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Mr. Lucas Goes to Washington in Tribute to the Czech Velvet Revolution

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Gary just returned from a highly successful concert on Nov. 17th at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, DC in a tribute to the 14th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. A frequent visitor/performer in the Czech Republic since 1993 where he debuted his live score to accompany the 1920 film "The Golem" at the Reduta Jazz Club (scene of Bill Clinton's famous sax playing), Gary was invited by Czech ambassador Martin Palous to prepare a special musical tribute to commemorate the 14th year of Czech independence, known as the Velvet Revolution.

After spending months working on intricate solo guitar arrangements of music by famous Czech composers and artists, including Dvorak, Smetena, Janacek, and Gary's friends the legendary avant-rock group The Plastic People of the Universe (with whom he has performed with in NYC), Gary premiered his concert to a very enthusiastic full house at the Czech embassy to an audience which included Ambassador Palous and his family, the Hungarian Ambassador Andras Simonyi, Gary's cousin Marjorie Stabbe and her son Brian, and many DC area Lucas fans.

A delicious catered reception was held after the hour long concert in which Gary received many accolades from concert-goers won over by his folk and blues-driven acoustic take on traditional Czech classics such as Smetena's "The Moldau" and Dvorak's "New World Symphony", as well as his very psychedelic electric guitar rendition of The Plastic People's "Magic Night". The tribute concert concluded with some of Gary's own original compositions (Gary is of Bohemian descent, on his father's side of the family).