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Luke Wotawa

@lightbeing_music

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followers

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LA based drummer & musician
Certified Trauma-informed care & recovery coach
Bandleader of @lightbeing_music
Drummer for @ancestral_awakening_

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September was incredibly busy with session drumming. I recorded drums for 2 full length metal albums, drummed and provided backline for a black metal show and drummed for a singer-songwriter showcase. Plus ~8 rehearsal dates and teaching.

Thanks to all of you who have chosen me to be your drummer and for placing your trust in me to work on your music. I’m having the time of my life bringing all that I am to these performances and recorded works and I’m so lucky to work with artists whose work ethic inspires me and whose music I LOVE. I know not everyone gets to make the music they would sincerely enjoy listening to, so it feels rare I get to be part of these highly intentional creative processes.

I also had a really important job interview, had a birthday, rescued an injured seagull, and fit in a short vacation with @jen_shark_

Exhilarating!!! But I’m exhausted! The past week has been a time of odd sleep patterns and self care. Showing up for the basic home responsibilities, some exercise and qigong because my body seems to love the movement, staying tapped in with my mental health resources, but doing little else beyond that.

Slowing down and cooking meals from scratch because when I’m in the busy workflow I reach for convenient eats and I pay for it with my health…

Also visiting with friends and family I haven’t seen in a while too helps me feel restored too, because running my own recording sessions and practicing drums I’ve begun to notice is extremely socially isolating and I’ve discovered I’m highly susceptible to agonizing levels of loneliness. If we’ve chatted or connected at any point in time even in comments or DM’s however brief i appreciate you so much!

Reflecting on this past restful week because I’m ready for more. I have availability for drum lessons / music mentoring (did I mention I’m a state certified behavioral health coach?) and also available for session recording and/or gigs for October November and December. Let’s go! by @lightbeing_music

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3 days ago

First pass on this song intro I recorded last night making some good progress on this full album. I’ve been recording super late at night because that’s when it’s the most quiet and my neighbors aren’t rehearsing.

I tried this part probably 20 more times before I was fully pleased with how it sounded and felt trying out all possible stickings for the “two 16ths and one 8th” part. I ended up sticking with RRL RRL, but this was the only one I filmed.

Oh and it was 80 degrees inside! But I keep the AC off while recording. The things I do in order to achieve the best quality recordings I possibly can! by @lightbeing_music

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9 days ago

Quickly noodling on the compact rehearsal kit before I convert this room into Metal Drum Recording Zone, which will take up the entire room for the next few days!

This little 4 piece with my lighter @paistecymbals ride (blue bird ride) fits nicely in the corner and I hosted a recent rehearsal with a group of 5 fairly comfortably.

It’s very inviting and even if I didn’t intend to come in to practice today, I’ll often sit down for 10 minutes and invent some sort of rhythm/time/counting brain puzzle. When I can finally play it and logically make sense of it I feel accomplished and move on to another task, such as today I’m setting up to record songs for a full length death metal album.

The metal recording setup is a 5 piece with double pedal, 2 crashes, 2 chinas, sometimes 2 hi hats, a 22” power ride and a splash. The part that takes up the most space is the mics and stands, and it comes with its own logical puzzles and decisions that feel rewarding in their own creative-executive way.

I was really pleased with the results earlier this month recording for @ancestral_awakening_ new music on 15 channels! Getting good organic tones with fresh batter AND resonant heads, and multiple room mics.

I don’t REALLY know what I’m doing, like I can’t explain the electrical/acoustic sciences of things, but (humble brag incoming) I’ve been lucky enough to pick up some really good habits from people who took the time to show me through the years how to produce some really clean audio recordings and I’m just grateful I get to do this every time. by @lightbeing_music

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22 days ago

Whether it’s a crowd of 5 or 5,000. Let’s see those horns! I’m joking, maybe…This Saturday we play at 8pm, at Que Sera in Long Beach.

Ancestral Awakening with new music this Saturday at Que Sera in Long Beach

The deets @ancestral_awakening_ taken in Que Sera by @lightbeing_music

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a month ago

10 years of “Fight Or Yield” by @themightyconjuror by @lightbeing_music

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2 months ago

Mortician goes hard on the SSL by @lightbeing_music

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2 months ago

AM >> PM … 2 separate sessions in the same day. can you spot the difference?

