Win 1 of 5 Graham Czach Prize Packs

Remember back when rockers wrote songs that really meant something and music was a tool to communicate sweeping universal messages that could open up the world’s social consciousness?

If not, let Graham Czach make it more Lucid for you. Infused with an expansive ‘60s-‘70s classic/progressive rock sensibility, yet fully grounded in the musical vibe and social realities of the 2010s, the Chicago based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s highly anticipated solo debut has a few dreamy romantic songs—most notably, the simple and ethereal, classically influenced “True Love.”

Yet most of the collection’s 12 tracks are truly art for the mind and spirit, tapping into themes like caring for the planet (“Gather Round,” a tribute to John Lennon featuring references to the legendary Beatle’s chorus from “Across the Universe”), the downward spiral of harmful addictions (“Nightmare”), spiritual discovery (the hypnotic “Reincarnate,” which starts as a trippy acoustic number before exploding into a fiery guitar jam) and abortion (“Choice”).

Unlike many artists who simply write and sing about the causes that drive their passions, Czach puts his time, energy and money where his songs are, promising to donate a portion of the proceeds from Lucid to the non-profits he supports, including Greenpeace, Planned Parenthood, the American Cancer Society and the Art of Living Foundation. He’s participated in various runs for charity in his hometown, including the 5K AIDS Race, the Walter Payton 5K and the Chicago Half Marathon.

As Lucid sheds light on all these issues and more, Czach draws on a fascinating, diverse musical background—including his Chicago Music Award winning work with Chicago Afrobeat Project—to create musical landscapes as compelling as the lyrics. Tapping into his childhood where Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were practically a religion, and later influences like Pink Floyd, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta and Jimi Hendrix, he infuses hard rocking, sometimes unusually metered grooves to four (and more) part vocal harmonies, beautiful acoustic melodies and vibrant unfolding string arrangements.

Complementing his own bass and guitar parts are high profile guests, including drummer Kris Myers (Umphrey’s McGee), keyboardist Matt Nelson (Lupe Fiasco, Matthew Santos) and guitarist Chris Siebold (Howard Levy, Kick The Cat).

The Graham Czach prize pack includes: an autographed copy of his “Lucid” CD, an autographed poster and a sticker.