Lucid Lands at the Taz Michaels Show
Words by Nick Kramer. Photo by James Lockridge.
Rollin’ in from across the lake in Plattsburgh, Lowell Wurster and Kevin Sabourin of Lucid joined Taz and Shannon in the Radiator studio to play some tunes and share some stories. Lucid are a band of road warriors in the midst of a Northeast tour, repping their excellent sophomore disc ‘Dewdmanwah.' Playing gig after gig and driving around in their school bus, Lucid love the road. Referring to their recent string of shows, Kevin and Lowell both agreed that there were almost too many good times to remember.
As for highlights from the last year, the pair pointed to their own Lucid-hosted Backwoods Pondfest in Peru, NY, as well as a two-night stand at NYC’s B.B. King Blues Club that offered the band the chance to rap with musical legends such as Victor Wooten and congeuro Poncho Sanchez.
The next big show for Lucid will be Rock N Roll Resort in Kerhonkson, NY, over Thanksgiving weekend. There, the band joins an all-star lineup featuring Ian Neville’s Dumpstaphunk and Deep Banana Blackout in the head-lining spots. Also on the bill at the Resort are Burlington-based Waylon Speed, and although Lucid have never shared a bill with them before, Kevin and Lowell know the band well. “Our paths cross all over the place,” says Lowell.
For Lucid, it’s all about the experience of playing live, and their blues/rock/folk/jam/jazz sound, which references everything from R.L. Burnside to Jimi Hendrix, fits the live-band profile perfectly. With two studio albums under their belt, Lucid most recently released a live disc. According to Lowell, while people like the band’s studio work, it’s through shows that fans get to know the band best. “We try to bring a party atmosphere,” Lowell explains, and adds that, “even if you don’t know us at all” you will feel like you know them by the end of a show. Their connection has been described as brother-like, which comes as no surprise when you learn that Lucid’s line-up has remained the same for almost eight years. According to Kevin, the closeness comes from time spent on the road in overly close quarters—“We sleep next to each other.” The synergy certainly comes through in their sets. Lucid’s songs are tight, vocal blues gems with ear-sticking sing-a-long choruses.
Even with all the touring, Lucid have had time to log some studio hours and hope to release another album this coming year. This time around, Lucid are laying down everything analog and hope to do all the recording themselves. Still ahead on their radar: a NYE bash at Waterhole in Saranac Lake, NY.