Lucky Thief is Ed Jefferson, a Bristol-based rock multi-instrumentalist who has written and recorded everything you hear on his debut album, aptly titled DIY.
Crafted over three intense years, DIY, recorded at Humm Studios with Dom Mitchison (Heavy Lungs, The Manatees, Pet Shimmers), mixed by Ky Witney (The Naturals) and mastered by Pete Maher (Pixies, Jack White, The Rolling Stones), is the result of his ambition to produce an authentic album that reflects himself and what he believes in. Single releases from his debut album have received airplay from BBC Introducing in the West, and have been included on several playlists on Spotify Official, Tidal and Amazon. We had the pleasure to speak with him to discuss the importance of music, his advice for Benslow students and more!
Ed, thank you for agreeing to speak with Benslow Music. Congratulations on your career to date. For readers who are unfamiliar with your background, how were you introduced to music?
I was introduced to music mainly through my friends around age 13. We were all starting to listen to nu-metal, the classic bands such as Maiden and Metallica and were starting to go to gigs. We were constantly trying to find the newest ‘coolest’ record to outdo the other person and watched Kerrang! religiously. We were all so receptive to hearing new music then, and it was great to just listen to everything and see what resonated with us. For instance, I loved Linkin Park, but at the time Slipknot seemed too heavy for me.
Please tell us more about your journey to becoming a musician, and the importance music has played in your life.
I’m self-taught for all of the instruments that I use in Lucky Thief - guitar, bass, drums and vocals. So, for me listening to records and trying to mimic the parts when I was young was how I got better. I started by playing drums to tracks with headphones on and eventually after a few years decided to try guitar as my younger brother was already playing it. I started singing last, and that didn’t come as easy as the instruments. Music is pretty much the most important thing in my life. I have to create and listen to it to keep my mental health good. It’s something that I love to do and brings me so much satisfaction and release.
Please tell us more about your history as a band leader and your name ‘Lucky Thief’
This has been the first time I’ve been a ‘band leader’ and had a live band playing the parts which I’ve written. It’s a learning experience and relies on listening to them and appreciating that there will be different opinions and personalities. There have been a few lineup changes to get to this point, and I’m so happy with the band I’ve now got. With the name ‘Lucky Thief’, I wanted to use an oxymoron to highlight the play between something positive and possibly coming out of something bad.
Benslow Music provides inspirational lifelong learning for all ages. What advice would you give to budding musicians, particularly young students of music?
Personally, from being self-taught, I would encourage students to experiment with their sounds and find what sound sounds cool to them. Theory is useful, but having a distinctive style is probably more so. I would also say that if you’re finding lessons stressful, take a break and come back to it. Music needs to be fun at the end of the day, so if you’re finding it not to be, it’s okay to take a break.
You recently released a critically acclaimed album ‘DIY’. Please tell us more about the origins of the project
I spent three years writing and recording it at Humm Studies in Bristol with Dom Mitchison who produced it. My old housemate Ky Whitney mixed it and it was mastered by Pete Maher. In terms of studio time, I don’t think I spent more than a day and a half on one track so we worked very hard on the days we were recording!
What projects are you currently working on?
I’m currently in the process of writing my next album which is exciting. Me and the band are also constantly working on our live shows and getting more gigs lined up for 2024.
Where can we find out more about you?
You can go to my Instagram which probably best captures my journey, all the way from when I didn’t have a band and was writing tracks before the album.
SOCIAL LINKS
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lucky_thief
Facebook: www.facebook.com/luckythiefmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5EBQSUsEgydYqDUemZ8i2g?si=PaSv19bjQ1eTqfApOMHIOQ