@kiwiseltzer @alfthemadscientist the artists that you are 🙏 always grateful to be part of the music with you guys, I feel so grounded anytime we get back in the room together.

Also I’m forever stoked to get to use some of my own @paistecymbals plus the house supplied a set of signature reflector hats. Fun! taken in Musicians Institute by @lightbeing_music

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3 months ago

Posting a thing soon that took me a really long time 🫠

Can you tell I’m excited about the whole posting and social media part?

I love music and giving my life and energy over to it with a great sense of purpose yet I resent the industry for what it has been reduced to.

I want to perform with and for groups of people to connect IRL and be an instigator of memorable meaningful good times.

What is music for, to you? by @lightbeing_music

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3 months ago

Multiple stick breaks at the same section of the song while recording. It was going so well, 🥲cracks me up!

The full edit is coming along… it’s the most editing-heavy performance video I’ve ever made with video from 2 drum angles, guitar, bass, vocals + backgrounds, Keys …

Part of me wants to re-record the main vocal line because I know I could give it a more spirited performance than the first go, where I was still learning the lyrics… but I also just want to hurry and finish, and move on to the next thing!

Projects like this take me a while because I’m also working on original material as a member of 4 amazing bands right now, with other new opportunities in discussion. I’m also seeking and applying for work in the field of behavioral health where I hold active CA state licensing as a Peer Support Specialist. I need to stay busy to make this dream work!

These different bands range from dark-pop indie punk- pop singer songwriter black metal so when music starts releasing and shows are announced there’s something for everybody.

I believe in all these bands with all my heart mind body and spirit, and give them all 110% when I’m with them and when I’m practicing on my own. How? I don’t really know… it gives me life to get to play the music I love. I’m really lucky and grateful that I’m not settling for gigs but rather I’m playing music that moves me, sharing quality time with people I enjoy being around, and I’m motivated because I believe in the power of good music making people’s lives better as it has always done for me. by @lightbeing_music

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3 months ago

Metric modulation within a metric modulation: In this cover I played it mostly true to the original, but in this part I accented the triplet pulse as well as the 1st and 3rd beat pulse in 6/8 before going to the 4-over 3 section

I did this by hitting the ride with Jazz dynamics, thinking about when my teacher told me to hit way harder“move some air with it” transferring energy to make the cymbal build up all the frequencies of the instrument as well as the pronounced stick sound.

Jazz training taught me to hit hard with more intention and purpose, not just hitting hard for the sake of it or for the “outlet of anger” or any such optics misunderstood by onlookers

My teachers also taught me the importance of being able to explain what you played in order to overcome the age old stigma that says drummers are just dysregulated people who hit stuff randomly. Curiosity, refinement, and mentorship are the musician’s journey that have trained the lifelong learner in me, to express musical ideas with confidence.

If you seek to articulate with more intention and expand your musical vocabulary I teach private 1 on 1 lessons, all ages, multiple instruments & voice but drums are my number one. Scheduling now for Summer! #metaldrummer #drumteacher #musicmentor #metricmodulation #progmetal taken in North Hollywood, California by @lightbeing_music

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4 months ago

#bts A one man band multi-instrumental full song cover vid but make it fun and a little dangerous!

This might’ve been a sketchier idea than my kickflip challenge vid I made for my last single.. Recovering adrenaline junkies have needs!

#blackmetal #lametal #peavey5150 #metalcover by @lightbeing_music

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4 months ago

Does anyone remember when I posted a poll, asking what type of content you would enjoy watching if i made it, and you all picked the option “HUGE DRUM SET” …?

In my studio I have 2 bass drums and 5 toms from a Pearl Export Select ( ELX, ~2005 Black Burst finish) that I typically keep set up as 2 drum sets, for teacher and student in an educational setting.

Nevertheless, here’s a time lapse of me combining the 2 kits into one. It’s been a good 5 years since I’ve played on a monster contraption like this 😂 it’s a lot of fun though because I’ve learned a lot of things in that time.

Anyways… BIG THINGS COMING SOON

#pearldrums #paiste by @lightbeing_music

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5 months ago