Beautiful moments have been created with the soulful voices of John Gift and Luke Vassella on the release of their first joint album.
The music is uncomplicated. There are no backup singers. Instead we hear the exposed voices of John and Luke supported by their skill on acoustic guitars, stomp box, harmonica and tambourine. The mix creates a raw, edgy folk sound.
The opening song titled Beautiful Moments is the first of many that share joy and hope in the midst of complexity. When love and acceptance is present among friends it is like a river that never runs dry.
Both Luke and John are award-winning vocalists in their own right. In April 2008 Luke and John entered the North Coast Entertainment Industry Association (NCEIA) music awards and won the prize for "best acoustic ballad" for their duet performance of Dreamers and Thieves.
Luke has performed as a supporting artist to Wendy Matthews and for Australian country great Troy Caser-Daley. In the past decade Luke has produced four albums that include: Foreign Language, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue, Laments and Praises, and his earliest album titled For Now.
The emotions expressed on this album have a relevance to everyone.
There are some real gems of wisdom to be found in lyrics like "God ain't finished with me yet", "I believe in beautiful moments" and "Life don't have to stay the same, good things happen every day."
As expected each artist has contributed their own compositions to the album. But of greater note is a special group called The Hope Trolley Band.
The Hope Trolley Band are a group of homeless and displaced people who attend the Lismore Soup Kitchen, which is also affectionately referred to as the Lismore Soupie, or The Big Tin Shed!
Lismore Soup Kitchen is a not for profit organisation that provides meals seven days a week to the homeless and marginalised. It has been operating continually since February 1990 financially supported by community donations. Proceeds from the sale of this album will help continue its important work.
John and Luke's association with the Lismore Soup Kitchen has been long standing. John describes his involvement in this way,
"I have been actively involved with the Lismore Soupie for the past four years as Musical Director. It has only been in the last twelve months that The Hope Trolley Band was formed and songwriter workshops were started. We are currently having a short break from the intensity of these gatherings."
This album has a central theme of looking at life in a positive way. This attitude from the patrons is a real testament to the work of the Lismore Soup Kitchen staff and the songwriting workshops.
Luke Vassella came on board with the project as a producer, co-performer with John, and helping to fine tune tempos, keys and arrangements. The five songs contributed by The Hope Trolley Band were completed over five consecutive Monday nights.
Speaking about the impact of being involved with the Lismore Soup Kitchen John said, "It has been great to be challenged on never to judge people. It reminds me never to see yourself better than anyone else because we are not."
This album is a great easy listening album on your own or in company with friends. It certainly is worth being included in your library of music in support of a valuable cause.
A sample of songs from the album can be heard on John and Luke’s Myspace page . Copies can be purchased by contacting .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
