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Heartbreak, romance and dazzling Hollywood sensibility seeps into the theme of Struts frontman Luke Spiller’s inaugural solo album “Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes & Wine” which will be unveiled April 25, 2025. I call this project the most positive sadness I’ve ever heard because the brilliant and compelling lyrics and music came directly from his heart.
Going from the drama-rock, and fiery glam vibe of The Struts to a more intimate and introspective drama,s Luke replaces guitars with symphonies. Listening to the 10 track album is like the experience having the sudden sensation of “sonder” slowly washing over you. The feeling of capturing the awareness that every person we encounter is living a meaningful and complex life with a unique story just as our own and we are only an extra in their film. This record is Luke’s movie…..
We had a very candid, important and sensitive conversation about the album in the midst of Luke’s LA home adorned with velvet pink and indigo couches……
Eileen Shapiro: This album is one of my favorites . It is over the top brilliant for a lot of different reasons but the obvious question is why a solo album? Why did you decide to do it?
Luke Spiller: That is a good question. During the pandemic I had a lot of time to think, and I don’t mean this as an insult to anyone,wha but I think I was in a place where I was kind of dissatisfied with where I was at that point in my life. I was 3 albums deep with the group. Instead of sort of like blaming everyone and getting a real sort of chip on my shoulder and letting it eat away at me, I took the approach of looking inward. I asked myself what is it I could be doing better? What is it I haven’t done? I very quickly came to the conclusion I have never consistently done a record that was really from the heart. Completely from my own experiences. I was really inspired then to sit down and begin to write what would become a body of work that was just about my experiences with relationships. And I made a conscious effort to not stray away from that at any point. There was no like I want to talk about partying now, or other kind of trivial things. I really wanted to dig deep as much as I could and see this through.
I had to do it under my own name. I just knew I did. Because I knew there was going to be a lot of moments that weren’t going to have any guitar. Wasn’t going to have any drums. I had a very strong vision that I wanted this to be a piano driven album. I wanted lots of strings to enhance the emotion. That’s always going to be a tough sell with a rock band that has a level of expectation and a hardcore fan base that wants you to do a certain thing. I thought it would be a healthy exercise for me to create a body of work that was uninterrupted and uninfluenced by anyone else. I am really happy I did it. I am aligned with you. I think and it is not knocking anything I did in the past, but I do feel like in many ways this is some of the strongest material that I have written and in many ways I also thought it was some of the most original. There are a lot of moments I’ve listened to previous music I’ve done, and I thought yeah that’s really Rolling Stones. I think for the first time in my life I have stumbled across a genre and a way of writing and a sound that is no one else’s but mine. So, I’m really happy.
ES: I agree with you. Not that you’re not amazing. And not that you don’t sing as well or maybe even better than Freddie Mercury. That’s a thing. And I get it. But this album I feel like you put them aside a little bit. You were someone different. So, my next question is, I know there is a backstory for all of these songs. They are all full of romance and Hollywood. I feel like if I pick any song the story is going to be the same for all of the songs so tell me your back story.
LS: In many ways I didn’t go out to write a concept record. But what I found was when I was sitting down at the piano for the most part to write this music I kept writing about a certain time in my life and that was when I made the move to LA. I fell in love and out of love. I think subconsciously whatever it was I just couldn’t stop writing about it. That was very telling that I needed to continue until I got sick of that. And that turned into 13 plus tracks that all told that kind of story. I think that’s why there’s a lot of Hollywood-centric imagery. It is because it all took place there. It was a really great journey. It was wonderful to sort of like the over it in many ways. But yet approach it and dictate it lyrically as well as I could. It proved to be a really great process.
ES: The best line is Marilyn Monroe in the President’s Suite. Who writes that? It was great.
LS: Thank you.
ES: Luke, I feel like you’re still in love with whoever you wrote that album about. I think you are, aren’t you?
LS: I think everyone would like to think I was. It’s a fair observation. I think love is such a spectrum. Sometimes we fall for people and invest into people that are not right for us. Or we meet at the wrong time. It’s a whole sort of like collection of things. But I think it’s safe to say that I can look back now on those memories that come to mind fondly. And I just sort of decided to write a record about it.
ES: I represent a lot of clients that are in the music business. A lot of big composers ,film score composers, stuff like that and they tell me they write their best songs when they’re sad. Do you agree or disagree?
LS: You write sad songs when you’re sad. I would also counteract that as well you can also write amazing stuff when you fall back in love. That is also equally as powerful. I just started a new relationship recently and it is definitely at that wonderful stage where there are so many things left unexplored. This sort of euphoria meets fear. That also is equally as powerful as heartbreak and sadness. There are moments of all of that on this album.
