It was in 2006, when I was watching the old Stanley Kubrick film, "Spartacus". I don't know what it is about the love theme from this movie, but every time I hear it, I just want to sit down and play the piano. So, at about 3:AM in the morning, I sat down till noon the next day and wrote "Kamillya's Theme". If you listen closely, you can hear a subtle influence from the films theme. 

Many ask me just who Kamillya was, assuming she was an old love interest. She was just as gorgeous as her name, but to put it simply, she was just a friend. I asked her if I could use her name for the piece and she was ecstatic about it. Shortly afterwards, I had moved to Spokane WA. Despite my efforts to find her, I have not seen or heard from Kamillya since. 

The piece was used in Aaron Warr's film, "College Debts", a comedy about a college student eager to do whatever it takes to come up with the money to pay for his tuition.  Kamillya's Theme has been one of my more popular creations. It is humbling to receive requests for its sheet music from all over the world. You can purchase it at the Sheet Music Store at lucaskirbypiano.com 

Some times, at least for me, a project can last an eternity and never reach completion. I had been writing this piece for my girlfriend at the time, and during that process we had broken up. It wasn't an easy time for me. As with most "Muggles", when it rains it pours, and I was fighting some other battles that had surfaced as well. It is odd, the forms that inspiration will come to us. What was intended to be a romantic piece of music, ended up coming to fruition through the pain caused by the end of that relationship.

And so, with my new found pain and desperate need to move on, I completed "Clarity". I named it this, not because I had reached that point yet, but because I knew deep down that someday I needed to find it. After time passes, it is brilliant to look back at our sorrows and realize how they helped us grow. I wrote the following poem during that time to reflect on everything I felt and all that I attempted to do in order to move on. I was getting into piano technology at the time - a much needed new aspect of my life that would help keep my mind off the loss. I'll tell you this much. Losing a relationship is hard enough, but losing contact with the children involved in that relationship, is on another level.

"Fixed in a world new. Today begins time. Swallow shards of past. Longful nursery rhyme. Cranking strings of steel. Fingertips to keys. Attempt to learn the poor boy, who's heart could never freeze. Save to memory a Gem. For sparkle it no more. Holds it in his pocket. Fate knows not its store" - Lucas Kirby

"Before the Storm" is my interpretation of the calm we often feel after making a decision to do something we know or think will benefit us, regardless of how difficult the process will be. It is proceeded by the difficult trials that seem to always lay ahead.

Just because something is right, doesn't mean it will be easy. In fact, in my life experience, it is often the harder decisions that become the correct ones. 

The intro contains the first 20 seconds to the old popular song "Cherish The Love" by Kool and the Gang. My parents used to listen to this all the time and it was always stuck in my head - a good example of the influential impact music can have on us as children. 

" The storm will rage; the quicksand, swift. And to every thunder there is a silence " - LK

*Interesting side note: About a year after I wrote Before the Storm, I was emailed a link to a Discovery Channel - type documentary in Japan about the Yakuza Mafia. It was an interview with an ex Yakuza soldier who was telling the story of how he lost his finger. The ex-soldier was silhouetted in the background with cigar smoke floating in front of the camera while my piece of music was playing in the background. The subtitles described how he lost his finger, which he held up into the light.

The reason he lost his finger was because he had been caught eyeing the wife or girlfriend of one of his superiors. So, they chopped it off. I was blown away!

I contacted the company that made the film, thanking them for at least giving me credit for the music, but asking them if they'd please contact me in the future if they wanted to use my music.

Shortly after that, I was never able to find that clip. Perhaps I scared them or gave them the wrong impression that I was going to seek legal action for using my music without permission?

To this day, I regret sending that email, because I'd rather have the music and video of that moment to look back on.

So, there you have it. Before the Storm was used in a Yakuza documentary about a guy who got his finger chopped off for looking too closely at his superiors girl. What a story!

"No Moment to Spare" was what I would like to call "forced inspiration". Film producer, Aaron Warr, had contacted me asking if I would release licensing rights to "Kamillya's Theme" to be placed in his film project "College Debts". He had also asked if I could write two more piano pieces specifically for the film. I was more than happy to oblige. The music needed to be finished by a particular date, and with my wonderful talents of procrastination, I just couldn't come up with anything. So, I forced myself to sit down at the piano and create something that I thought would be worthy of his depiction of the film. And so, after a couple days of nothing but sitting at the piano writing music, the title came to me fairly easy. 

