Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew L. Lucas.
Hi Andrew L., thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I was seven, my dad took me to a mom and pop music store in my hometown of Morristown NJ, where he purchased a mini Taylor Acoustic that still sits in my childhood bedroom to this day. My first guitar teacher ever was Mr. Andrew Chiurazzi, who told me after two years of working him that I was outpacing what he could teach. I then enrolled in School of Rock in Chatham NJ, where things really began to take shape. For many years I studied under Mr. Matt Moliti, who was one of the most knowledgeable, versatile, and technically proficient players I’ve ever encountered. It was when I was a teenager that I really fell in love with the instrument and performing. I had the opportunity to go on multiple tours through SoR, and I knew pretty quickly that that was the life I wanted to live.
When it came time to graduate high school, I had one school on my mind and that was Berklee. I remember saying to my senior year pre-calculus teacher that I didn’t have to try in that class because I was going to be a professional musician (I later regretted saying that because she was a wonderful person, but I was ultimately right). My experience at Berklee is one that I get to reflect on in a positive light. The people whom I have met there continue to be some of my closest friends to this day, and the opportunities that the institution gave me were insurmountable to someone experiencing a professional life in music for the first time. From getting to record my arrangements with a full big band, to having my arrangements played live at the Berklee Performance Center and Agganis Arena, to getting to play guitar for MARIS at Boston Calling, it was a whirlwind of a time.
The next logical step in my journey seemed to land me in one place, and that was Nashville. This town has been my home for going on two years now, and while it will be a stepping stone to bigger things, I am extremely grateful for the opportunities and experiences I’ve had while living here. My time here has shown me that I can believe in myself, that I can build a career in the music industry, and that I can achieve anything I put my mind to. Those dispositions don’t come naturally to me, so to fully believe that now I must thank the town that proved it to me.
I had the opportunity to go on my first full US Headline tour with MARIS & Caroline Kingsbury in the fall of 2025. That was the opportunity I had dreamed about for years and years, and it exceeded all of my expectations. I was enthralled with seeing parts of the country I had never seen before, playing a different stage every night, meeting and interacting with new fans, and delivering the love and happiness that I so deeply feel on stage to the crowd. I recently got to team up with Caroline for Chicago Pridefest 2026, which was a massive party with one of the biggest crowds I’ve played to. In the fall, I’ll be joining MARIS back on the road for her “MOSH PIT” tour, which I am absolutely ecstatic about.
Here in town, I’ve had the opportunity to be the guitarist and music director for Matthew Orgel, an up and coming pop artist. I am a very creative person, but lyrics are not my strongsuit. Chords, melodies, and rhythms have always called to me more, and getting to create a set from scratch with transitions, hits and lines just happens to satisfy my creative itch. I also am super proud to work at School of Rock Nashville, where I get to help kids and adults alike achieve the things they thought impossible. My students inspire me to be a better teacher, player and performer every day.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. There have been internal and external struggles that have complicated things along the way. In college, I had been so focused on arranging that I fell out of love with guitar. It was a burden to pick up that instrument, especially when I was surrounded by some of the most insane players on the face of the earth. I was frankly intimidated, and I let it get the best of me instead of focusing on myself. I’ve always had what I like to call “comparisonitis” where in my mind, other people have better jobs or are getting better gigs or are making more money, etc. It’s only been recently that I have been able shut those thoughts down relatively quickly and move on from them. But it’s in those moments of comparison where you learn about yourself, and where you can learn to frame it as inspiration rather than degradation.
Externally, I have faced numerous rejections. Hell, I’m still being rejected to this day. It sucks when you get a “no” but it sucks even more when you don’t even get an answer after putting all that time in. Yet instead of dwelling on the negative, I’ll give a summation of a Twilight Zone episode I watched while drinking at Ernie’s in East Nashville. A con man gets shot, dies, and is subsequently visited by someone who he believes to be God after this man gives him everything in life he ever desired (ie. women, booze, good luck while gambling). He is at first enthralled with this idea of obtaining everything he wanted and winning all the time, but then it begins to wear on him that there is no more excitement in his life. My point in bringing this up is that rejection sucks, but it makes it all the more worthwhile when you finally get a yes. If you won all of the time, you never learn and you never get better. Rejection makes you better.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Around town, I wear many different albeit connected hats. The thing that most people know me as is a guitar player. My first love is performing, and I’ve had the most experience in that field since moving down here. As I mentioned I was on my first US headline tour in the fall of 2025, and until recently, I was involved with a tribute band that toured around the South and Midwest for the past several months. I’ll be joining MARIS back on the road as her guitarist for her “MOSH PIT” Tour in October and November.
Through my guitar playing, I’ve also had the opportunity to track guitar for several artists. Session work is one of my favorite ways to spend my time, because I am able to express my creative input through the riffs and licks that I write for others.
One of the most wonderful opportunities I’ve had while being down here is being the Music Director for Matthew Orgel. His music is catchy, punchy, and it deserves to be remembered. That’s why producing his shows is so important to me. I get to plan a show from start to finish, creating intros, outros, and transitions, all while prepping and running tracks. Creating the arrangements that go into these shows also brings me so much joy because I get to sprinkle a little of my musicality into the set while paying homage to his hard work and creativity.
The last hat I wear is as a teacher. As I mentioned before, I’ve been extremely lucky and proud to work at School of Rock Nashville. One of the most important values to me has always been continued learning, and at SoR Nashville I get to impart knowledge on my students all while learning new ways of thinkings, new ideas on the fretboard, and how to become a better teacher everyday. When one of my students says “oh, that makes so much sense now” or “I’ve been working on that solo and got it faster than last week” a gratifying smile comes over my face. The job has taught me a lot, and I don’t think there will ever be a period in my life where I give up teaching.
One of the best pieces of advice that I ever received was this: “If you have two of these three good qualities, you will get hired over and over again, with those qualities being reliability, amicability, and exceptional musicianship.” I pride myself on being able to offer all three to whoever hires me. I am a workhorse because I love it. Nothing brings me joy like bouncing around on stage or getting in the weeds on an arrangement or ripping a nasty solo on an artist’s track. One of the best compliments that I’ve recieved time and time again is when artists and musicians say “thank you for caring about my project as much as I do.” That just adds to the warmth I feel being surrounded by people in this industry everyday.
People often ask me what my end goal is. I’ve known what the answer was for as long as I could remember, but couldn’t put it into words until recently. I want what I hear in my brain to be interspersed throughout the music industry. I want people to find out years down the line that “Andrew L. Lucas ripped the solo on this famous pop song” or “Andrew L. Lucas MD’d for this person.” I want people to know my sound and my style even if they know it’s me playing or not. Ultimately, I just would like to be heard. My hero is Steve Lukather, as I’ve spent many hours studying his playing and versatility. I want to emulate his career of hard work and professionalism across many settings with as many different people as possible.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t believe that I’m a lucky person. Every time I’ve been to Vegas, I lose money. Yet the idea of luck is pervasive throughout the music industry, as many artists credit or discredit their success to it. I believe that the better term is “happenstance”. Happenstance, coined by one of my favorite authors Thomas Hardy, is a state of being, where all the different factors and measures of work and progress you’ve put in converge together when the universe needs you most. You can’t force happenstance, but you can prepare. When you continually work on yourself and the the areas of your life that you hold near and dear to your heart, there will come a time where the universe needs you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.andrewllucasmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewllucas/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AndrewLLucas
