But to my surprise, Trance Lucid is miles away from its Boulder bretheren. Sounds of cascading waterfalls and rippling winds are nowhere to be found on the release. In fact, New Age is only one of the ingrediants in Trance Lucid's instrumental stew, since the four-member act also draws on elements of jazz, rock and world music. The result: an Eric Johnson-sounding guitar-based instrumental medley backed with jazz and New Age sounds.

"We wanted to capture some of the New Age overtones without going overboard with it," says Dave Halverson, the band's founder. "We draw from numerous styles. Really, it's hard to put us in a genre. I tend to call it 'melodic, emotional, guitar-based instrumental music.' We try to put across a lot of different kinds of emotions, we want each song to make its own statement. Each song serves to solidify the whole, defining the songs as a collection, to create for the listener a stirring and memorable experience."

Arise is varied both in approach and feeling. From the happy, carefree feel of "Unbridled" to the sulty Spanish flavor of "Jorge And Juan Carlos" to the lamenting tone of "Leaving," strong emotional undertones are carried throughout the disc. Simply put, Trance Lucid's style is fusion minus the heavy jazz influence. The lighter, softer instrumental jams lean more toward New Age, as does the band's creative philosophy. but heavier sounding jazz and rock rhythms seep through the cracks.

The quartet reports that the band's artistic aim is to stimulate the imagination and to let listeners conjure up their own images of Southwestern deserts in "Dust" or war-torn ruins in "A Mother's Sorrow." The members stress that each song sets its own mood while serving as part of a larger composition.

Originally, Halverson envisioned the recording project as a canvas for the expression of his own emotional/instrumental repertoire. However, the solo project soon evolved into a group collaboration. When drummer Terry Lee, engineer/guitarist Paul Su and bassist Scott Lowrey joined forces with Halverson, the musicians decided to leave the studio and hit the coffeehouse circuit. For their live performance, they trade their softer, New Age style for a heavier rock sound.