Battle Creek band’s founder learned quickly while assembling experienced musicians
Nick J. Buckley / For Black Squirrel News
Doug Borton was the least experienced musician in the band he was trying to build.
He had written songs for years, but only began seriously studying music theory, guitar and vocals about six or seven years ago. The musicians who eventually joined Lucid Vibe had been playing much longer.
“He’s gone from beginner to where he is today faster than anybody you can imagine,” drummer Mike Olian said. “Because he works so hard and has such a drive to learn and better himself, it’s inspirational, honestly.”
Borton started putting the band together during the COVID-19 pandemic, when venues were closed and live music had slowed. He hoped to find experienced musicians who could help him develop his original songs.
That idea was encouraged by Dacia Bridges, a close friend and Michigan-born singer who found success in Germany before returning to Southwest Michigan. Before her death in 2019, she told Borton to surround himself with strong musicians, get them to believe in what he was creating and put in the work required to catch up.
“I think part of her passing kind of lit a fire in my ass to say it’s now or never,” Borton said. “I got to do this.”
The current lineup brings Borton together with drummer Mike Olian, guitarist Curt Napier, bassist Ramberto “Ram” Bastell and vocalist and keyboard player Alexis Stark.
“They were light-years ahead of me,” Borton said of his bandmates. “They were patient enough with me to stick with me for a while.”
The Battle Creek-based group developed into a cover band with a catalog of more than 100 songs spanning classic rock, blues and country. The band performs about 40 shows a year, adjusting its sets to the room and moving between artists such as Brooks & Dunn and AC/DC.
Most of the members also teach.
Borton is an assistant professor of graphic design at the University of Olivet. Olian teaches elementary students at Riverside Elementary School. Napier is a music instructor at Music Manor. Stark teaches private voice lessons, serves as director of music at St. Thomas Episcopal Church and works as a music director for What A Do Theatre. Bastell offers guitar lessons to younger musicians.
They bring that same willingness to teach into the band, sharing techniques and helping one another improve.
“A lot of musicians are very guarded,” Borton said. “And none of us are like that.”
Olian sometimes spots some of his elementary students in the audience and points to them from behind his drum kit. He also watches for a tapping foot, a nodding head or someone singing along.
“You see those tiny things,” Olian said. “That is the reward right there.”
How we reported this: This article is based on an interview with members of Lucid Vibe along with information published on the band’s website and social media pages.
Meet more local bands: Allie Garland and Awesome Sauce
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