Air date: March 8, 2021
Top Shelf Music has partnered with Eclectic Soundtrax to bring you a new feature series of podcasts hosted by Skunk Manhattan and Victor Ramos. In this episode, we chat with Luke Bellet from Austin-based indie pop band Luke and The Lonely. Originally form Singapore (we think), Luke’s family moved to Nashville where he discovered a passion for music, soon taking up guitar and piano. During college, Luke flirted with performing as a musician, but it was a move to Austin that really immersed him in music.
In 2017, Luke joined The Odbodys as a keyboardist, where he met drummer Nick Tozzo. When the band dissolved, the two decided to start a new project. Sara Louise was asked to join as a singer, and Luke and The Lonely was born. Their hooky, fun style integrates elements of rock, gospel, R&B, jazz and country. The Age of Enlightenment was released in May 2019, with a few singles to follow and another full-length album in the works.
We had a blast getting nearly all of this information incorrect on the podcast as it became clear Skunk had no idea where Singapore actually is… or anything geographically for that matter.
It was also assumed Luke was of French and Mexican decent, his father created a debatably more comfortable version of “the vaccine” and everyone who disagrees with anyone else is literally H*tler. Suffice it to say, this was a fun podcast. Check out the full audio above!
Luke and the Lonely links: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
About the podcasters
Skunk Manhattan:
Skunk is a musician, primarily known as the frontman and guitarist for eclectic heavy-rock band A Good Rogering. Since moving to Austin in 2004, he has recorded and performed with a wide variety of bands and solo artists over a career spanning more than 20 years and has shared the stage with notable acts, such as Skid Row, Marty Friedman, Uli Jon Roth, George Lynch and Metal Church among others. Skunk not only works as a performing musician and recording artist, but also as a producer and music teacher. With two decades of insight into what it means to be a professional musician and a passion for not only music, but comedy and general chatter, Skunk was quick to jump at the opportunity to co-host a podcast with longtime friend, Victor Ramos.
Victor Ramos:
A Texas native, Victor’s early musical influences are a mixture of classic rock albums played by his Vietnam vet father and a whole lot of ‘the Fab Four’ via his Beatles-loving mother. Sprinkle in some classic country and Motown, and you have a man that would say “¿que?” when other Tejanos would ask what his favorite cumbia was. After a stint in the Marines, Victor moved to Austin in 2000 and began working in the tech industry. He met Skunk in a Spanish class in 2005 and the two discovered a shared passion for not only beer, but music. After years of collectively attending concerts and talking music, the idea to start a podcast centering around such topics seemed like a logical endeavor.
Photography by Kaili Rose
Eclectic Soundtrax links: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
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