ES: I think this is the saddest positive album that I’ve ever heard. If that makes any sense to you.
LS: Yeah, yeah. The saddest positive album you’ve ever heard. That’s great.
ES: Do you plan to do a tour to support it? Solo?
LS: Yes. I have to fulfill my prior engagements with the Struts. I think there is definitely a world where I will be able to get this out in the open. It’s probably not going to be this year. I think the only thing I will end up doing this year is another residency at my favorite venue. It’s called the Sun Rose. In LA on Sunset. I plan on doing most of the songs on the album with a big band and I will probably do five or six shows. I think it will probably be in November more or less. Maybe even December. But it’s a tricky thing trying to tour and sustain a living from that regardless of being in a successful band like the Struts. It definitely has its challenges. Let alone me starting again. But I definitely would love to do that. I keep getting constant messages about a tour. And I think it will happen at the right moment. This music needs to be absorbed. It needs to be swam in and appreciated and listen to before I can get out there and tour.
ES: I really love the album. There is not a song on it that I would skip.
LS: That’s good news.
ES: Each one is very different. It’s probably none of my business or anyone else’s business but I’m going to ask anyway, were the struts mad at you?
LS: That’s a good question. It’s a fair one. I think there was a mix of emotions. Just to kind of put it in perspective, it is always going to be a difficult thing when you have a collective of people there have been working pretty relentlessly with each other. For the better part of 12 plus years. Me and the guitar player Adam, we have known each other for 15-16 years. There’s always going to be a degree of growing pains when there’s a realization of this person that’s in our Band of Brothers is not investing 100% of himself into what we do. That’s always going to be a difficult thing to accept. I think I’ve tried to approach it with as much grace and respect as I can. I think actions speak louder than words. I made a very conscious decision not to even really talk about or present this to anyone until the last Struts album was recorded. Even now while I’m promoting this record I have also been in the studio with the band. I’m working on new material. I’m excited to do some more tours. So, I think I won’t be able to answer for them, but the way I see it if this was after the second record or even the first I would expect them to be really, really upset but after 12 years it’s just like you know if you’re going to do something you’re going to do something. And I would support them for doing that.
ES: A couple years ago you told me that you weren’t treated well by your first record label. As far as their support for you. Do you feel that way about this album or is it better for you now?
LS: My label agrees to pay for the recording of the album that I wholeheartedly felt that I needed to do. For that they have done more than enough. But it’s like how long is a piece of string. It’s never going to be easy these days for the record label to not only pay for your album and distribute it but also to throw tens and tens of thousands of dollars towards marketing. The musical climate has kind of changed now. There are actually no budgets these days for marketing. It’s all done through social media. And when something’s genuinely connects that’s when you see the labels really pumping money into a song. Or into a project. When it starts to catch fire on social media. I took it upon myself to meet them halfway. The fact that they respected my vision I thought was amazing. I decided to compliment that by spending lots of my own money into the marketing. Into shooting 10 music videos for the songs on the album. That was something that I took on. I knew it would be hard to sort of get more cash and funds to sort of shoot videos and whatnot. I thought to myself, I think I can make this work by myself. I think I have ways that I can generate capital. And I decided to do it. I think it was absolutely for the best. There’s no middleman. No crazy conflicts. It was on paying for this so I’m doing it like this. And it will be handed in and ready to go out. Sometimes when you want something done in a very specific way you do have to do it yourself and put your money where your mouth is.
ES: No, I do agree with you. Like I said it, I represent a record label. I’ve had really big musicians pay for their own stuff. I’ve also had the record label pay for them because they should sometimes. I’m going to ask you this last question because I just don’t get it. Why are you not a household name? I don’t understand it because there are a zillion musicians out there yes. But there aren’t a zillion with real talent. You write your songs and you sing your songs with your heart and your soul. I just don’t get it. I have been following you for a few years. I’ve been very interested in your career because I think you’re very talented. Help me understand.
LS: It’s the million dollar question isn’t it. I don’t really know. If I’m honest it is something I really struggle with sometimes. Mentally. It really gets me down. Sometimes it paralyzes me as far as my productivity. But going back to the very beginning of this conversation I think I was feeling the exact same way 5 years ago. I decided to do something about it. I decided to create an album and showcase myself in a new way. With the intention of connecting to people on a different level. It’s not to gain a certain audience. It wasn’t to become super successful or gain notoriety. There is confusion and sadness that I felt in those moments of self-pity. I decided to do something about it.
ES: I want to wish you luck!!!
Photo Credit: Billy Hess
