Wake Up Lucid

"It was all in a dream," explains Wake Up Lucid front man Ryan Baca, "my Dad, who had passed away several years ago, was there with me. We were playing guitar and wrote a song called 'Wake Up Lucid' ".  With a name forged in dreams of family ties, comes a band that embodies just that.  Wake Up Lucid, the bluesy - rock trio from Los Angeles consists of brothers Ian Baca, Jamie Baca and cousin Ryan.

"The band formed, really as just a result of good timing",  says Ryan, who started writing under the name Wake Up Lucid in 2007 while living in South Lake Tahoe.   "I couldn't see anything happening musically up there, so I moved to Southern California that November."  Upon his arrival, Ryan started getting some songs together with a drummer friend in Newport Beach.  At the same time, Jamie and Ian were both playing in different bands that were faced with their own musical struggles.  On the verge of his band's demise and in an attempt stay musically active, Ian began making the trek from L.A. to Orange County to jam with Ryan, and in due time, permanently settled in on bass.  The band started gigging around Hollywood and Silverlake in December of 2008, quickly generating buzz that led to their first of two RollingStone.com "Smoking Section" write-ups by April of 2009.

"Things were coming together, but something still felt off," says Ian.  The band decided to part with their drummer, the two remaining members were determined to recruit the best drummer they knew.  Ryan recalls, "We had a bay - area show scheduled that weekend, and with only 3 days to prepare, Jamie came in,  learned an 11 - song set and played it better than we'd ever heard it before."  With influences ranging from jazz to metal, Jamie's raw drumming power and technical sensibilities paired nicely with Ian's slick low end on bass: A rhythm section comprised of brothers and providing the perfect framework to support Ryan's scorching, blues - inspired guitar licks and raw vocals, Wake Up Lucid was finally intact. “From that first practice we all just knew this was going to work, it just felt right. Our dads were brothers.  We grew up watching them play together,  and our doing this just keeps up that family tradition.”

After entering the 2009 "Your Band Here" contest, sponsored by retailer Urban Outfitters, Wake Up Lucid was featured on the RollingStone.com website for a second time, and with over 50,000 votes, the band secured a coveted spot on the 2010 UO SXSW stage.  With RS and other internet media outlets taking notice, the band was soon contacted my the revered Village Recorder Studios in West L.A.  "We initially turned them down", admits Ryan. "We received an email from the Village expressing their interest in having us record.  We pretty much told them, 'thanks but no - thanks'.  As a 100% Do-It-Yourself band with no label, no money and barely making enough scratch to make rent on our rehearsal space, we had no business thinking we could afford to record there."  But after the studio manager convinced the band to visit the facilities, they knew it was an opportunity they couldn't pass up.  "Taking a tour of the Village is like a history lesson in rock 'n roll.  Every room has an amazing story and unique vibe to it," recalls Ian, "we were blown away that they wanted us there and with their support we made it happen.  With so many of our heros recording there, we wanted to make sure to do it right."  The band opted to take an old - school approach to recording, tracking 6 songs live to 2 inch analog tape.  "Much of our appeal comes from the energy and chemistry that we have with each other onstage.  If we could embody that in the studio and have a rich, warm, classic - rock sound, we knew we'd have something special."

Recording in legendary Studio D, a room that birthed such classic recordings as the Stones' "Angie" and Clapton's "Tears in Heaven", Wake Up Lucid created their own little piece of rock history with their recent, self - released debut EP, "Look Alive People".  Rhythmically dense, with catchy guitar hooks and ranting vocals, the album successfully demonstrates how Wake Up Lucid has bridged the gap between classic, blues roots and indie rock appeal.  "We're still a young band", states Ryan, "We have so much we want to offer; different songs, different moods.  If anything, this album is just an introduction of what we've set out to do."