About

Jonah Luke is a singer/songwriter/musician hailing from Portland, OR who plays playful folk-rock with a dash of a cappella and a pinch of sweet harmonies.  He is also a recording engineer, producer, and lover of big cities.

Jonah’s debut, the I Don’t Need You To Know EP, was recorded by Jonah in his college dorm room and self-released to a small but loyal fan base in Portland and Chicago.  The title track explores Jonah’s love of a cappella and folk music, blending the two styles to create many different sounds with only a guitar, a few shakers, and the human voice.  Other songs in the album include Almost Gone and Something Left To Do Here, call-to-action songs written after his experience studying in the Dominican Republic.

Growing up on Chicago’s North Side, he was fed a healthy diet of Funk, Cajun, and Paul Simon’s Graceland album, and learned to sing and play drums, guitar, piano, and trombone. Jonah started playing in a Cajun/Zydeco band at age 11 and has since been in 4 Rock/Folk bands, 2 orchestras, an a cappella group, and a trombone choir.

At 22 years of age, Jonah has played at some of Chicago’s premiere music venues (Millennium Park, The Metro) and participated in 16 studio albums, including 2 with producer Brian Deck. In 2007 his band The Audians was played on Chicago’s XRT radio.

Recently, Jonah has graced the stage of Portland’s Crystal Ballroom, and opened for renowned singer/songwriter Joe Purdy as well as Portland’s Chris Robley & The Fear of Heights.  He graduated from Lewis & Clark College in Portland in May 2011.

Contact Jonah at jonah@jonahluke.com

Jonah Luke’s “I Don’t Need You to Know EP” is the debut recording from this Portland, Oregon singer. His music on this disc is joyful, acoustic and sunny. Because he backs himself with an acoustic guitar and sings melodic tunes, his music will probably be compared to Jack Johnson. His web site says “Something Left To Do Here” was a call to action inspired by a trip to the Dominican Republic, “So if you want to help out the weak, give to the hungry, help people eat, don’t buy a ticket, just walk cross the street.” “Almost Gone” rests on a bouncy riff with Jonah’s vocals soft & sweet, “Why don’t you stay, We could lie around the house all day, We could sing our favorite songs.” The title track is a bouncy full-strum tune with some “dum dum dee” bubbly backing vocals. This is a good freshman set. Luke’s music doesn’t so much grab you by the collar as it does give you a quick hug and a pat on the back. Enjoy!

- Lee Armstrong, Amazon.com reviewer

“Jonah Luke, a tall, dreamy-eyed Lewis & Clark student whose alt-folk originals attracted a line of 15 or so teenage girls who no longer found the fountain quite so compelling.”

- The Oregonian, Peter Ames Carlin

“Jonah Luke and Friends, kicked off the event with sunny acoustic guitar riffs and two trombones softly crooning along with Jonah’s lyrical wit. The band played old open mic favorites that the crowd was familiar with. Jonah threw in some scat, eliciting much clapping and cheering from the audience. The band’s upbeat melodies and warm harmonies carried the audience into carefree summertime bliss, a rare experience during Portland’s dreary winter rains.”

- The Pioneer Log (Lewis & Clark student newspaper), Hilary Devaney