This piece is important to me. It was the first time I realized that sometimes you can't just wait for inspiration to come, you have to create it yourself. I'd like to think that this goes along the same lines of that old saying "work hard and luck will follow". I couldn't agree more.

When I think of this piece, I often think of Michele McLaughlin's ability to crank out music like a machine. She is quite the inspiration when it comes to putting out material. She puts the "business" in "music business", no doubt about it! Michele is a friend of mine she's quite the example to follow in this industry.

Now... if I could just start producing more music, maybe my fans might be a little more happy, ha ha!

I don't think I need to tell you what time of the year this piece was written. After moving to Spokane WA, the year after brought some great experiences. I was happy, doing well, and making a lot of new friends in the area. One thing about me, however, is that I do get melancholy at times, especially when holidays are about to come about. This sadness arises when I'm missing friends and family from back home.

It had been the first year I had ever been away from home this long, and while life was good, some moments warranted feelings of sadness. I had made the realization that I am truly on my own. Not in a negative sense necessarily, but in the sense that I am my own person and only I can control what I do with my life. This is a powerful transition, and while ultimately a positive, it becomes time to let go of some of your past, so you can move onto the future.

September is my farewell to that past. Later on, the piece would be featured at the beginning of the film "Her", by film director and producer Michael Santana. 

"For every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" - Ecclesiastes 3:1

After a 4300 mile bicycle ride across the United States, I was filled with more inspiration than I could imagine. "From Within" is the only piece that I wrote to commemorate that journey. I met some of the most amazing people along the way. It was a time in my life that taught me that our lives should not be judged by the amount of money we have, the cars we drive, or the worldly success that we achieve; but by the things that we do to push ourselves beyond what our logic and emotion tell us. 

One particular thing that was a constant reminder for me was that every day will bring us peaks and valley's. While riding through the Ozarks of Missouri, I was taught a term by a truck driver that I had met. I was so exhausted from the constant climbing and descents. I had told him how crazy the last few days of rollercoaster roads had been.

His exact words were, "those are called PUD's son". "PUD's?" I asked. "Yes", he said. "Pointless Up's and Down's". Boy, if that weren't the truth! I think life is full of "PUDS". Often times they are necessary, and often times we bring them upon ourselves. But, it's how we get through those peaks and valley's that define who we are. I wish I could say that I took all those lessons and lived by them to the tee. You always think that such an ambitious adventure will change you for the better and that you'll never forget. Time has a way of blending in the old with the new. And if you don't constantly do your best to remember where you came from, then you're often dooming yourself to forget what you've learned and go right back to where you started.

But quite simply, that's life. We forget, and it is that forgetfulness that is our constant reminder that we need to get back on track.

"From Within" was featured in the comedy film, "College Debts", with the late Academy Award Winner, Celeste Holmes and Janet Caroll

I love film - especially epic ones that depict people in history who influenced our world. "Immortal Beloved", by Bernard Rose, is is one of my favorite films of all time. Beethoven, played by Gary Oldman is getting to the point in his life where his realities are setting in. According to the film and from what I've learned of him, I think they portrayed his discontentment towards these realities very well.

During the film, Beethoven is trying to convince someone of the power of music. He is telling a small story about a man trying to get to his loved one, but is unable to do so because his carriage is stuck in the mud. He says "this is the sound of his agitation", and later says that this feeling can be captured by a composer and the listener has no choice but to be hypnotized by the composers intent.

Later on in the movie, another character is reading Beethoven's music, and explains to another "This is the sound of his insanity". Those quotes hit the nail on the head for me. Having left a career position, as well as some frustrating moments with a girl I had been chasing; as well as my questioning of who the genuine people in my life were - I just had to get those feelings out.

Sometimes, you feel that you just can't take anymore. It is these moments that change us either for better or worse. I wrote "The Sound of His Insanity" to portray this feeling. To me, insanity is the constant feeling of wanting something that you simply cannot have, and the inability to move on from it. It is all of the emotions combined followed by the obsession of the need to get rid of those feelings; but in return, the obsession to want to hold onto them. Confusing Welcome to "insanity"! This is one of my favorites to play and one of the most requested sheet music requests I get. You can buy the sheet music at the sheet music store at lucaskirbypiano.com

"It is the capacity of our love that is capable of sending our minds into the depths of hell". - LK

I wrote Dreams when I was 13. It's funny what a Jr. High crush or two will inspire a young kid to write. As typical as that may sound for a teenager, I was a pretty passionate kid back in the day! Quite frankly, although I've learned to simmer them, I suppose I still am to this day.

