Glastonbury life magazine 

WRITTEN BY: PETER MARTEKA

Several years ago, Geoff R. Lussier loaded up a car with his music equipment and all the clothes he could fit in whatever free space was left. He departed Glastonbury with his father on a cross-country journey to the bright lights of Los Angeles. It was a big change from being behind those bright lights his whole stage life growing up in town. It was time for the Glastonbury native to step on to the stage front and center - and his comfort zone - by writing, producing, singing and playing all the instruments on an album. And recording his entire journey for a short film. Not bad for someone who always shunned the spotlight and happily worked in the shadows.

“I needed to pop the bubble and leave the state,” Lussier said after considering going to New York City, or Nashville before settling on LA. When he first arrived in LA, Lussier thought he would continue to work behind the scenes. He did odd jobs, - “do what you gotta do” as Lussier put it - including music marketing, gig work, worked as a production assistant and did stand up at comedy clubs. He also had an apprenticeship with Sean Hurley, the bass player for John Mayer. “He was a phenomenal guy who took the time to teach me some studio stuff. I learned so much it was like taking a class essentially,” he said.

But then the pandemic hit and all the gig work stopped and he had to come up with an alternate plan - getting in front of the microphone and actually singing. “I just said I’m going to do thus on my own and sort of make it a portfolio of what I’m capable of knowing all the behind the scenes stuff and trying to be the front center talent. The opposite intention of why I came out here ended up happening. I came out here with the goal of making a team of people that could put together a project and it ended up truly being only what I could do on my own,” he added. “I ended up exceeding my own expectations of of what I was capable of. So I’m not disappointed at all.”

Before he left town he wrote songs, edited and produced an album for singers in and around Glastonbury. He noted it was “an opportunity to grow as an artist, while getting to work with and showcase some amazing Glastonbury talent. I was envious of people on stage,” he said. “I always felt I could do it, but I never really had the chops for it. My voice wasn’t there. But I always had - I’m not sure the Hollywood dream is the right way to say it - but looking at the spotlight I always wanted to try it and see what it feels like.”

His new project - ‘The Heightening’ - is all about Geoff Lussier and “my growth through the period.” It is the culmination of four years of work. An album is coming out in the spring, and a short film over the summer. “I like the project in this point of my life because it was written at the time when I was questioning things. I really want this, but how do I know if it’s good enough? How do I know if it’s even worth it? I’m excited for the future, but I’m also terrified. I was asking all the massive questions you get when you are in your early 20's and it really all came to play in this project,” he said.

He noted that the album is “100 percent written, edited and produced by me. I sing every word and play every instrument.” He noted the film is “100 percent shot, edited and directed by me.” The first shot of the film is while he is in Glastonbury and the last is Lussier at Sawtooth Music Studios in LA. “I’m the only character in the film and I both shot it and star in it,” he said. “It’s great when you can say something is truly your own work.”

He noted the film is about getting to point “A” to point “B” and all the ups and downs that come with it. “It’s not a pretty one by any means,” Lussier said of the journey. “I make a big effort of showing the big moments of ‘What am I doing?’ because I think that’s more authentic. You see so much online of people saying: ‘Fake it until you make it’ sort of thing. I wanted to be more honest about my process because it wasn’t at all glamorous.”

One of the songs on the album is about leaving his hometown and the journey across the country with his father. “I think that song and that moment is perfect because driving across the country is sort of that perfect moment of going ‘Oh, my god what am I doing?’ but also ‘This is incredibly exciting.’ That moment I think set the stage for what the rest of this project was going to say and question along the way.”

The first single from his album came out on Dec. 11 on all platforms including Spotify, iTunes and Amazon and all the proceeds will go to Breast Friends Cancer Support Network. He had an aunt who died from cancer, Jude Callirgos. He called her one of his biggest inspirations for his creativity.

“It’s not the project itself I need to hang on to,” he said. “It’s that it brought me to the place I wanted to get to that is freeing… Now I can release it and you can enjoy it or you won’t… With the time and effort you put in without knowing the outcome I think you have to understand along the way what really made it worth it.”

Lussier is a long way from running cable for choir concerts and designing lighting for his town productions. “I’m already here,” he said. “I did the thing. That’s been a big exhale for me… I’m not banking on the success of this to get me somewhere else. I’m already there.”