Graham Czach
- Graham Czach - vocals, basses, guitars
- Matt Nelson - keys
- Chris Siebold - guitars
- Kris Myers - drums
Remember back when rockers wrote songs that really meant something and music was a tool to communicate sweeping universal messages that could open up the world’s social consciousness?
If not, let Graham Czach make it more Lucid for you. Infused with an expansive ‘60s-‘70s classic/progressive rock sensibility, yet fully grounded in the musical vibe and social realities of the 2010s, the Chicago based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s highly anticipated solo debut has a few dreamy romantic songs—most notably, the simple and ethereal, classically influenced “True Love.”
Yet most of the collection’s 12 tracks are truly art for the mind and spirit, tapping into themes like caring for the planet (“Gather Round,” a tribute to John Lennon featuring references to the legendary Beatle’s chorus from “Across the Universe”), the downward spiral of harmful addictions (“Nightmare”), spiritual discovery (“Reincarnate”) and abortion (“Choice”).
Unlike many artists who simply write and sing about the causes that drive their passions, Czach puts his time, energy and money where his songs are, promising to donate a portion of the proceeds from Lucid to the non-profits he supports, including Greenpeace, Planned Parenthood, the American Cancer Society and the Art of Living Foundation. He’s participated in various runs for charity in his hometown, including the 5K AIDS Race, the Walter Payton 5K and the Chicago Half Marathon.
As Lucid sheds light on all these issues and more, Czach draws on a fascinating, diverse musical background—including his Chicago Music Award winning work with Chicago Afrobeat Project—to create musical landscapes as compelling as the lyrics.
Complementing his own bass and guitar parts are high profile guests, including drummer Kris Myers (Umphrey’s McGee), keyboardist Matt Nelson (Lupe Fiasco, Matthew Santos) and guitarist Chris Siebold (Howard Levy, Kick The Cat).
Further illuminating the emotional-social mindset behind the music on Lucid is another key collaborator, legendary album artist Jeff Jordan, who created the provocative album art on the cover and in the CD packaging. Jordan’s work on the 2008 Mars Volta album Bedlam In Goliath was voted the #2 Best Album Cover of the Year on the Rolling Stone Readers’ Rock List; Jordan also painted the Mars Volta covers for Amputechture and Octahedron.