To put it simply, this Jr. High crush lasted long after even high school. At the risk of embarrassing myself, I'll admit that Dreams had several stages in its development. For years, I called it "Walk Through Heaven" (holy moly, that's corny!). Then it changed to "Heavenly Dreams" (even more corny!), until finally, it became plane old "Dreams".

"Dreams" brought me to an epiphany later in life: For those consumed in passion and emotion, are often surrounded by those who are likely not to understand or reciprocate these feelings. The reality is that us artists unknowingly wear our hearts on our sleeves, some more than others. The sooner one understands this, the easier it is to handle the difficult reality-check that most of the world simply doesn't work this way.

" But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams ". ~William Butler Yeats

As with everyone, there becomes a time in ones life where the world is crashing down and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Of course, the struggle often becomes even more difficult when you do try to stop it. Followed by a break-up, just a couple days afterwards, I had found out that I would be losing my job. The economy had tanked the piano business and it was not a good time for many. With those two events back to back, I knew I was in for it. Unfortunately, the storm was just beginning. About a week later, I had needed to see the doctor for some chronic throat infections that would not go away. As a vocalist, these throat infections pretty much destroyed my voice. They had been going on for a couple of years and the doctors didn't know what was causing it. We tried everything. We did suspect, which I believe to be the cause, that the horrible pollution of Salt Lake City, especially in the winter time, was likely the culprit. I had been used to living away from the area for enough years, that returning proved to show just how nasty the air in that city really is. Don't worry Salt Lake, I still love you!

Of course, not too long after, I had visited another specialist for yet another issue that proved to be an illness that I'll keep private. Nonetheless, my world was crashing before me and I had no way of processing all that was going on. I felt that I was going through it all alone with no-one to communicate with about it. It was the darkest my life had ever been. When you go through something alone like that, you learn that in this world, you are truly the only one responsible for your happiness, regardless why you are in your current situation. I'm not sure there was any other way to learn this lesson, but it was the most difficult one I've had to learn so far. While trying to find motivation to fix the things that I did have control over, all I could think about was the loss of my previous relationship as well as the child that was involved. I didn't care that I was sick, and quite frankly, I really didn't care to continue on. 

"Into the Abyss" is my story of these moments. It was the only way I could express what I was really feeling inside, and I hope that you can hear it through the notes. I'm happy to say that I'm healthy again for the most part. The throat infections are gone, and as of now, the other illness is as well. It hasn't been easy, but I can say that after a couple of years, I've started to see the light at the end of the tunnel after trying to dig my way out of the state of hopelessness and depression that I believe hits all of us at some point in our lives. Of course, being an artist, normal emotions seem to be very amplified, more-so than most. So, it's difficult to not take things so seriously, even though often times, they are not nearly as extreme as they seem.

The following is a poem of a boy who finds himself in hell. He was brought there by events that he didn't seem to have control over (the widow.. or black widow). The voice he constantly hears, which nags at and haunts him for what seems to be an eternity, reveals itself to be the boys own self torment, guilt and regret, which gives him the motivation to finally leave his fox hole and find his way out of this world of hell.

Light hath passed away. Exist it will only in memory. He who hath entered does so unwillingly - A voice echoes the Void: "The Widow's venom brought you here, boy. Now you will dance!" The Void, unbearable. Emotion, paralyzing his limbs ambitions to stride.  "To hide is forbidden. You will seek me!".  Darkness surrounds rivers of fiery holocausts. Heat scorches his skin as the boy digs his fox hole for the ages to come. The Voice echoes the Void:  "Life or death, boy?"... "Tis Life I choose!", he cries.  "Then face it or continue the cowardly grave you dig. Seek me or reside here for eternity!" Now, rushing the black inferno. Whips of fire break the flesh, dashing, into the nothing. The Widows venom rallies its strength to rape his will. Desires breath is robbed from his exhaustion. The boy pursues the Void's echo... "Where are you!?".... "I am within, boy!". Insanity attempts its permanent residency. A mirrored mask appears within the white pool of flames. The boy observes his disbelief...  "You!?"... "Yes!".... His synonym now revealed. "Forever hath passed, boy. The Widow's venom brought you here. You have danced... now Live"  - Lucas Kirby