapes, and finally giving up the quest for the sacred Hockey Puck, Luke Treble arrived in Kraków in 2014 armed with songs, his trusty 12 string bazooka, a somewhat healthy liver, and a bulging hernia. In 2017, he released the album Son, Get It Done While You’re Handsome & Young. He’s also the guitarist and singer of The Arc & Tech Arrows, a local band with a sound knee-deep in the rock genre with blues notes, jazz tones and folk ballad grooves. Towards the end of 2020 he released Shitty Love Songs Vol.1 and is now focusing on his solo project.
Instruments: guitar
Music styles: rock, folk, folk-rock, pop-rock
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Kraków Music: Why the guitar? How did it all begin for you?
Luke Treble: There was always music playing in the house, in the early days at least. I remember the weekends, summer days during vacation from school, my father would blast music, especially British rock n roll. A lot of different bands, but above all… Oasis. Oasis was the favourite band of the household. My parents had a couple small cafes on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton, which is the main drag of entertainment/culture and arts of the city, definitely at that time it was, and there were several great small CD and vinyl shops. My dad would drop into them, talk with the owner, ask for recommendations of something new and he picked up Definitely Maybe by Oasis right when it came out. So, that album and the next two or three albums, were constantly playing in the house from the time when I was six.
That band and especially those early albums were always playing throughout my upbringing, but I remember the point exactly when I became fixated, sort of speak, with the guitar. It was a VHS concert film of Oasis…There and Then – Live at Maine Road and the Royal Albert Hall 1996 – Noel Gallagher with his Union Jack Epiphone blasting The Swamp Song and the crowd going wild, that’s the opening scene. That concert film was viewed endlessly and I soon began walking around the house strumming a tennis racket with a penny (one cent Canadian). This went on for many weeks until I was finally presented with a real guitar. My father had been in Poland visiting our Grandma, who was very ill and was soon to pass away, and when he returned I remembered the shock of seeing it. I can’t remember if I had been informed of the present earlier or not, in any case, I was stunned. It was a classical nylon string and I played it strung as right hand upside down for about a year before I realised I’d be more comfortable re-stringing it as a lefty. A neighbour did it for me. And that’s that.
KM: What’s one of the songs you play (composed) that you’re most proud of?
Luke: Hmm. I’m proud, I guess, of everything that I’ve written up to this point, but probably proudest of what I am currently working on right now. In terms of guitar playing though, the songs that stand out for me would be Conduct & Condition, Forces of Nature, Conflict in the Kitchen, Departure Tune, Seasons Confused, Hard as a Bean, Race Against My Own Feet.
How was the learning experience for you? Do you recall any particular teaching, mentoring, advice?
Hmm. I just played endlessly… in moments when I wasn’t supposed to, neglecting school and what not. My folks told me, you have to go to college or start paying rent, bla bla bla. I went to an open-house for a music school. It was all very nice, but turned out you need to read music to get in. The next day I took the guitar, a small bag and boarded a Greyhound bus out of town. It was a key moment in my marriage.
What’s your most memorable moment on stage or your most memorable gig? Why?
The last few gigs at Buda were nice… I played a couple cool shows in Switzerland with a makeshift band, one was outdoor at some massive factory squat in Zurich. Another one was in a high school auditorium in some small picturesque perfect Swiss town… Busking on the bridge in Girona, Spain getting invited for whiskey and beer afterwards.
What’s your go-to guitar? What’s the one you usually play and feel most comfortable with?
Different songs, different needs, but my 12 string Simon and Patrick would be my choice for the desert island/Crusoe scenario.
What would you say is your best skill playing the guitar?
Hmm. I don’t know. I’m not very good at playing.
What are you currently practicing? What are your short or long term goals in terms of technique?
I’d like to move to Romania and later to Spain to live with the Gypsies and learn from them… and later to Greece to master Rembetiko. And on and on. Now I’m focused on Ethiopian Jazz and Polish Disco Polo compositions.
What is your favourite genre of music to play?
My own.
Feeling or technique? Which is most important?
Rather getting a good night’s sleep definitely and being sober while playing, at least half.
Luke Treble
with The Arc & Tech Arrows at Klub Buda
There are millions of amazing bands and musicians out there. Actually, I think there are more talented people out there now than in the past. It’s like comparing footballers of the 1960’s with today’s. Maybe artists are too focused on other bullshit… they are distracted by social media rather than writing a good tune. I don’t know. I think we are living in good times. People don’t know how good they have it.
— Luke Treble
What can you say about inspiration?
It happens everyday.
What guitar player did you get a chance to see live that changed your life?
Guitarist? None, I’ve been disappointed by all the old farts I saw in hockey arenas… overpriced tickets for terrible sound quality. Ok, I’ll admit, seeing Pete Townshend was pretty cool. But listening to records and albums is the way to go. I would say going for long walks with the old discman on snowy winter nights changed my life more than seeing some assholes perform. Ah! Jack White. He changed my life for sure. Blew my left fucking ear off in 2007. Problems with it to this day! I’ll be sure to blow him next time I see him!
Have you listened to any new music lately? Who?
New music as of 2020-2021? Not really. Newly discovered music, always. Kino, Russian band from the 1980’s check em out.
A lot of people say the music today isn’t of the same standard – what do you think?
I think people complain too much, but complaints are there for some reason or another. It’s a part of evolution. If our ancestors hadn’t complained we’d still be throwing sewage from our windows into the streets. There are millions of amazing bands and musicians out there. Actually, I think there are more talented people out there now than in the past. It’s like comparing footballers of the 1960’s with today’s. Maybe the artists are too focused on other bullshit, they are distracted by social media rather than writing a good tune. I don’t know, I think we are living in good times. People don’t know how good they have it.
What are three of your favourite musicians? Or which musicians have been to you the most influential? Why?
Hmmm. Tough Question. I’d almost like to skip this question and I think I will. Favourite change over time. But for the sake of the question, three guitarists that come to mind: George Harrison, Tom Verlaine, Jerry Garcia.
What kind of music do you usually listen to?
Boogie Woogie.
Who or what is your dirty secret re music (guilty pleasures)?
If you like a tune, or a song, even if it’s from the Backstreet Boys or Milli Vanilli, Celine Dion, Akcent, whatever… that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Music is there for everyone, should be free and we should not be self-conscious about it.
Are there any over-rated guitar “Gods” in your opinion?
No. Everyone likes different stuff so let them make “Gods” out of them if they want to. I am not a fan of organised religions or cults.
How do you fit music into your daily life?
Wake up at 7am, recite Mozart and Tchaikovsky on the piano, eat a protein rich, fatty breakfast, go for a brisk walk. Make coffee, listen to bootleg jazz from the 50’s and 60’s, practice the guitar for five hours, dividing the time into different exercises: fingerpicking, slide, pick-picking, chord progressions, jamming along with records, etc. Take a power nap. Drink 250ml of Moller’s Norwegian Fish Oil (Tran), a pinch of MDMA and do it all over again. Nah! I wish! Nothing in particular.
If you could jam with any famous musician, who would it be?
Chopin
Do you have any musical “guilty pleasures”?
Yes. but they also involve the usage of foods, especially fruits. That’s all I’ll say, I’ll let your imaginations wander.
What kind of advice would you give to younger people who are thinking of taking up the instrument?
Hmm. Don’t be a menace to society.
