Lucas Lawson

Lucas Lawson is a young singer/songwriter who grew up on a farm just north of Santa Cruz, California. Lucas’s upbringing on an organic farm exposed him to the balance and harmonies that all living things have to offer. At a young age, Lucas began attending bluegrass barndances on the farm, where he first learned to play the guitar alongside local group, the County Line Pickers. When those sadly came to a halt in March of 2020 due to the threat of a growing pandemic, Lucas found himself writing songs more than ever. A few of those songs he recorded and produced himself to form his debut EP: Revisited Harbor. 

In August of 2020, the CZU Complex fires, a wildfire that spread 86,509 acres across the Santa Cruz Mountains, reached Lucas’s home and the surrounding landscape. A few days after a lightning storm sparked the flames, Lawson’s family and neighbors faced evacuation orders as the flames climbed over the ridge towards them. The lasting impact of the fire embedded itself into Lawson’s music, as he processed the loss he and his community had faced. "This Dirt," a tribute to all that was lost to the flames, was the first of many songs that emerged from the remains scattered around his home. Lucas begins the song by singing about his home and his expectation that part of it would be taken from him. The lines, “Well this burning / it opened my eye,” coming after, “Light a candle for your loved ones / light a candle watch it burn,” speak of loss from the wildfire and of a community working toward recovery. The second verse of the song dives into Lawson's frustration with our country's lack of effort in protecting our Earth. Lawson pays his respects to the land through transformative lyrics and heartfelt melodies, forging a bond with listeners who have endured struggles akin to his own. 

“This Dirt” set an example and became the foundation for the rest of the songs on Lucas’s debut studio album This Dirt. Music has led Lucas on a journey of self-acceptance and social awareness. The person, Lucas, coming through this album has gone through a lot of personal healing and growth to get here, and now more than ever, it feels exciting and important to him to bring these tunes into the world's arms. This dream has been cultivated not just for Lucas’s sake but to bring to light to some of the injustices and problems we all face. Lucas teamed up with producer Mike Formenti of Quilted Fish Records in the spring of 2022 to bring these songs to life. Lucas walked into the studio with all 10 songs written but only a couple of the songs fully arranged and ready to be recorded. The studio gave him a place to explore the songs and mirror the instrumentation with the intention in his lyrics. 

With the world as it is today and the majority of Lucas’s musical outlet having been oriented around live performance and community gatherings, this recording project was important for him to keep moving forward. Lucas shares “It's also crucial to me that I, as an artist, use my platform to contribute to meaningful change in our world.” 

• Website: https://lucaslawson.com/