Luke Schwartz is a New York-based guitarist, composer, and producer. After building his reputation in the New York experimental music scene, Schwartz joined the Glenn Branca Ensemble in the early 2010s, touring Europe and recording Branca's final album, The Third Ascension. Several collaborations emerged through his work with Branca: Schwartz met Greg McMullen (Chris Whitley, Reeves Gabrels) to form Grease Trap, a quartet pushing the boundaries of pedal steel and guitar. He also worked with Arad Evans (Rhys Chatham) and joined Whimbrels with Matt Hunter (J Mascis, Wharton Tiers, Silver Jews), Norman Westberg (Swans), and Steve DiBenedetto. Schwartz is also a member of the Wharton Tiers Ensemble (Sonic Youth, Helmet, Dinosaur Jr., Theoretical Girls, Laurie Anderson). Schwartz led several projects in the 2010s (Hive Trio, Quiet City). During this time, Scott Chayet, former admin for The Cars, took note of Schwartz’s sensibilities and introduced him to acclaimed LA-based musician Rick Cox (Thomas Newman, Jon Hassell, Ry Cooder). Schwartz began collaborating with Cox, and was introduced to film-scoring giant Thomas Newman, as well as Fourth World trumpeter Jon Hassell, both of which led to on-going collaborations. In 2019, Schwartz, Cox, and Hassell composed an epic 30-minute long piece for artist Charles Long that was installed in Tonya Bonakdar gallery in LA. A cut from the piece was released on Hassell's label, Ndeya, with imminent plans for a full release.