Luckie Strike Explained

Luckie Strike
Landscape:yes
Alt:Black and white photograph of the band Luckie Strike circa 1999. Members features left to right: Andre, Melanie, Kevin, Liz. Photograph by Cynthia Jones.
Caption:Black and white promo photograph of the band Luckie Strike circa 1999. Photograph by Cynthia Jones.
Origin:Sacramento, California, U.S.
Years Active:1996-2002
Past Members:
  • Kevin Sur
  • Melanie Levy
  • Andre Gallardo
  • Liz Salmi

Luckie Strike was an American punk rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1996. As a female-fronted band, their sound received attention, and both positive and critical reviews.[1] Luckie Strike faced challenges on the road, including a stolen van in 2001,[2] leading to a temporary hiatus and eventual disbandment in 2002.

History

Early years

Motivated by a sense of not fitting in, Melanie "Mel" Levy (vocals) and Kevin "Bubba" Sur (guitar) sought a creative outlet for imposter syndrome when they founded the band Luckie Strike in 1996.[3] Teaming up with bassist Andre "Dre" Gallardo and drummer Liz Salmi (née Beidelman), the group established roots in Sacramento, California.[4] On the formation of the band, Sur was quoted as saying, "Me and Mel (Levy) were very ambitious. We had a lot of big ideas about what we wanted to do with our lives." The search for Salmi, then a high school senior, and Gallardo, who had relocated from Davao City in the Philippines to Sacramento, took eight months of auditions.[5]

Original releases (1997-2001)

Luckie Strike released their first full-length album, Geekcore, on Pork N Beans Records in 1997[6] [7] (a label founded by members of the ska punk band Mealticket). A 1998 review of Geekcore stated that the band, "evokes the spirit of Tilt, delivering a punky and assertive sound that seamlessly blends the loud and rocking elements with clever touches of swing... a remarkable accomplishment for an emerging band on an independent label."[8]

In 1998, Luckie Strike released the four-song EP, Have You Seen Me?, on Tomato Head Records.[6] [7] Levy was awarded a Sacramento Area Music Award (SAMMIE) for “Best Female Vocalist” by Sacramento News & Review in 1999.[9]

Following more than a year of touring across the United States, Luckie Strike released Future Is Turning in early 2000 on Tomato Head Records.[7] The album was produced by Grammy Award Winning producer/engineer Dennis MacKay (David Bowie, Jeff Beck, Judas Priest, Paul McCartney).[10] Logan Whitehurst (of Little Tin Frog, The Velvet Teen, Logan Whitehurst and the Junior Science Club) is listed as a "musical technician" in album credits.[7]

Six months after the release of Future Is Turning, Luckie Strike released The Mercury Project on Fastmusic,[7] where the band continued to work with MacKay and Whitehurst. A review posted to PunkNews.org critiqued Luckie Strike for being, "one of those bands that are not sure what it wants to play."[11] However in the same review, "One cool thing about this band is that the singer is a girl... and has a really good voice that is capable of doing a decent melodic emo, and an awesome raging hardcore scream."[11]

While most of Luckie Strike's music has not yet been released on streaming services, "New Dress," was released on the Disarming Violence compilation album benefitting survivors of domestic violence, and can be found on Apple Music and Spotify.[12]

Stolen van, theft of master recordings, and break up (2001-2002)

Luckie Strike had their touring van and instruments stolen while on tour to promote The Mercury Project—and in a 2016 interview on the 3 Gigs Podcast, Levy explained, "We had a tour van with a trailer attached... with all of our equipment and the whole thing was gone."[13] Soon thereafter, Luckie Strike’s master recordings went missing at Hyde Street Studios, which the band attributes the missing recordings to a theft by a former manager. At their peak, Luckie Strike performed approximately 150-200 shows annually, and the theft of the van and recordings dealt a significant setback. Reflecting on the challenges, Sur remarked, "We've been through so much that, really, not much could stop us. It's what we have to do. It's just like breathing for us. We have to play music. We absolutely love and enjoy what we do."[14]

