By Jolene Holland- Contributor
Here We Go Magic bloomed from the heart of singer/songwriter Luke Temple, and over the past year and a half, it has evolved into an ensemble, working together and inspiring each other to play and create great music. After pulling together a group of musicians to record songs which Temper wrote, the band released a self-titled album as Here We Go Magic in March 2009.
Temple has spent the last year and a half touring with fellow band members Michael Bloch, Peter Hale, Jen Turner and Kristina Lieberson.
Here We Go Magic began as Temple’s solo project. It was through this process that Temper realized the need for the addition of permanent band members. While his musicianship was turning heads, Temper said his “[solo work] never felt holistically together.” The music he wanted to write encompassed more than he could create himself.
Here We Go Magic’s 2010 album, “Pigeons,” incorporates steady builds and explosive moments, truly showcasing the abilities of band membership. “Pigeons” created buzz in the music scene when it garnered critical praise that led to an intense touring schedule, including gigs at some of the most prestigious summer festivals.
Looking to build off the buzz from 2010, Here We Go Magic plans to write and record another album this winter.
Temper excitedly described how the writing and recording process will be entirely different now that the group has come together as a “true band” that influences and shapes the creative process. However, he remains the principal songwriter.
“My songwriting has changed because I don’t have to necessarily flesh the whole song out myself,” he said. “I can keep it really simple. I trust these guys enough that I know they can come up with their own idiosyncratic voice to get our sound happening. So in that way, they are writing the songs because everyone’s arrangement is just as important as the beginning, with me just sitting in my room with an acoustic guitar.”
After playing over a hundred shows this year, Temper feels the band has learned how to trust one another’s musical abilities as well as inspire each other to test untouched waters. He said the winter holds great possibilities for the band’s next album, while the members have time to “cross all our t’s and dot all [their] i’s” before recording again.
“In the next record we do, we really have the window to check that stuff out,” he said.
Listen to Here We Go Magic at myspace.com/herewegomagic.
