LUCID DEMENTIA ON BANDCAMP
- We are honored once again to check in with Lucid Dementia of Austin Texas! and creator, songwriter Sheldon Reynolds . Sheldon! It seems you have been very busy and we wanted to know more about your coming performance with Nosferatu Festival!! This Festival seems to grow each year!
We have been busy the last year or so. We kind of slowed down for a couple of years to catch up and get over various terrible life events that just about every band member experienced after we released our last album “When The World Leaves You Behind”. It took a while but we over came most of our struggles are we have been back in the studio working on our next full length album. In the mean time we have been much more open to playing more shows and it seems once we play one, more follow. It was a big surprise and honor for us when we were offered to play Nosferatu this year.
Sheldon, How long has Lucid Dementia been playing together? How did this awesome cooperation begin?
Lucid Dementia was officially born in 1996. There have been various band members over the years, but AzilX (the drummer) has been with me from just about the beginning. I had played in a couple of other bands before that and had a solo industrial project called “Buried” that I released a few albums on cassette tape starting in the 80’s, but nothing really stuck. I wanted to do something as different as I could imagine so I came up with a band led by a life sized alien creature puppet for which the band is named after (“Luci” for short) and sang in a puppet voice. I was going for “Gothic Industrial” but I’m really terrible at sticking with one genre, and although that has hurt us as a band, it’s just too boring to me to not let the songs and the band do what it wants to do. Also, Luci would probably claw my eyes out if I didn’t.
- If you have never witnessed a Lucid Dementia show, you are in for a real treat! This is a great combination of Stage show and puppetry and theatrics! Sheldon, How did the concept for the stage show begin for Lucid Dementia? What was your inspiration?
Whoops, partially answered that above. I have a Theatre Arts degree and a personal history with mental illness. I love the dark stuff. I obviously was a big fan of Skinny Puppy, Thrill Kill Kult, and Ethyl Meatplow, as well as The Butthole Surfers. I’m really an old hardcore punk at heart. It makes sense to me that if I’m going to create this monster personality, that I would also perform as that creature on stage, and take it as theatrically far as possible. It’s weird to me when bands will get on stage and sing with scary demon like voices, but just be up there looking like just another human. I love theatrics and most live shows are pretty boring to me, even if I really do like the music. I was trying to come up with a concept for a band and Luci popped into my head. I was a creature from another dimension that was sent to our planet as punishment for committing the worst crime that it could, which was behaving like a human. Luci is imprisoned on our planet and uses the band in an attempt to take it over and use it. Luci holds humanity in extreme contempt and uses the bands songs to rub humans faces in its ridiculousness. Luci writes songs that are very clear about demented subjects, thus: “Lucid” “Dementia”.
- Was it (LUCID DEMENTIA) always theatrical?
Whoops, I did it again.
Yes.
- Has the line-up of the band been constant? or was it volatile in the beginning?
Not really volatile.
Being in a band is rough.
Especially with the kind of stuff we do.
It doesn’t pay anything, so you really have to love it AND have a day
job. The band has been around for over
23 years, life happens, people change or get burned out and move on. AzilX has
been with it since almost the beginning (by a few months really), then Holly
the other singer has been with us since 2002, then Ste7en in 2009 and Tim in
2013(?). It’s the best line up the band
has ever had and now I have totally jinxed us.
Thanks.
- Who is considered the guiding star in the band? How is decision making shared in the band?
Luci is. We don’t
cross her. She will literally eat your
head. Other than that, we put most
things to a vote. I started the thing
but I always try to treat everyone equally with decisions and pay (If there is
any – we put most money we make back into the band).
- what can we expect from Lucid Dementia in the future? what are your long term aspirations? can you share some goals?
As long as our fans keep listening to us and venues keep
requesting we play, we will probably keep doing this. Also the whole “do it or Luci will bite you”
thing. We would love to quit our day
jobs and do it full time, otherwise I’m happy doing what I’ve always done. The more people listening to us the better,
but I make music that makes me happy first.
- If Lucid Dementia could play one HUGE International festival in 2021 what/where would it be?
The Lucid Dementia World Domination Festival in Luciland (formally Romania).
- Austin is a pretty hip, collaborative laboratory for musical groups. Any collaborations planned in the future for Lucid Dementia and any other musical acts?
Not really. I just recorded some vocals for Angel Nightmare (the metal band). Otherwise it’s hard enough to find time to work on Lucid Dementia stuff…
- What is a great day in the Lucid Dementia world? Walk us through what a perfect night on the town for Lucid Dementia would be like in Austin Texas?
Sometimes the stars align and everything comes together and
we just have a phenomenal show. The band
gets to the venue feeling good. The
crowd shows up to the show on time and they are not already jaded and worn out
from the thousand other events that happen in Austin every week. People aren’t soaked from the Texas heat and
humidity, and the Austin allergies took a break from choking people to death
for the day. The soundman is not drunk
or distracted, and all 500 cables and pieces of electronic equipment stays
plugged in and working. We hit the stage
and connect to the audience and we perform something closer to a religious sacrificial
ceremony rather than a rock show. We
finish playing and the night for everyone is complete and causes a happy buzz
that lasts for weeks.
- We really appreciate you and Lucid Dementia. If you can tell the Artstrada magazine readers one more thing, what would that be? ! ! !
The music industry is very oversaturated. A lot of music made today is meant to be consumed for a short time and then disposed of. Lucid Dementia tries hard to create music that will last for a really long time. Try us out, and give us a listen every once in a while.
NOSFERATU FESTIVAL 2020, Austin Texas by Gore Noir Magazine
About this Event
What better way to Keep Austin Weird than to honor one of the greatest works of cinematic horror with its very own festival? We celebrate 98 years since the endearing Count Orlok, also known as Nosferatu, was first released on March 4th, 1922. What better setting to embrace all things Vampire than Austin, fondly nicknamed Bat City? Nosferatu Festival is a gathering of fans for the mutual admiration of this masterpiece by way of artwork, music, food, drink and general revelry. The Fest is our way of bringing together people spanning all age groups, all cultures and subcultures, and even those alive and undead.
Date And Time
Fri, Mar 6, 2020, 8:00 PM –
Sun, Mar 8, 2020, 12:00 AM CST
Location
Come and Take It Live
2015 East Riverside Drive
#bldg 4
Austin, TX 78741