Luckie Strike disbanded in the summer of 2002. In Season 4 of the 3 Gigs podcast, host Dominic Davi (Tsunami Bomb) commented on Luckie Strike's worth ethic, stating: "They were intense. They worked harder than any band I have ever met... before or since. I don't care how hard you think your band worked. Luckie Strike worked harder."[15]

Advocacy work

Six years after their break-up, Luckie Strike drummer Salmi received a diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor (brain cancer) in 2008.[16] Lacking medical insurance at the time, Sur and Levy collaborated with the band's network of friends under a banner of "The Liz Army" to raise funds for Salmi's medical costs.[17] Benefit concerts were organized around northern California, ultimately leading to a reunion concert that included the original and current members of Tsunami Bomb, including original vocalist Emily Whitehurst.[18] [19] Emily Whitehurst, a friend and tourmate of Salmi, had her own personal experience with brain cancer, having lost a brother, Logan Whitehurst, to the disease two years prior.[20]

Post-Luckie Strike activities

After Luckie Strike disbanded in 2002, guitarist Sur moved to Seattle, Washington.[21] He went on to form the band Indian Valley Line,[22] and found Artist Home, a company of "culture makers, community builders, and event producers" that serve the Pacific Northwest,[23] recognized for founding Doe Bay Fest and Timber! Outdoor Music Festival.[24] Sur is a DJ for Seattle's KEXP where he hosts a program amplifying voices of Indigenous people.[25]

After 10 years living in the Bay Area, Levy returned to Sacramento and launched Melanie Levy Fitness, which aims to help women make long term, mental and physical changes in their lives through movement.[26]

Gallardo, now based in San Diego, California, is a product designer and art director. He continues to write songs and play music against his better judgment.[27]

In the mid-2000s, drummer Salmi went on to play with My Merry Malady[28] and Angoramachinegun. After being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2008,[29] Salmi shifted her focus to patient advocacy.[30] [31] She became a researcher affiliated with Harvard Medical School,[32] specializing in facilitating collaborations between clinicians and patients in research co-design, and co-leading the OpenNotes initiative.[33] Her work is published in journals including JAMA Open, the BMJ and the New England Journal of Medicine[34] [35] [36]

Members

Former members (1996-2022)

