Lucas Penner has always loved Halloween.
After an eight-year stay in Toronto, the Penticton-raised musician has returned home and, for his first project, released a Halloween-themed single and video.
“So Well,” is being released today (Oct. 27, 2020) on Spotify, Apple Music and all other major platforms with a lyric video to follow on YouTube on Thursday.
“For the music video, check it out with an open mind,” Penner said in an interview. “It’s very Joker-inspired… dissenting into madness. I’ve always loved (musician) Tom Waits, early (animator) Don Bluth, and villain songs from Disney movies. It’s about the acknowledgement and acceptance of your own shadow side, to show you are capable of darkness in order to not blame everything outside of you.”
Penner was the sole writer of the single and for the production, he involved contributions on artwork and production from as far away as Toronto and Ottawa. Sound effects include a leaf blower, a printer from Penner’s theatre school in Toronto and the washing machine at his parents’ home.
Penner, 30, is best known locally for playing the male lead in three musicals presented by Soundstage Productions. As a teenager, he fronted the trio Chasing Red Lights. He later attended the University of Toronto and theatre school at George Brown College.
Sharing an apartment in downtown Toronto with other artists, his projects included writing music for five shows, including his own “Circles,” inspired by “Dante’s Inferno.” The show was set at an open mic in hell.
He also played shows at several of the big clubs, including the legendary Silver Dollar, which has now closed.
COVID resulted in Penner returning to Penticton and it made him reprioritize his career options.
“I’m in a good spot. It (pandemic) forced me in a different direction and ended up helping me long term. There’s a lot of things you can do outside of a big metropolis. I’m working on establishing a better social media presence. I’m sitting on 40 songs