Jeffrey Lutes:  

Jeffrey Lutes, Director Clear Soul Productions British Progressive Psychedelic Art Rock ORCHESTRAL ROCK Tributes to the BRITISH "ART ROCK" BANDS! SUCH AS Pink Floyd, Yes, The Moody Blues, King Crimson, ELP, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, etc. . . . . . . THE CLEAR SOUL PRODUCTIONS STORY CLEAR SOUL PRODUCTIONS. . . PIPERS WAITING AT DAWN'S GATE by Kathryn Hoffman Baley ( 22 September 99 ) Once in a while one stumbles across an enchanting place where the senses are stimulated and the subconscious is teased into submission. Sometimes the internet can be the catalyst for this type of adventure, and what one finds is an oasis for the mind to take pause and listen to a piper sweetly luring one to take a peek at what is beyond. Several months ago, I found such a place. A sweet site dedicated to the preservation of the great Art Rock Bands of the early 1970's, and the man whose vision it is to continue the legacy into a new age of music. JEFFREY LUTES is the man whose SOUL is CLEAR SOUL PRODUCTIONS, and it is through his eyes this tale is told. I have had several conversations with Jeffrey over the past few weeks, and what became apparent were his humility and passion. If antiquity of the Soul is the fountain of youth, then Jeffrey encountered his eternal light when he found his first instrument. Gentle genius sometimes is sleeping, but Jeffrey arouses his by foregoing ego for art and allowing the artistry to be the epitome of his energy. In an age when music has become a money pit and has the shelf life of a MTV video, Jeffrey and CLEAR SOUL PRODUCTIONS are the pied pipers politely waiting at the gates of a new dawn. My interest in reviewing Jeffrey was that he symbolized the frustration that many artists feel today about the direction of popular music, and how he and the CLEAR SOUL team do not compromise their vision for a regurgitated version of their dream. Most of us never listen when the piper beckons us, because we have forgotten how to dream. Sometimes though, a gentle breeze blows into our minds and awakens the visions that dwell beneath our reality. True artists allow their dreams to become the extension of their inner selves, and they boldly wear this spirit upon their sleeves. JEFFREY LUTES and his aptly named troupe of artisans, CLEAR SOUL PRODUCTIONS, clearly remind us that we should listen when the piper plays his tune. Jeffrey had the courage to pursue a vision without compromising his ethics or diluting his dream. After all..the soul of ROCK and ROLL is its vision... What is the concept of CLEAR SOUL and how did it get started? Jeffrey: The heart of Clear Soul Productions, centers on a dozen or so British "Art Rock" bands, that began in the mid to late '60s. Many of which are still recording and touring. Such as The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Yes, Jethro Tull, ELP, King Crimson, Procol Harum, and so on. We plan on producing a series of Orchestral-Rock-Opera Tributes to these bands. We've already done two shows here at the Lyric Theatre in Stuart, Florida. And the plan is to eventually tour the shows around. I myself am a musician and song writer. I've been in bands since '67. And I truly feel that I've learned more about music and lyrics from these artists, than any other source. And I've studied all forms of music. Hell... for that matter, I'd have to say I've learned a lot about life, all the way round. Somehow, the people writing the lyrics to this music seem to be keen observers of the world, and it's relation to nature. As to how Clear Soul started; I was disillusioned with the music business as a musician at the beginning of the '9Os. Very depressed indeed. I needed to start something I could be involved with that would help me feel alive again. So one evening in '91, I sat down with a pen, and a large pad of paper... and just planned out the whole thing. Including our main project, which is called "The Divine Subconscious A Special Rock-Opera featuring the music of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, and Syd Barrett "It was logical to plan this show first, because I had been out on every Floyd tour from '72 to'94. I made some good friends with some people that have worked on the tours over the years. And I learned a lot there too! Now I want to transform what I learned into something unique. And I am! What is the most difficult challenge you have faced there? I'd have to say that would be the general ignorance of some of people who happen to be in the Board of Directors of a couple of the South Florida theaters... I'm sorry to say. Many of those people are involved with some of the symphony orchestras I'm trying to work with. And there seems to be a lot of pseudo-snobbery with some of those board members. It's unbelievable, how much energy I've had to spend, just trying to get a little cooperation and backing from these people. And many of these board members are car lot owners and such, who know nothing about show business! But they like to be in these theater boards, because it makes them feel like they themselves are stars! This overblown ego crap from them, has really slowed our progress with these projects. Just unbelievable! Other than that, keeping the general financing of these projects going, is quite a challenge too. But anything worth while always seems to be quite a challenge... doesn't it? What would you like to see added? Well, I want Clear Soul to be like infinity. I want to keep adding everything from ancient chants, to classical music, to '40s big band music, to rock music, to very futuristic sounds. And I want our audience to experience all of this in one night! I need it all to keep my mind happy! HA! HA! HA! A lot will be added along the way. And it will all be centered around British Art-Rock and some American Art Rockers too. These are the people who blew the doors wide open for us. What direction do you see CLEAR SOUL taking for the coming millennium? The main goal for Clear Soul in the coming millennium, is to scout for more young up and coming new original Art Rock bands and music writers. We already have a roster of these types now. And we want to promote them. I myself have a back log of about 20 years of original music and lyrics I need to record and promote. And I'm writing and creating all the time. But I want Clear Soul to promote as many artists as it can, who are truly trying with all they've got, to use their minds and imaginations. Clear Soul is about expanding minds. It's not about making me look special, in particular! It's about expanding EVERYTHING! And we DO like some beautiful simple things too! We want that range, from the very simple, to the very complex. What is next? Well, a couple things that are coming next, I can't really talk about, publicly, yet. But we'll be talking about that very soon. We've already produced a Pink Floyd theater show and a mind blowing Frank Zappa theater show. And I can tell you some of the things that are coming next. Like our Art Rock variety act, called "The Wild Elephants! Art Rock Review and Preview" which will feature music from most of the British Art Rock bands, some American Art Rock, and other crazy stuff. "Wild Elephants!" is meant to be our Clear Soul house band. Kind of like The Alan Parsons Project or King Crimson, where the musicians in the band keep revolving. That way I don't get stuck performing with the same musicians all the time! HA! HA! HA! And sometimes Wild Elephants! Can be ...Expand for more