HCA Happy Hour: The Songwriting Internship Spotlight
You already know that First Fridays at the Harrison Center are special. What goes on during the Fridays in between is a treat for whoever happens to be around at 4:00. We gather for snacks, fellowship, and some place-based music. And where does this music come from?
Every summer we put our Sound Cave to use (bonus points if you know where it is) and a songwriting intern creates music that celebrates place.
Tuttle performing his place-based music at First Friday
This year Indianapolis resident and musician Luke Tuttle is spending ten weeks writing songs inspired by urban Indy. Originally from Fishers, Indiana, Tuttle finds what he calls an “oasis of culture” in Indianapolis that provides him with the creative outlet he couldn’t find elsewhere. However, this does not mean he had no channel for his musical talent before moving downtown. His parents encouraged him to begin piano at a young age, and around that time his cousin learned guitar. Since, they have become a two-piece band called Dream Chief, formerly known as John and Luke. Dream Chief generates electronic synth pop music that aims to “bring about deeper emotions to [their] listeners”.
Dream Chief performing at the Independent Music + Art Festival
Tuttle is now striving to make the same effect in the songs he produces for his songwriting internship. Formerly he saw the melodic aspects of a song such as instruments and vocal sound to be more moving and important than lyrics. Now, in keeping with the theme of place, he has been challenged to see the value in words. This involves thinking more deeply about his topics and seeking out the, “exciting stories underneath the mundane”. He’s now several weeks into the project, and we all enjoy hearing what his hard work has produced over M&Ms and chips on Friday afternoons. You have to be here for the refreshments, but you can hear what he’s written and recorded so far here.