It’s the kind of plotline you might expect from a Hallmark movie: The hero is head-down in his work inside a Corporate America job until life throws a curveball and the world is turned upside down until a forgotten talent reemerges, bringing unimagined joy and great personal satisfaction.
That’s exactly what happened for one former Southwest Michigan community leader who, during a COVID pandemic-related quarantine, discovered a new outlet for performing musically in front of large and increasingly larger audiences.
Brett Lutz is a former senior director at Whirlpool Corporation and still-active member of the local arts community. He’s been recognized for his volunteer work in Southwest Michigan, performed in a number of shows produced by the Twin City Players, and until December 2023 served as the chair of the board of directors at Benton Harbor’s GhostLight Theatre.
Five years ago, Lutz left the area for an opportunity in Chicago. While he’s still working in Corporate America, he has continued to seek opportunities to connect with people through the arts.
For people who like to be around people, COVID was like someone trying to prematurely close the curtain on a great performance. For Lutz, it became a moment of discovery.
“I was locked in my basement. When I had COVID, I was there for a 10-day period and pulled out an old dusty keyboard and started playing around on it. I thought, ‘Oh gosh, this is a lot of fun.'”
Lutz’s daughter attends the School of Rock Chicago as a performer and one day, following his COVID quarantine, Brett happened upon a school posting from a tribute band looking for a keyboardist.
“I applied and talked to this band who was (covering) The Cars and I said, ‘You got to be kidding me. That’s like my youth. I loved listening to The Cars… I mean that was like my MTV generation.”
Lutz says he tried out for the band, competing against several other keyboardists and somehow made it through.
“Last year, probably February or March, I became their official keyboardist and we’ve been out touring around the suburbs here in Chicago and now getting outside the state because, believe it or not, a lot of people still remember who The Cars are and love their music.”
In fact, The Electric Cars will be playing The Acorn in Three Oaks on Saturday, February 24. Lutz says he’s inviting his former colleagues and friends in the area because, of course, it will be a fun show, but also because it’s important to actively support the arts in the area.
“It’s incredible the amount of talent we have in the community, and quite honestly, the amount of places that you can actually see that talent perform, whether it is on stage at GhostLight, Twin City Players, various theaters in and around the Southwest Michigan area, it’s top notch stuff and it’s great to be a part of that.”
Lutz currently resides in the Chicago area with his wife Melissa, daughter Matilda, and son Finn. He says the real reason he’s able to join a tribute band is because his wife thought it was a better midlife crisis result than buying a motorcycle though he admits, “She’s rethinking that.”
For more information on The Electric Cars, you can check out their Facebook page. For performances at The Acorn, you can view their website for regular updates.
Still picture above, The Electric Cars band members (from left) Jim, Tom, Brett, Pete, and Gary.
Click the video at the top of this article to see the full interview.
