Today we’d like to introduce you to Donovan Hanson.
Hi Donovan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Lucid Illusions started back in 2017. I met Jordan Lane (Vocals/Guitar) in 2015 after his dad, Jeff Lane, started calling the radio station that my father, Stephen Hanson, worked at to give updates on traffic before the traffic cameras could update.
Jordan and I had a little jam session in 2015 that didn’t really lead to anything at first, but right after I graduated high school in 2017, I reached back out to Jordan with the lineup of him on guitar and me behind the drum set.
We started small; Trying to find a vocalist that could suit the vibe we wanted, but eventually we realized that Jordan had songs already and it would just be easiest to have him sing and play at the same time. I had a buddy from school who knew had to play the bass, and after a week or two of debating a name, Lucid Illusions was born! We had a whole EP recorded and ready to go before we even played our first show at White Oak Music Hall on 12/10/17.
Two years into Lucid (and one album), the original bassist parted ways with us due to some personal circumstances and creative differences. Not too long after that we found Conner Graham, (Bass/Vocals) and that’s when the “Real” Lucid Illusions came into the light.
Since then we’ve released another album, (Something New ~ 2022) and have another on the way! We’ve opened up for acts like Warrant, Sick Puppies, Bush, Seether, Papa Roach, The Hu, Lacey Sturm, Saliva and quite a few more. We had the privilege of opening up for Buzzfest in 2022 after winning the Bring on Buzzfest contest hosted by 94.5 The Buzz here in Houston. We’ve also been voted the Best Local Band in Houston” by The Houston Chronicle every year since 2022, and are hoping to nab this year as well!
We’re beyond excited to share what we’ve been cooking up over the last year with everyone, and hopefully it won’t be long before we can start getting it out there!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
“Nothing worth having comes easy”
This has been the hardest thing I think any of the three of us have ever done with ourselves. Not in a grueling “I can’t take it” kind of way, of course, but still by far the most challenging. But also the most rewarding. By a landslide, the most rewarding.
There are long nights that become early mornings because of drive times between cities, and we all have day jobs that we have to be at the next day or same morning in some cases. There is a lot of sacrifice that comes with chasing this dream down. The ugly side of it all is that: your sleep cycle suffers, your mental capacity suffers, your time for hobbies and personal time suffers, your availability at the job that pays your bills right now suffers… The list goes on. On the flip side of that coin, however, is the best feeling on planet earth. There is nothing else like playing music for people. Whether its 4 people or 4 million people, it doesn’t matter. There is an electricity that moves through that room that is palpable. It makes everything worth it, ten fold. And that’s why we do it. It’s never been about the money or fame or clout, its about that feeling you get when you do the thing you were put here to do. And all three of us share that feeling.
So, has it been hard? Hell yeah. Would I trade it for anything? Hell no. And I’d do it all over again, just for fun.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Lucid Illusions is a “Blues Punk” Three-Piece rock band from Houston, TX! We’re best known for engaging performances and genuine love for what we do! I’d say we’re most proud of the tight knit community that we’ve been able to build over the years! It’s all organic and mostly just word of mouth. Most every follower we get, we’ve met in some capacity and have connected with in form or another. This naturally kind of sets us apart from most because we recognize a lot of faces in our crowds, and makes our home town shows all the more intimate because of that fact.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a punker. General teenage angst and overthinking the world around me.
My dad worked in the radio circuit around Houston until I was about 16 so music was a huge part of my life from the get go. I actually wanted to play professional baseball until I threw out my arm at 13. After that I picked up a guitar and started whacking the drums and never really looked back. I had some garage bands I was in throughout middle and high school, The most prominent being Street Couch. Where I met Danny Tabs (Shout out to you, brother!) and really got my first taste of what it was going to be like in a “working band”. I was addicted after Street Couch’s first show and right then and there knew that I was going to do this thing or die trying.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lucidillusionsmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_illusionshtx/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LucidIllusionshtx
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lucid_illusionshtx
Image Credits
Krystiee Lee
Pete Dattolo
Greg Holleman
Jeff Lane
Smitty
