Today, my brother sent me a text message: “Check YouTube for me. Lucid show clips.”

But first some background: I’m a musician.  Have been since I was itty bitty.  I used to do the whole Rockstar Diva thing but then gave it all up to pursue another dream (of owning my own business).  Anyway, my baby bro, Albert Carraro, followed in my footsteps (or at least that’s what I like to believe) and is living the dream as a full-time musician.  He’s a wicked guitarist.  The best I know (and due to my involvement with Fingerstyleguitar.ca – I know A LOT of guitarists!) and he gets better and better by the day.

He works hard – long hours spent practicing.  He always has a guitar in hand.  Always.  And the rare occassions that he doesn’t have a guitar in hand, he’s listening to music – discovering new sounds and talents.  Hearing new licks.  Perfecting his craft.  Music for him is a 24/7 devotion – not because he has to but because he truly loves living the dream.

About four years ago, he started a band, Lucid Dreams, with a friend from school, John Caira.  They started as a duo and quickly grew to include a drummer, keyboardist, bassist and rhythm guitarist.  They quickly established a following.  Their music reflects the highly varied influences and sensibilities of its members: R&B styled drums, funky bass runs, blues/rock inspired guitars, warm acoustic and catchy pop melodies are all part of their sound – fun, hip, high-energy and unique on the Canadian scene.

In 2005 their debut CD made its debut – skillfully bouncing through a variety of styles, a top-notch indie-rock listen all the way through.  In February 2006, they held their CD release party at The Lula Lounge here in Toronto.  Lead vocalist, John Caira, was at the top of his form.  And big sis was in the audience screaming her lungs out.  You can hear me in the video clip below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1YExWnpgFE]

It was a proud night for Lucid, a proud night for big sis and little bro.  And yet not everything was as perfect as it seemed.

Albert has always relied on me for honest feedback about his performances and recordings.  He’ll send me songs knowing that I won’t pull any punches and tell him what he wants to hear.  I’ll tell him the truth, even if it hurts, because we both know it will make him better.  I had some pretty honest feedback after the CD launch party. 

To make a long story short, that was the highlight of the band’s short career.  Some members lost focus.  They would show up for practice not having learned their parts.  Not having done the work that was expected of a member of the band.  The lead singer was an untrained singer and as so often happens without training, he hurt his voice.  The band compensated by dropping the pitch of their songs but somehow that semi-tone made a difference.  It darkened their sound, it dampened their spirits.  From the outside, it seemed like the entire band was down – just like their music.

Performances lost their sparkle.  They just didn’t look like they were having fun up on stage anymore.  Albert & I had many discussions about the change and what should be done.  Things got worse.  The lead singer did more damage to his voice and stopped writing songs.  More players showed up unprepared at rehersals.  They all had jobs outside of their music gigs.  For Albert, Lucid is the real deal.  He pours his heart and soul into the band and is always thinking of ways to make it move forward.  He would get angry when his bandmates didn’t show the same level of commitment and passion for the music and he did.

“I’m going to kick John out of the band”

A hard statement to make… and even harder one to put into action.  I won’t tell you how long it took or even how many times the subject was discussed.  It’s hard to dissolve a partnership when you’ve dedicated so much time and energy to building it.  But it was easy to see that change needed to be made.  Performances were poorly attended and the band had lost the spark that made them unique.  To make things worse, the lead singer had done some serious damage to his voice and would begin to show some serious vocal flaws two or three songs into a show.  He finally was ordered complete vocal rest.  That made the decision to replace him a moot point.  You can’t have a lead singer that can’t sing.

By the time word came down that the singer couldn’t sing, there were three gigs lined up and one of them was at a high profile venue here in the City.  Five days before the show, a new lead singer was put into place, Joey Mercadante. 

The change is incredible.  I wasn’t able to make the show due to a funeral but the feedback was electric.  I spoke to my brother after the performance and I could sense an immediate change in him: This is how it’s supposed to be when you’re doing what you love.  I wish you had been there to give me honest feedback. 

And then the text today:  “Check YouTube for me. Lucid show clips.”

Last week, he came over for dinner and mentioned that someone had video of the show.  This morning it was finally uploaded.  You can check them all out below.  I’ll reserve my comments for his ears only but you can see the energy and electricity in every performer on stage.  And they were playing to a small crowd.  It’s nice to see what happens when everyone is engaged and passionate about moving forward together.

Do what you love and the rest will follow.  I can’t show you a more shining example than the videos below.

Lucid at Phoenix..Why

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STS3kStXpRk]

Lucid at Phoenix..Sometimes

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AJH1NenpwQ]

Lucid at Phoenix..Blue

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a3SFBr3Juk]

Lucid at Phoenix Leavin..Miss You…Outro

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on81mJyi9gk]

Keep your eyes and ears open for Lucid Music, they’re sure to be living the dream soon.  Nothing can stop them from reaching for their dreams!  You can follow them on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/wayifeel or Facebook at http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2258932689.  And be sure to bookmark their website which is going to be updated very soon: http://www.lucidmusic.ca