Vince Lujan Project
Denton, Texas, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2005 | SELF
Music
Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 1, 2009
JAM BAND VINCE LUJAN PROJECT
TODAY RELEASES HOLIDAY SINGLE,
‘CHRISTMAS IN COLLEGE TOWN’
Denton-Based Combo Covers a Variety of Influences & Sounds
Austin, TX — Vince Lujan Project, the Denton, Texas-based jam band playing a pop-Latin-soul fusion, releases today, Tuesday, December 1, a holiday single, “Christmas in College Town,” a bluesy original about an empty campus, an empty heart, an empty wallet and not getting home to family — featuring retro sax, evocative lyrics, and wisps of the holiday standards “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells.”
Written by band founder Vince Lujan, it’s a classic tale of the seasonal sadness that college students suffer all too often, penned during a lonely evening in his apartment near the University of North Texas campus thinking about those who wouldn’t get home to family comfort and joy. It’s also homage to Charles Brown’s “Please Come Home for Christmas.”
Listen to “Christmas in College Town” at www.mcguckinpr.com
Lujan says, “At the end of the track you think it’s over, and then something else familiar kicks in and takes you to that special place of holiday goodness when you start to recognize ‘Silent Night’ played over our chord changes. That’s what does it for me. I think people like that in songs …”
He sings: “Once crowded streets, where students used to meet give way to silent nights
No night life here, they’ve gone home, for holiday cheer
“Ain’t nothing so sad in this world I have found
Than Christmas in this college town
“The gifts I would buy, if I could, would help you see
How much you mean to me
But as it is you’re so far away from me
And I’m here stuck in this college town”
“Christmas in College Town” is the wintertime single release from VLP’s August album, ECHO LAB REVISTED, which was engineered, mixed and mastered by producer-trumpet player David Willingham at The Echo Lab in Denton.
Lujan, born in Spring, Texas, was playing guitar by the time he was in fourth grade and since then has studied and mastered the fundamentals of classical, rock ’n’ roll and jazz guitar, formed and led bands, composed and arranged original music, and found a vocal style — putting together what he calls an “interpretation” of music that melds the best of pop, acoustic, Latin and soul.
With him are drummer James “DJ” Montgomery, who cites world-famous self-taught stickman Dennis Chambers as one his inspirations; keyboardist Taylor Ervin, who has developed a unique blend of raw and aggressive organ riffs and melodious piano lines; Buenos Aires-born bass player Mick Cervino, whose early training gave him an interest to combine classical with hard rock; and Brandon Tinsley on mighty tenor saxophone.
Review copies
Contact:
Jill McGuckin, 512.217.9404; jill@mcguckinpr.com
- McGuckin Entertainment PR
"Vince Lujan stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. His vocals were moving, and his guitar work was superb. This is a musician that can be enjoyed by all generations, and the crowd at the Liquid Lounge was definitely responding well. With an angelic voice, Vince wrapped up the Dallas Acoustic Guitar Hero in style. His vocal range and consistency was incredible, and his guitar complimented every aspect of his music."
- Darren Burgfield
Vince Lujan has led his group, The Vince Lujan Project, through more than 12 years of recording and gigging around Texas, which is no small feat for a self-sustaining band.
Vince Lujan performing live in-studio during the May 28th edition of Notably Texan
CREDIT MATT MEINKE
Vince recently paid a visit to the KETR studios and talked with Matt Meinke about the Vince Lujan Project's current crowd funding effort for a forthcoming album, about the difficulties of sustaining an indie band in the current music scene, and more.
More about the Vince Lujan Project is available via their website. Click here For information about the VLP crowd funded album.
Listen Listening...0:00 Vince Lujan talks with Matt Meinke live on Notably Texan.
This interview originally aired May 28th during Notably Texan, which is heard weekdays from Noon-3, and Saturdays 7-Midnight on KETR. - Matt Meinke
The Vince Lujan Project
Start Date: May 17, 2014, 2:30 PM
End Date: May 17, 2014, 4:30 PM
The Buddy Holly Center presents a Pre-Summer Showcase concert, featuring The Vince Lujan Project on Saturday, May 17, 2014, from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. held in the Meadows Courtyard. The Vince Lujan Project will treat the audience to a blend of Rock, Blues, Jazz, Funk, Soul and Latin music. The Pre-Summer Showcase concert is FREE and open to the public.
The Vince Lujan Project is an original band from North Texas, putting a new spin on the ever- evolving, all-encompassing Texas sound by infusing different genres of music. “It's feel-good music with catchy hooks and accessible lyrics” (Vince Lujan Project Facebook).
The diverse group lends a unique style that effortlessly blends into a powerful groove, topped off with dynamic and smooth Rock and R & B vocals. Come to this live show and you'll hear original songs and covers of the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Bill Withers and, of course, Buddy Holly. To learn more about The Vince Lujan Project visit http://www.VLPBAND.com.
For details about the 2014 Summer Showcase Concert Series visit www.buddyhollycenter.org or download the FREE Buddy Holly Center App. - Buddy Holly Center
The last two Thursday night performances in Unicorn Lake's free Summer Concert Series, featuring pop rock group Velvet Army tonight and rock band 11:40 next week, should end on a high note if last week's concert is any indication. Last Thursday's performance by Live Music Records contest winner, the Vince Lujan Project, had audience members singing and up on their feet. The concert was led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Vince Lujan, a former UNT Jazz Studies student originally from Houston, and featured driving electric and acoustic guitar riffs and surprise saxophone solos. The brainchild of Old Fashioned Ice Cream & Soda Fountain, Co-owner Ken Willis said the Unicorn Lake Summer Concert Series happens in front of—you guessed it—an outdoor fountain. Willis said the purpose of the event, now in its second year, is to, “bond with the community and build recognition for the area.” Concert-goers gathered at patio tables, lawn chairs and makeshift seats as servers from Rising Sun Cafe delivered food orders from pink roller skates. Meanwhile, Beth Marie's mascot, the rambunctious “Ice Cream Cone,” made high-energy appearances, dancing, posing and playing with adults and children in the crowd.
