Bio
Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska, Lucas Kellison truly discovered music at age 15 and never looked back. Now an accomplished producer, teacher, author, singer, multi-instrumentalist, solo recording artist and band member, Lucas is excited to be a contributor to the world of music in as many ways as possible. In addition to his performing prowess, Lucas is also the owner of a nationally acclaimed 2000 square foot independent recording facility and production team, Sadson Music Group. His escape from the music world can be found on the hardwood, where he continues to play competitive basketball whenever he can. Please check the “Shows” section for Lucas’ upcoming performances with various musical acts, and feel free to contact Lucas for any inquiries regarding booking, lessons, studio recording, or, well... anything else!
Upcoming Events
|
|
Lessons
Lucas acknowledges that music is a language, and that language should be passed on to whomever wishes to learn it. This is why teaching has continued to be a strong passion of his during the first decade of his music career.
Lucas is currently teaching individual lessons for bass, guitar, songwriting and voice at Star Music, located at 50th and Old Cheney. Feel free to contact regarding availability for openings.
Books
Norman's Guitar by Brian Grimes and Lucas Kellison (Coming Soon!)
Discography
- First Time Around – No Better Cause (2002) Vocals, Vocal Arrangements, Songwriting
- Animato – Animato (2002) Bass, Songwriting
- You Asked For It – No Better Cause (2003) Vocals, Vocal Arrangements, Songwriting
- Immeasurable – No Better Cause (2004) Vocals, Vocal Arrangements, Songwriting
- RElease – No Better Cause (2004) Vocals, Vocal Arrangements, Songwriting
- My Town – Lucas Kellison (2004) Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Keys, Drums, Songwriting, Production
- More Adventurous – Rilo Kiley (2004) Vocals, Vocal Arrangements
- Live – No Better Cause (2005) Vocals, Vocal Arrangements
- The Freedom Dilemma – Electric Soul Method (2005) Bass, Vocals, Songwriting
- Shake and Howl – Son of 76 (2006) Bass
- Sacrifice – Deah Harriott and Images (2006) Bass, Guitar
- The Wiz – Lincoln Community Playhouse (2007) Bass
- Arrival – No Better Cause (2007) Vocals, Vocal Arrangements, Production, Songwriting
- Rise – Lucas Kellison (2007) Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Keys, Drums, Songwriting, Production
- Perfect Peace – No Better Cause (2007) Vocals, Vocal Arrangements, Production, Songwriting
- Cardiac Arrest – Nick Hardt (2007) Vocals, Vocal Arrangements, Songwriting
- Social Butterfly: The Chrysalis – Jamazz (2007) Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Keys, Production, Songwriting
- Sanctuary – No Better Cause (2008) Vocals, Vocal Arrangements, Production, Songwriting
- All That Money – Kevin Sandbloom (NE Re-mix, 2008) Bass, Guitar
- Another Day in the Life... – Dro (2009) Vocals
- These Days – Rebecca Culhane (2009) Bass, Guitar, Keys, Drums, Production, Songwriting
- New Muse – Lucas Kellison and The Assembled Soul (2009) Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Keys, Drums, Songwriting, Production
- Pressure – Fieldhouse (2010) Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Production
The Process. And Schooling. And So On and So Forth.
If I sat and tried to think about how life fascinates me and why, the description would never end. We have this palate, and it never ends, and that’s fine.
Somewhere along the way, though, I have begun to wonder if each individual person on the planet, at some point, has an epiphany. When I read Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man—a book that still sends my mind swimming—he often writes of epiphanies through his characters. In each instance, there is a revelation, chunked in scraps throughout. Is that the experience? Is life made up of bits and pieces of these? Surely there must be stronger epiphanies than others.
