INTERVIEW: Lucid AfterLife

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Can you talk to us more about your track “Dye My Soul”? Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?

Dye My Soul is an offering, kind of a thank you to spirit, the guiding force behind  healing plant medicines and Ayahuasca in particular.

How was the filming process and experience behind the video?

Our amazing shaman brother Sahaj Kaliman did the animation, while living in the Brazilian rainforest too, communication was not always easy. It was an honor to collaborate with him to create a real visual/audio psychedelic rock journey.

The single comes off your new album Descendant – what’s the story behind the title?

I feel everyone is born with a soul but it’s not until you decide to really start living and exploring life’s potential that it really comes to life. Dye My Soul is an incantation and spell calling that soul shifting energy into our sometimes grey existence, dying it and giving us colour.

How was the recording and writing process?

The song was recorded in Peru, over four or five visits. I had an intuitive feeling constantly calling me back to Peru, eventually leading me to ceremonies and sacred rituals all over the country. On the final visit I recorded in the sounds of the Amazon jungle and a shaman sang her sacred song for us, it’s in the intro of the song setting the space.

As you move into a new label – did you seek for a new direction this time around?

The transition to our new label Forbidden Place Records was really great. I was having a hard time keeping the band together at that time, they supported me the whole way through even though I was constantly changing my plans for the release. Descendant allowed me to wrap up some ideas I had a long time ago while experimenting with some fresh ones along with guitarist and co-writer Thom Turner.

You brought some mega producers and musicians into the studio behind and in front – how did they come on board? Did you handpick them?

For the mixing on our previous EP Occult Mafia Mistress we brought in Skip Saylor on the tech and mixing side of things, you may know him from Elton John’s stuff or the Marshall Mathers LP. I met him by chance while in LA helping write an album with another band. For Descendant though we kept it real homegrown

How much did you guys get to balance your creative inputs and minds on this record?

The writing process for the songs on this record was a dance between Thom and I. Most of what we do just downloads in the moment then we kind of sand the edges. We really wanted to get out some new music so we did not sit on things too long once the ball got rolling, we just let it go.

Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?

One Eyed Angel came to me while listening to the demo Thom gave me, I was just sitting in a botanical garden surrounded by parrots and the concept kind of just flew into my mind. Pharma Matrix Karma Spaceship is an abstract soup of all my experiences and current emotions wrapped into a heavy mellow psych rock burrito. The third song Thom and I recorded in one take at YoX Discos, Mexico City, I told him the chords and we just went at it. The lyrics for My Lvcifer where inspired by the blatant misuses and misunderstandings of occult principles and references in our fragile society, I wanted to take back ownership of the beautiful concept of the “Bearer of Light” or “Lucifer”.  Dye My Soul was jammed out in Peru while on a tour of the country, the lyrics where an incantation I have held in my mind for years, I guess the moment was now to bring it to life. The final song Love is a Legend for me is inspired by the whole fairy tale shining knight concept except this time the dragon wins and all that is left are the skull, bones and a great story.

Any plans to hit the road?

We are currently booking concerts in North and South America, dates should be announced soon.

What else is happening next in Lucid AfterLife’s world?

I feel now is a time to reflect and look at what really matters, why we are doing what we do and after peeling the onion, deciding what is next from that. I would like to do something special for our fans in Latin America who give us so much support and keep our flame well lit, maybe a Spanish song? Who knows.

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