Lucid
Gig Seeker Pro

Lucid

| SELF

| SELF
Band Alternative Rock

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"LUCID"

(C) Copyright
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Page 4W
Lucid

By Jessica De Vault

Staff Writer
In 2005, four of the current members of the band Lucid were searching for a change in their music and performance style.

They wanted a singer who was both a good performer and a good writer, said rhythm guitarist James Hunt. Then Cody Godwin, a longtime friend of the band, entered the picture.

“When Cody came along we started seeing a light and started going towards it,” Hunt said.

Godwin, now the lead singer and writer, had no idea that his acceptance into the band would be one small step toward helping the group make the powerful, experimental rock music they make today.

“We got a long history,” Hunt said. “Everyone has been friends for at least 10 years. So the inspiration we have for our music is from feeding off of each other. Everyone is real talented. It flows real good.”

The band decided to call itself Lucid to express its music style and chemistry.

“Cody was thumbing through a dictionary and found the word,” said bass player Brandon Hall. “The meaning of the word was that it’s clear, easy to understand. It’s translucent but not transparent. Our music is easy to understand on many people’s levels. There’s nothing thrashing or too laid back, it’s just something to latch on to.”

Now the band, known for its tribal rock, is spreading its music across the region. Their next show will be at The Rock Shop on Sunday at 9 p.m.

Just recently, the band won the Best Rock/Hard Rock/Metal/Punk song for the First Annual Native E-Music Awards with their song, “Shadows.”

Winning the accolade was a step in the right direction, Godwin said: “We got to take little small steps to get to that major goal in the end.”

The band — with the exception of lead guitarist Chris Locklear and percussionist Shay Jones — chatted with the Weekender Street Edition about their recent award and music.

Weekender: Tell me about your award-winning song, “Shadows.”

Godwin: Lyrically, I think it deals with the issue of self-awareness and finding some kind of identity in yourself.

Hall: We try to visit different plateaus. If you take one song that you hear on the radio, it has the same general feel throughout the song, but we’re not going to stay on the same note. So we have a steep feeling in the middle of “Shadows” and a normal, jamming, tap-your-toe part in the beginning. It took us a few weeks to write it and piece it together. We really thought it out. Obviously, it paid off with the work we put into it.

Weekender: Why do you think “Shadows” won?

Godwin: I think it’s universal in nature as far as the message we’re trying to put across. It showcases our style at our musical best.

Weekender: What was the theme behind your most recent album “Releasing the Demons”?

Hall: Everyone has their own lives and we bring our own influences in there. We kind of remembered the concept about releasing negative stress. And we thought that that was a good title for that album.

Godwin: The title “Releasing the Demons” also came from (our) song “Identity.” A line in that song was about releasing the demons. We try to stay humble, and we try to go in with a clear head and leave our daily pressures and stress at the door. We pray before we play.

Weekender: How do you describe your music?

Godwin: It definitely has an alternative and experimental feel to it, but it’s very melodic as far as things go vocally. There’s some Pink Floyd in there with a harder edge.

Weekender: So what is next in this band’s grand plan?

Godwin: Any unsigned band wants to get financial backing and get signed. But we’re at that point where we got to set smaller goals like with going to New Mexico (for the Native E-Music Awards) and stepping stones like that. We made a lot of connections and contacts with people in the music industry.

Weekender: What are some of the musical influences that have shaped your sound?

Godwin: I like a lot of old classic rock: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath. I’m currently into Tool and Ashes Divide. Or I listen to Sade or Journey.

Hunt: Korn, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, but recently the music I’ve really got into is ambient music.

Weekender: And how do you infuse the classic rock with the more contemporary works?

Godwin: We’re five totally different individuals, uniquely different in our own way. This is the type of music I’ve been doing for a long time. But all five members have different styles of music and backgrounds and it just comes together. It’s just chemistry.

***

- Jessica De Vault


Discography

Lucid (2006)
In Vorago (2007)
Releasing the Demons (2008)
Inhaling Circles (2009)

Photos

Bio

Lucid-Biography
Tribes:
Cody Eagle Horse Godwin: Lumbee
Chris Locklear: Lumbee
James "de captin" Hunt: Lumbee
Brandon "Iron Bear" Hall: Lumbee, Eastern Band Cherokee, and Cheyenne Indian
Shay Jones: Lumbee

Creation of Band: May 2005; combination of other disbanded groups such as Stone Feather, Mis2Mia, and Tribal Conflict

Type of Genre: Experimental/Alternative/Melodic Rock

Musical Influences: A Perfect Circle, Tool, Pink Floyd, Alice in Chains, Metallica, U2, Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin

Based out of North Carolina, an area traditionally dominated by what lead singer Cody Eagle Horse Godwin describes as "cookie cutter bands," Lucid has been working hard to fill the musical void with its unique alt-rock soundscapes since coming together in 2005. With members coming from groups like Stone Feather, Mis2Mia, and Tribal Conflict, Lucid has evolved from its roots of Southern rock, alt rock, punk and use of melodic guitars to intertwine and create music that transcends all of these.

Like getting a breath of fresh air in a polluted soundscape, Lucid has been rocking shows throughout the Carolina's and collecting positive vibes all along the way. They are riding high off their recent 2008 Native-E Music Award for Best Alternative Rock Song, receiving accolades and setting the bar for great things in the future. The Awards Show took place on Saturday, September 20, 2008 at the Historic El Rey Theater in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. The mission and purpose of the Native-E Music Awards® is to recognize and honor our Native American and Aboriginal people's musical talents and achievements, to present these talents and achievements on a global stage, to nurture and inspire the talent and goals of our Native American and Aboriginal people by creating and presenting opportunities for their musical talent to be reviewed, exposed, and marketed to the broader mainstream music industry.

"Possibly the greatest goal that we have, short term and long term, is for our music to have some sense of vitality and uniqueness on the music scene. Music is truly a universal language... as long as we still have the need to create, then music will always be our emotional and creative outlet," says Godwin.

Embracing their Native American roots as a source for their creativity and inspiration, Lucid is:
Cody Eagle Horse Godwin: Lead Vocals, Keyboards, & Lyrics
Chris Locklear: Guitar/Composer
James "de captin" Hunt: Guitar
Brandon "Iron Bear" Hall: Bass Guitar/Background Vocals
Shay Jones: Drums & Percussion

Discography
Lucid (2006)
In Vorago (2007)
Releasing the Demons (2008)
Inhaling Circles (2009)

Links
http://www.myspace.com/lucidparallels