What I often wonder is if each person—i.e. every single person in history—develops a realistic image of who they are or what they ought to become. As a product of America’s public school system, and now a beginning entrepreneur in (mainly) music, I can say that, from my own experience, my education has been both my biggest strength and my biggest hurdle. My strength was that I figured out how to use it in order to dodge it. You see, the school system in which I was brought along in, and the one our teachers are forced to prepare students for their next standardized test in, seems to be the antithesis of creativity—the very thing our society needs in order to keep our establishment and relevance (well, that and a global war shadow that makes sure the gun is pointed at whomever has whatever we need... we can continue to print money as long as the “legal tender” its backed by is that of a gun and 1,000 military bases worldwide... as long as this is the case, the value of our dollar can only drop so much). While I digress in parentheses, my point is that creativity is essential for capitalism (not to be confused with “corporatism”—the system which we are currently under).
But if you look at our country’s educational structure and model, you will quickly see that our children are brought up to obey. Work ethic--as long as it is within this system of rules--is rewarded with stamps of approval until the end of college when it becomes insurance for a secure job, and thus the pattern continues. Not bad for those with privilege. Currently, the privilege remains overwhelmingly in the realm of white people, most notably white men. But this privilege is not a black or white issue. It is ultimately settled as a class issue. Skin color is only easy now because there aren’t enough brown people to shake it up yet. Brown people, by the way, are the American race, and what a beautiful group of people it will be when we are all the same homogenized color—then we will be separated by class only, which will lead to a much more difficult stronghold on America’s wealth by those in power. Currently, the top 1% of America has more money than the lowest 95% of America combined. Good luck keeping that up. The colors are changing and melting. This percentage is not sustainable.
Most of the incredible thinkers in American history came from a free-market private school system. That is to say, they came from an era before America adopted the Prussian model of public obedience and nationalism. The public schools of today look more and more like prisons, and why not? Our tests show that our school system is “failing” rapidly, but it is wildly successful in doing what is was designed to do—create acceptance, separation and obedience. The numbers are there: based on circumstances—namely class—the public school system (don’t forget, the private schools have to be taught by “certified” teachers and the students must meet specific “requirements”) will almost always place each student on the path of what is expected of them. It has been scientifically tested. The poor get poorer and the rich get richer. The exceptional students are typically the ones who adapt and learn the ins and outs of the class system above them. They assimilate. Again, they are the remarkable exception. Generally, everyone ends up where they are supposed to end up. While I am no opponent of socialism, I am an opponent of unfair socialism. I have no clue why (besides the obvious motive), in each school district, the money from boosters isn’t split evenly throughout each school. There is no true success story if there was never an even playing field to begin with. There is simply privilege and, conversely, MIRACLES.
As for me, I’m one of the lucky ones. I chose a field of work that does require me to be submersed into the depths of the majority. In fact, to get where I’m at required the opposite (I don’t yet consider myself a success, but I feel successful in that I have a personal vision I believe I can succeed in manifesting). “Formal” music is not my passion. I don’t need school for the music I love, and I knew it by the time I was 16. Playing bass for a gospel choir, jazz combo, blues band, etc., will teach you all the music theory you could ever need (just so long as you STUDY—that rule doesn’t change based on your settings). Building a world class recording facility didn’t require a business degree or a music performance degree—it required hard work and passion and self-education. Because I went to college as a Classics student, I do have a tremendous amount of respect for those who have seen their visions through in academia. Work ethic is a noble quality no matter where it is applied.
But if your skill set requires that you be a creative person, you will inevitably find yourself pitted against the very system that claims to be educating you, and you will wonder why. The reason is because you have not been given the right to choose who you are within that system. You have to figure that out on your own. And when you do, what a bittersweet life it will be that awaits you. All of your love, pain, angst, fear, happiness, and patience will all be thrown in a glob pool made specifically for you to separate. It is not safe. It is not kind. It is the most beautiful thing in the world. It is the most frightening thing in the world. It is self-actualization.
And that (self-actualization) is what our great epiphany must be—all of us. Because, when it all came down to it, perhaps you became the person you were supposed to be, or perhaps you did not, or perhaps still you made a compromise... but you know it, and you must deal with knowing it however is necessary because, at this point, you are probably responsible for supporting the self-actualization of someone else (almost undoubtedly a loved one), and that is in itself a brand new task full of nobility. By doing so successfully, you can still grade out quite nicely, regardless of your own success.
This is my opinion.
LK
1-1-2010