The Vince Lujan Project played a mix of original and classic pop, rock, jazz and R&B. Later, we spoke with Lujan, who mused that people often deem their music as “hard to classify because we do so many things.” According to Lujan, band members joke that their music is that “blues-rock-pop-funk-Latin-soul thing.” Lujan himself defines the group as a “singer-songwriter jam band” that crosses “between Dave Matthews and Carlos Santana,” and is “catchy music people can groove to.” Lujan attributes the band's “blended” sound to its fusion of members: “We all come from so many backgrounds, musically.” Drummer James Montgomery, who named his own musical influences as “R&B, gospel and rock,” said he met Lujan at church. After creating the band in 2002, Lujan said he met keyboardist Taylor Ervin and other band members Greg Rochford, Aaron Whitman and Jesus Rodriguez at “various gigs,” including work and church. Lujan said, “We like to think we're putting a new spin on the Texas sound.”
Besides moving to Vince Lujan Project's “sound” during up-tempo songs like “Can't Deny” and “Cooler,” audience members got the chance to contemplate the band's deeper meanings while listening to Vince speak during slower songs. Lujan challenged the social consciousness of listeners, during the group's re-vamped version of “We Shall Overcome.” In “SSLS,” (Sad, Sappy Love Song) the band encouraged listeners to celebrate the times of being helplessly, hopefully in love. Yet another time, Lujan led male audience members in a serenade to their significant others while he sang a cover of The Temptations' “My Girl.” Throughout the night, Lujan seized opportunities to interject his performance with encouraging epithets—a move he maintains is no mistake: “I subscribe to the Christian faith,” the former youth minister who grew up Catholic said. “And believe a musician's job is to transmit love” and to give songs that “sense of justice, harmony, peace and forgiveness.” Lujan said he happily accepted the invitation to perform by series co-promoter and Denton Radio co-founder, Jake Laughlin, because it offered “the chance to spread love and bring people and families together.”
Bringing families and the public together is what the Unicorn Lake Summer Concert Series is all about, according to Beth Marie's General Manager Ashley Meyer: “It is a free family event to get the community involved.” Tonight's concert at the Unicorn Lake shops on 2900 Wind River Lane in Denton, goes from 7-8:30 p.m. - Denton Bubble Life
See link - WFAA
Discography
Echo Lab Sessions
The Echo Lab Revisited
"Christmas in College Town"
"Cooler"
"Sehla"
"SSLS"
Photos
Bio
Redefining the Texas sound; fusing Pop, Funk, Latin and Soul
The Vince Lujan Project (pronounced - 'LU-hahn'), an original band from North Texas, is putting a new spin on the ever- evolving, all-encompassing Texas sound by infusing blends of Acoustic, Pop, Funk, Latin, and Soul. It's feel-good music with catchy hooks and accessible lyrics.
The diverse members each lend a unique style that effortlessly blends into a powerful groove, topped off with dynamic and smooth rock/R & B vocals. Come to a live show and you'll hear nods to (and occasional covers from) the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, and Bill Withers.
The Denton, Texas-based Vince Lujan Project (pronounced LU-HAHN) has been jamming since members started meeting up in 2002, and its sound has become a fusion of acoustic, pop, rock, funk, blues, jazz, Latin and soul — a blend that defies easy definition but brings new energy to what is known as the Texas Sound and featuring an improvisational element that shines up the group’s sound even further.
With each player bringing something unique to the group — different cultural backgrounds they are proud to mix into their music as well as music educations and musical influences (including Dave Matthews Band, Santana, the Mexican rock band Maná, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, John Mayer & Los Lonely Boys) — it’s a mix that turns listeners into fans and helped VLP win the Houston-based Live Music Records’ contest to showcase at the label’s South by Southwest event at Guero’s in March 2009.
Onstage, as band members listen to and play off each other, audiences are carried away by the positive vibe, the energy and the instrumental virtuosity. Band founder and lead vocalist Vince Lujan, born in Spring, Texas, was playing guitar in fourth grade and since has mastered classical, rock ’n’ roll and jazz guitar (and harmonica and trombone), formed and led bands, composed and arranged original music, and found an expressive vocal style.
With him are drummer-backup vocalist James “DJ” Montgomery, an Air Force brat who played his first gig at age 8 and among his influences cites world-famous self-taught stickman Dennis Chambers; and keyboardist Taylor Ervin, born on the Mississippi Delta and raised in West Texas, who began playing piano at age 3 and has developed a unique blend of raw and aggressive organ riffs and melodious piano lines.
Iowan Greg Rochford, on bass guitar and backup vocals, has more than 20 years experience playing with rock, jazz and classical groups, dedicated to technical brilliance and maintaining the rhythm and groove of a song. Saxophonist Aaron Whitman brings an air of jazz sophistication and pop sensibility that adds to the tight grooves and melodies of the overall sound.
Together, members of the quintet create a fresh sound that stays with listeners long after the groove has stopped.
Band Members
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