Guest members at live shows

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

7"s

Tapes

Cover songs performed

Recorded

Played live

Unreleased songs

Compilations

Videos

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Oomie . 1998-03-02 . Luckie Strike – Geekcore – Review Lollipop Magazine . 2023-12-30 . en.
  2. Web site: 3 Gigs: Episode 70: Mel Levy - Luckie Strike on Apple Podcasts . 2023-12-30 . Apple Podcasts . en-AU.
  3. Web site: Luckie Strike Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More . 2023-12-26 . AllMusic . en.
  4. Web site: Luckie Strike . December 26, 2023 . Discogs.
  5. Web site: Sauro . Tony . Overcoming some bad luck . 2023-12-26 . The Stockton Record . en-US.
  6. Web site: Luckie Strike Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More . 2023-12-30 . AllMusic . en.
  7. Web site: Luckie Strike Songs . 2023-12-30 . Genius.
  8. Web site: Oomie . 1998-03-02 . Luckie Strike – Geekcore – Review Lollipop Magazine . 2023-12-26 . en.
  9. Web site: Review . Sacramento News & . SAMMIES . 2023-12-30 . go.newsreview.com . en.
  10. Web site: Dennis MacKay . 2023-12-27 . en-US.
  11. Web site: Punknews.org . 2002-04-17 . Luckie Strike - The Mercury Project . 2023-12-26 . www.punknews.org . en.
  12. Web site: Spotify . 2023-12-30 . open.spotify.com.
  13. Web site: 3 Gigs: Episode 70: Mel Levy - Luckie Strike on Apple Podcasts . 2023-12-26 . Apple Podcasts . en-AU.
  14. Web site: Sauro . Tony . June 1, 2001 . Overcoming some bad luck . 2023-12-26 . The Stockton Record . en-US.
  15. Web site: Season 4 . 2023-12-31 . 3 GIGS . en-US.
  16. Web site: Brock . Matt . 2018-10-10 . Inside Health Care Episode #010: Liz Salmi, OpenNotes . 2023-12-29 . NCQA . en-US.
  17. Web site: In honor of someone living with cancer . 2023-12-29 . The Liz Army: Bringing punk rock to health care . en-US.
  18. Web site: Punknews.org . 2009-02-24 . Tsunami Bomb / The New Trust / Nothington - live in Petaluma . 2023-12-26 . www.punknews.org . en.
  19. Web site: Meline . Gabe . January 14, 2009 . Exploding Again: Tsunami Bomb take the reins for one final blowout . 2023-12-26 . Metro Silicon Valley.
  20. Web site: Beck . John . December 6, 2006 . Original Velvet Teen drummer dies . 2023-12-26 . The Press Democrat.
  21. Web site: Meyers . Sean . 2022-08-25 . The Music Man . 2023-12-26 . Seattle magazine . en-US.
  22. Web site: Peggy, Sonoma, and a Boxcar, by Indian Valley Line . 2023-12-27 . Indian Valley Line . en.
  23. Web site: Artist Home . 2023-12-25 . Artist Home . en-US.
  24. Web site: Timber! Outdoor Music Festival Carnation, WA July 21-23, 2022 . 2023-12-25 . Timber! Music Festival . en-US.
  25. Web site: DJs . 2023-12-26 . www.kexp.org.
  26. Web site: Melanie Levy Fitness - Your Fitness Angel . 2023-12-26 . melanielevyfitness.com . en.
  27. Gallardo, Andre (December 27, 2023). "An Interview with Andre Gallardo". Andy Nguyen's Vegetarian Restaurant (Interview). Interviewed by Liz Salmi. Sacramento, CA: Personal interview.
  28. Web site: My Merry Malady . 2023-12-26 . My Merry Malady . en.
  29. Web site: Womack . Graham . August 27, 2019 . Status Check: Out in the Open . 2023-12-26 . . en.
  30. Web site: Lauletta-Boshart . Laurie . March 17, 2015 . The Next Wave . 2024-02-04 . Comstock's magazine . en.
  31. Web site: Christian . Sena . May 16, 2017 . An Open Book . 2024-02-04 . Comstock's magazine . en.
  32. Web site: Liz Salmi . 2023-12-26 . scholar.google.com.
  33. Web site: Communications & Patient Initiatives Director . 2023-12-30 . en-US.
  34. Steitz . Bryan D. . Turer . Robert W. . Lin . Chen-Tan . MacDonald . Scott . Salmi . Liz . Wright . Adam . Lehmann . Christoph U. . Langford . Karen . McDonald . Samuel A. . Reese . Thomas J. . Sternberg . Paul . Chen . Qingxia . Rosenbloom . S. Trent . DesRoches . Catherine M. . 2023-03-20 . Perspectives of Patients About Immediate Access to Test Results Through an Online Patient Portal . JAMA Network Open . 6 . 3 . e233572 . 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.3572 . 36939703 . 10028486 . 2574-3805.
  35. Salmi . Liz . Blease . Charlotte . Hägglund . Maria . Walker . Jan . DesRoches . Catherine M. . 2021-02-18 . US policy requires immediate release of records to patients . BMJ . en . 372 . n426 . 10.1136/bmj.n426 . 1756-1833 . 33602667.
  36. Salmi . Liz . 2022-12-08 . Deciding on My Dimples . New England Journal of Medicine . en . 387 . 23 . 2110–2111 . 10.1056/NEJMp2210418 . 36472944 . 254241390 . 0028-4793.
  37. Web site: Luckie Strike on Apple Music . 2023-12-26 . Apple Music - Web Player . en-US.
  38. 4 19 97 Blockbuster, Smokejumpers, The Creeps, Luckie Strike @Boarderline Warehouse Sonora CA . 2024-07-06 . Boarderline Warehouse Sonora CA . 2024-07-28 . YouTube.

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