LucienLaMotte

About the Artist

I am a San Francisco Bay Area composer, guitarist and instructor who is interested in collaborating with other musicians to create new sonic environments. In past efforts, I have played guitar for the funk/rock group The Unknown Jeromes with drummer Jason Tabosa and bassist Scott Clay, as well as played in the world music ensemble Brother Sun, fusion ensemble 650 Connection and Afro-Bebop group the Pascal Bokar Band for former Dizzy Gillespie guitarist Pascal Bokar. I have had the privilege of sharing the stage with artists such as Chaka Khan, Ziggy Marley, Don Carlos, The Temptations, The Whispers and the O'Jays. Most often I can be heard playing jazz guitar in combo settings. I am interested in combining folk/Americana elements with jazz harmony, improvisation and electronic textures. The music for my album When You Go is influenced by the sounds of Country and folk music with vocal harmonies reminiscent of the Beach Boys.

I am currently working in a jazz fusion trio playing jazz standards as well as my arrangements of popular tunes such as "Norwegian Wood" and the Police's "Murder by Numbers." In this setting we focus on the improvised elements of my original jazz charts, giving us a chance to really "play out," and feature the songwriting elements of my material influenced by Americana and Alt. Country elements. The high level of performance skill in this group allows us the freedom to move between the variety of musical styles we enjoy, while maintaining the highest standard of artistic integrity.

Band Members: Me, myself and I. Lucien LaMotte - acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, lap steel, pedal steel, bass, keyboards, harmonica, voice, drum programs.
Influences: Pretty much everything under the sun, but here are just a few...Songwriters - The Beatles, Neil Finn, Slaid Cleaves, The Boss, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Beach Boys...Guitarists - Bill Frisell, Allan Holdsworth, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Tuck Andress, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Van Halen, Steve Vai...Composers - J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorak, Debussy, Bartok, Stravinsky, Lutoslawski, Kurtag, Ginastera...and the list grows everyday...
Record Label: Unsigned