It's the Lucid Safari
Lucid Safari is just what summer called for, a ‘smooth and beautifully crafted melodic’ sound that suits the warm and relaxed season perfectly, and the band’s latest offering, ‘Lady’ is a perfect representation. We got the lowdown on everything from the new song, the pros and cons of touring as well as getting back to playing festivals soon.
For those that haven’t heard your music before, how would you describe your sound?
I would describe our sound as Coastal-Reggae-Rock, but we have influences from all over the place. We take notes of psychedelic flavours and indie pop/rock influence. We pull a lot of influence from bands like Sticky Fingers, Ocean Alley, Mako Road and Tame Impala.
Tell us about your new song ‘Lady’ ?
Lady is the first taste of our new sonic direction. Originally I wrote Lady as a set filler for Wynnum Fringe last year, but as we’ve played the song live and rearranged it, it’s become one of my favourite songs. Eventually, with a few lyric rewrites and some tweaking we managed to build Lady into something we really love to play.
What does the song mean to you?
Lady, for me, is about shooting your shot with someone you’ve maybe got little history with and seeing if they feel the same way. Not taking yourself or your feelings too seriously. I don’t think it has to be this heavy, deep- seeded, love-professing gesture. Just keeping things playful and fun can sometimes be enough.
Cover Art for ‘Lady’
Are there plans for an album?
No album in sight yet. We do have plans to release our debut EP Delirium in February 2021, and Lady is the first taste of that. Writing an album is something I’ve always wanted to do and I think one day, we’ll get there, but for now, we’re just keen to get out and play shows!
Is your band Name a nod to your genre or is there another meaning to Lucid Safari?
To be honest, I just think they’re cool words and work well together. However, the name did take on another meaning after our first song Walking Free was written. I realised, playing my own music and pursuing this career was what I really wanted to do with my life, and I became lucid in this.
What is the band history of Lucid Safari?
Lucid Safari was conceptually birthed through writing our first song, Walking Free. At that point it was just me and my now producer working in his home studio. As we started promoting on social media, we were asked to perform at Battle of the Bands. I only had one song, and wrote 3 more songs (which will be on our debut EP) to fill our set. The members of the band since then have all rotated. Depending on availability and commitments, I draw from my wonderful circle of talented friends to accompany me on stage and in the studio. Our current line up is Shane Kumar/Bass, Braedon Hall/Guitar & BVs, Damon Joel/Drums.
You have played Rock the Bay & the Wynnum Fringe Festival, Are there plans to hit the festival circuit again soon?
We absolutely do have plans to jump onto the festival circuit. We’ve been biding our time and working on our set and performance, and now we’re ready to apply to all the festivals we can. Very excited to do this!
Lucid Safari have toured with Aussie legends Ian Moss and Kate Miller-Heidkie, so what's your Favourite thing about being on the road?
Meeting new people. Working with creative people is so interesting and rewarding, experiencing so many different walks of life and diversity, I’d absolutely have to say that is my favourite part.
What's the worst part about touring and being on the road?
I’ve had some experiences with my band members pulling out at the very last minute. Organising and maintaining a band is hard enough without these stresses of having to scramble to find a player last minute haha.
Who do you credit as your musical influences?
I have so many influences, but particularly for my songwriting I would have to say Sticky Fingers, Bootleg Rascal, Ocean Alley, and Mako Road are by far the biggest influences for our sound.
Where was your first gig? Was it a success or flop?
Our very first gig was a heat in the battle of the bands at SoundGarden. To my absolute surprise, we not only got into the semi-finals but WON!! I would certainly count it as a success.
“I realised, playing my own music and pursuing this career was what I really wanted to do with my life, and I became lucid in this.”
Who would your ultimate Collab Partner be? and why?
I would love to work with producer Dann Hume. Dann has been behind so many of my favorite records and worked directly with my musical idols. He is very talented at what he does and is so tasteful with his production to serve the music he’s creating.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?
Oh there are so many people who deserve shout outs. I’d have to start with Nathan Cornacchia, and he keeps my world turning when it comes to the studio! Helping me in my most vulnerable moments of self-doubt, he’s always there to build me back up. My best mate, Josh Lovegrove always keeps my head on straight and pushes me to do better. Again, there are so many people I wish I could give more recognition to - they know who they are and I’m eternally grateful to have such wonderful friends.
What are the plans for Lucid Safari with 2022 almost here?
Our first headline show! The big one! We want to create and build an immersive experience for our fans and we’re currently working really hard to make it happen for our EP Launch show! Beyond that, we’re so keen to hit the road and get back on stage after such a long time working on the record.
Interview by Michelle Symes
November 2021