LUKE VAJSAR BIOGRAPHY

Toronto bassist Luke Vajsar (pronounced "v-eye-sar") was born in Prague, Czech Republic.  In 1989 he immigrated to Hamilton, Canada with his brother and parents. When given the opportunity to play music at the age of 10 in elementary school, he immediately became interested. Even though he selected bass as his instrument he was given the trombone by his teacher in grade 6 and developed his skills on the instrument to a level where he was an important part in the best of big bands in the city of Burlington, Hamilton and neighbouring regions; winning national and provincial awards through to 1999.  He began playing guitar at this time and kept playing till he finally got his hands on a bass at the age of 13. He transferred his guitar skills to bass playing and became involved with many bands and musicians from his neighborhood. Throughout this time, he became inspired to perform solo as well. Solo bass performances combined with a dose of vocal tracks and the some special guests led to the recording of fourteen albums “Rough Times? Good Times?”,  “In the Loop”,  “Soundtracks”, “Prospect”, “Electric Eel”,  “Solus”, “Quakes”, “Flash Visions”, “Selected Poems by Luke Vajsar”, “Rough Around the Edges", "Insinuation", "Adventure, "Hyenas" and "Intermission". The large amount of recordings and writing sessions is credited to developing Luke’s tone and unique atmospheric sound.   When asked what genre best describes his music  the answer most of the often is “Experimental Lounge” or "Funk, Lounge, Psychedelic" though is subject to change, as being tied down to a particular genre and reducing musical freedom is never an option.  He performs live mostly around the Toronto area solo, duo or trio format and ventures out to Montreal yearly to perform. Luke has also toured and performed in Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia, Poland, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary and even Tokyo Japan.  Luke will often play anywhere as a challenge to explore the effect of his sound in different surroundings and versatile crowds.  He frequently performs with his brother Andrew and/or Avi Iyer on percussion and drums.  Rogers TV show “Toronto Sessions” has called this duo “One of the funkiest bands Toronto has to offer”.  Andrew, Avi and Luke perform every other Wednesday's in Parkdale's Motel Bar.  Luke is also a member of Toronto's drum-n-bass pioneers Codex where he plays bass and backup vocals.  He now resides in Toronto’s Bloordale neighbourhood where he has secured a group of musician contacts and friends that push each other to constantly perform and develop their art to the highest degree.