Rising Stars: Meet Luke Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke Story. 

Hi Luke, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been involved in music my entire life. At a young age I did church choir and musicals, then in late grade school discovered clarinet, and the rest was history. Throughout middle and high school, I was put in too many positions where the instrument I played was not needed in that ensemble. I played clarinet they needed an alto sax, I played alto sax, they needed a tenor, I wanted to match drum corps, I learned trumpet. There was a year of trombone and bari sax in there as well to round out the instrumentation. From high school, I marched 3 years of Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps on trumpet while pursuing a degree in Music Education at Boise State University. While attending, I was a member of the Keith Stein Blue Thunder Marching band and performed at the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, AZ. Unfortunately, college was not in the cards for me and I ended up dropping out after my junior year. After moving home I attended Metropolitan State University at Denver for 3 semesters and dropped out a second time. 

Around 23, classical music and school took a back burner as I made a living as a server and frequenting karaoke and piano bars around Denver. From there I was introduced to a Dueling Piano company that brought me on as a tour manager, entertainer, and sales associate. After about a year in the corporate entertainment world, and with the passing of my mother, I needed a change of scenery decided to book a one-way ticket to Amsterdam with a backpack and a pocket trumpet and a goal to see and experience the world. 

After 3 months of travel, I received a message from a friend who played trombone from blue knights saying a band in Littleton, CO wanted to add a horn section. After a basement rehearsal to a Spotify playlist, we had our first rehearsal with Float Like a Buffalo. Over the past four years, we have had an amazing ride as we have played Colorado venues such as the Bluebird Theater, the Gothic Theater, Red Rocks Amphitheater as well as many other major venues across the state and country. 

In March of 2020, we were two days into our First National tour when covid hit. After begrudgingly heading home and with lockdown in full effect, I like many musicians turned to the live stream game. My girlfriend Alyssa Montaño and Float’s manager Sarah Shuel founded and ran Rocky Mountain Virtual, voted by Westword Magazine as the best online music festival in Denver, out of our living room. 

After attempting to make some money doing live stream piano events, going back to my dueling piano roots, I realized that I was not cut out for that to be my musical medium in the digital space. 

Thankfully on my 30th Birthday, my girlfriend, Alyssa, organized a fundraiser that allowed me to purchase all the gear I needed to become a live looper (a long-talked-about passion project that I could not afford to make the investment). With some of the financial assistance provided, I was able to spend some time locked in my basement studio learning, writing, and arranging songs to loop. Taking my song knowledge from dueling pianos, and saxophone skills from Float, I was able to create unique arrangements of a wide variety of popular songs. 

Two months later, Loop Story was born. A live looping experience where I perform instrument covers while live looping saxophone, piano, vocals, and beatbox. In the time since the project has started, I have sold out a socially distant performance at Dazzle, been direct support at Larimer Lounge in Rino, along with restaurant and breweries across Colorado. I have recently been filling my resumé with sit-ins, features, and collaborations with Colorado musicians such as Buffalo Commons, Melody Lines, Profetic Calaveras, Ohnokoan, PJ Moon & The Swampers, and many more. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In 2018 I decided to make my living as a full-time musician. That definitely comes with a road full of challenges. My show started as a song-a-long solo piano player, and for every bar that I would get as a consistent gig, I would find that my show wasn’t quite why they were looking for after a few weeks, and would find myself out of work. It took lots of time and practice to hone in my show to play exactly into my strengths and to avoid my weaknesses. 

Another challenge is maintaining a work/life balance between show after show and not taking time for your loved ones and time off for yourself. Pursuit of a musical career is inherently a selfish path that you have to learn to take time for others. You learn to be a better communicator with those you care about if you are willing to do the work. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the core, I entertain. I love performing to an audience and feed off their energy to give it back to them. Whether it’s a piano show, a live looping show, or a float show, I will be dancing as hard as I can in a fanciest blazer you have seen. I truly love being on stage and being able to make music for those who have a desire to listen. I learned in my travels that the key to happiness (from my perspective) is to do what you love with good people. Find your passion and surround yourself with like-minded individuals who will help you foster and grow that passion. 

I am proud of continual growth. everything that myself or any of my projects have achieved has come without hours and hours of practice, travel, arguing, and compromising. Yet after all that, we continue to work, and show up, and keep working to grow and be better than yesterday. 

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Advice to those starting out, never play anything you aren’t confident in the outcome. Even if all you can play is 3 chords, or sing a simple song, or solo in a minor pentatonic, etc. Nothing feels worse than bombing on stage, so do everything in your power to make sure that doesn’t happen. 

I wish I had learned earlier that the relationships your form outside of your projects or bands will do more for your reputation, and growth than exclusively sticking to what/who you know. In such a collaborative city like Denver, you have an opportunity to play with amazing musicians any night of the week if you know where to look. 

Pricing:

• $200-300 brewery/restaurant Loop Story
• $500-$1200 private events Loop Story
• Float Like a Buffalo contact floatlikeabuffalomusic@gmail.com
• 2 Man Cover Band request driven entertainment $400-$1000 bar/restaurant
• 2 Man Cover Band $1500-$3500 private/corporate event

Contact Info:

• Email: lukestory23@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loopstory23/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loopstorymusic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/lstory23

Image Credits
Rocky Montaño Photography
Gab Kaplan Photography