AltCountry: Lucid Fate

My friends, Josh and Jeremy Werner, have been playing guitar and writing songs for a number of years now, going back through high school. Twins, who are now 20, they are in the process of developing a new band, Lucid Fate. Built around Josh’s lead guitar work and Jeremy’s lyrics, their songs surprised me at first. When they handed me their first demo, I was taken with the maturity in Jeremy’s vocals, Josh’s instrumentation, and a sound that spoke well beyond their years and their hometown.

Of course, with me, I couldn’t just enjoy their demo; I had to figure out where it fit in The Spectrum. I eventually settled on putting it in the AltCountry section next to Pete Yorn. Lucid Fate probably truly isn’t AltCountry, but something about the combination of understated lyrics and acoustic guitar led to the comparisons to Yorn. [You could probably argue that Yorn doesn’t belong in the AltCountry section either. Weigh in on that discussion for a future posting.]

What’s unique in this situation is that Josh and Jeremy are my friends. Here I could ask them what their influences are and where they see themselves fitting in. Talking to Josh at Tony’s Pizza last August, I don’t think he was convinced with where I placed him in The Spectrum. Rightly so, maybe, because it completely ignores what I know about their influences: JOHN MAYER, Switchfoot, Counting Crows, Incubus, and don’t forget, JOHN MAYER. John Mayer is in the Jazz-influenced Rock section, Switchfoot in American Band Rock, and Counting Crows in Folk-influenced American Rock.

So does Lucid Fate really fit into the AltCountry sound? That’s open to debate, and actually, to be honest, it is up to the development of the band. Now that new drummer Elijah will add much depth to their rhythms, I think Lucid Fate will take on a new direction, further developing their sound, yielding more ready comparisons to their influences perhaps.

For now, check out their Website, send them an email, and buy a demo CD. Watch this blog for future developments of Lucid Fate. Will their sound change? Will they be moving somewhere else in The Spectrum? Stay tuned.