Luke Top

***LUKE TOP was born in Tel Aviv, Israel to an Iraqi refugee and a Russian-born aviator. Music making was adopted at an early age, serving as the buffer between a distant home turf and a newly adopted land of milk and honey: Southern California. Balancing the collision of identity, religion, and western culture was (and is) a process that has found an artistic culmination on Luke Top’s first full-length musical album, Friends. Mostly self-recorded in a backyard bungalow, it stays true to Luke’s formative roots in California while expanding its imagery beyond the simple evocation of one particular time and place. Up to this point, Luke could be seen and heard in a number of musical configurations throughout the world. Most notably, longtime touring and recording collaborations with friends like Cass McCombs, The Papercuts, Foreign Born, and also as co-founder of the L.A. based Afro-Hebrew dance band Fool’s Gold. (STREET DATE - 6/23/2009)