Review of Lucia's Grey Dot CD Release show Category: Local Bands This article has been read: 764 times. Student’s band hits downtown scene Nathan Harrison Staff writer http://www.whitworth.edu/whitworthian/fall2004/0927/scene/20040927_band.htm (photo) Caroline Davis / Whitworthian Freshman Tyler Tupper performs with his band, Lucia’s Grey Dot, at The Big Dipper last Friday night. Lights strobed, music pulsed and hands waved through the air at The Big Dipper in downtown Spokane Friday night at a CD release party for Lucia’s Grey Dot, a band that includes Whitworth freshman Tyler Tupper. Lucia’s Grey Dot was preceded by opening acts Anapsyksis, Kite and The Myriad. The show was sponsored and promoted in part by Rawk, an Inland- Northwest-based group that helps emerging bands get stage time and develop a following. Though Rawk focuses on Christian bands, they are open to secular acts. Technical problems with Lucia’s Grey Dot’s bass guitar amp made performing difficult, but the crowd enjoyed the set nonetheless. “We had a good response to the show we played,” Tupper said. “We sold about two-thirds of the CDs we had with us — about 40 or 50.” Tupper cites Tool, A Perfect Circle, the Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead and the Cure as musical influences for himself and the overall sound of the band. Lucia’s Grey Dot draws its unique name from the character Lucia in Max Lucado’s allegorical children’s book “You Are Special.” A name that Tupper admits was first proposed as something of a joke. “In the book, Lucia is one of these little wooden people called Wemicks. They run around giving each other gold stars and grey dots; they give grey dots to the ones they don’t like,” Tupper said. “Lucia is this Wemick without any dots or stars; in the allegory, she’s supposed to be a Christian. Our idea was that being a Christian doesn’t necessarily mean all your problems go away; we still have flaws.” The band is comprised of lead singer and guitarist Mordekye Leyman, drummer Thomas Holman, cellist Chris Adare, and Tupper on bass guitar. Leyman formed Lucia’s Grey Dot while still in junior high, building around solo experience he already had. “Kye [Leyman] persuaded me to start playing with him,” Tupper said. “I had never played guitar before, but we just went down to the music store and I bought a bass.” With the addition of Holman on drums, the band was formed. The members eventually felt that they were limited by their band’s size and sought a fourth member to complete their sound last year. “It was hard to get the sound we wanted with just three people,” Tupper said. “We had wanted a cello player from the start, but we didn’t think we’d find anyone who knew how and was interested in the style of music we played.” When Adare first joined the band, he was happy to bring his skills as a cellist but was reluctant to write music for the band. “He was used to always playing what other people wrote,” Tupper said. “Now he’s having a great time writing a lot on his own.” Tupper says that the fun of just playing music is what he enjoys most about Lucia’s Grey Dot. “Everyone has that dream of being in a rock band and being famous,” Tupper said, “but we know the reality of that happening, so we’re just having fun being in a band and playing together.” Posted by: rawkmandale - October 1st, 2004 Back to News Articles View Articles From Local Bands Category