Luck Out

Luck Out was an American Indie Pop band active from 2003 - 2005 whose members included vocalist Elizabeth Gayder, guitarist Bill Lambusta, bassist Jay Portizo, and percussionist Brian Erickson.

The band is most notable for spawning Lambusta and Erickson's future band, The Paper Jets.

Formation
Bill Lambusta and Liz Gayder met in middle school in 1997. They remained good friends and began writing songs together under the name 'Grounds for Dismissal' in the Summer of 2003. That Fall, they recorded an 8 song acoustic demo as a duo.

On the strength of these recordings, the band joined Lunch Box Records in April 2004. Shortly thereafter, the band changed its name to Luck Out.

Expanding the Band
After seeing Brian Erickson perform at an open mic night, Lambusta approached him to be Luck Out's percussionist/backing vocalist. Luck Out promised their new label an EP - which they dubbed Caution Cable - by the end of 2004.

The Caution Cable Sessions
Lambusta recorded the bulk of the EP's instrumentation himself, bringing in friend Jay Portizo to assist in recording bass and keys. Erickson struggled with his playing, and Gayder was largely dissatisfied with her vocals, leading to unexpected delays.

Songs Recorded During the Caution Cable Sessions:

1. Tradition (Gayder/Lambusta)

2. I Will Fall (Gayder/Lambusta)

3. A Cry For Help (Gayder/Lambusta)

4. Anything's Possible (Gayder/Lambusta)

5. Run (Gayder/Lambusta)

Released Material:

In October 2004, Luck Out released a digital single, "Tradition," with the song "Hearing You Home" (from their 2003 demo) as the B-Side. Additionally, "Traditon" appeared on Lunch Box Records' Add Some Music Volume One CD sampler.

Personnel:

Elizabeth Gayder - vocals

Bill Lambusta - guitar, backing vocals, bass, percussion, producer

Jay Portizo - bass, keyboard

Brian Erickson - percussion, backing vocals, piano+

Touring and Breakup
In addition to many open mic performances around the NJ shore, Luck Out made its formal debut at Lunch Box Records' first-ever MusicFest in April 2004. They continued to tour around the New Jersey shore region through the Summer and Fall with a varying line-up. Brian Erickson joined them for the majority of the performances, and Jay Portizo helped flesh out the mostly-acoustic act with bass at 2 shows.

Following a poor performance at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ in October 2004, the band re-evaluated its status. Lambusta and Gayder promised to continue on and release Caution Cable as planned, but the band ceased to exist as a performing unit. Erickson began to focus on his own songwriting, and Portizo, who acted mostly as a hired gun even while collaborating with the band, continued to purse his own projects.

Luck Out played its final performance with a 2 song cameo at The Internet Cafe in Red Bank, NJ in April 2005. To date, Caution Cable remains unreleased.

Reunions
March 2006:  Gayder, Lambusta, and Erickson reunited for a brief set at Coffee Blue in Belmar, NJ.

October 2008:  Erickson overdubbed piano and additional percussion to the original mix of "Keep Warm," and presented it to Gayder and Lambusta for potential release. While happy with the results, the band voted for the song to remain unreleased.

February 2014:  Gayder contributed lyrics to an unreleased Erickson/Lambusta song called, "Say Your Name."