Luca, from left: singer/multi-instrumentalist Nick Luca, bassist Chris Giambelluca and drummer Paul Ellis.  

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Nick Luca, 36, is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer and studio musician.

For the record: Nick Luca the man fronts Luca the band, formerly known as the Nick Luca Trio.

Luca the man has been a mainstay of the local music scene for a dozen years, but if you think you know Luca the band, think again.

Luca the band's "Sick of Love," released Tuesday, is like none of the albums that came before it.

Gone are the jazz grooves and studio wizardry of old. In their place are straightforward hook-laden pop tunes sprinkled liberally with rock elements — and musicians. Joey Burns, John Convertino, Howe Gelb, Tony Furtado, M. Ward, Chris Scruggs and Jon Rauhouse all have cameos. It's only fair; Luca the man has appeared on more than 50 albums for other artists thanks to his roles as an engineer, producer and studio musician at Wavelab Studio.

"Sure, I could play something, but it's nice to have a different voice, a different idea, something I wouldn't have thought of," Luca said. "That's the beauty of working with all those different musicians. I also think what makes 'Sick of Love' an interesting album to listen to is a lot of those other little parts that were created by those other musicians. They put their signature on it."

Why did you change your band's name? "The sound really kind of changed. The others (albums) were pretty mellow and jazz-piano-based, and the new stuff is more rock 'n' roll and more live."

How did the change in sound happen? "A lot of it had to do with playing live. Just being a live band, you kind of have to balance that with your life in the studio, where you want to play with all the toys and go kind of crazy. As we started playing out more, we became a rock band."

Have your influences changed? "Not really. I still listen to the Rolling Stones once in a while and Miles Davis once in a while. I like the classics. Anything classic of any genre, it's all good for me. Plus, some of the new indie rock coming out."

Career highlight: "Getting to work with a lot of the artists I've been able to work with. Getting to play with John Doe at SXSW was great because Exene from X came and sang with us and that was cool. Getting on Conan (NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien") was one of those things you dream about as a musician. That's a little check mark in your category of dreams. Just getting to travel and play and meet people."

For a man who spent 147 days on the road last year, you're sure playing a lot of local shows in the next few months: "I love playing local shows. I like to keep loose and keep playing. It's like Miles Davis said, 'If you're not appearing, you're disappearing.' He was a wise man. I like to appear and stay humble and play every gig . . . I love to play. I'll play anywhere."

– Sarah Mauet