1988年5月Mike Vanportfleet组建了LYCIA,他带领着乐队的其他成员用音乐描述着一个荒凉的世界.短暂的加入的John Fair,几进几出的Will Welch,David Galas以及Tara Vanflower-Mike后来的终身伴侣.1989年LYCIA在 Orphanage Records旗下发表了一张6首歌的EP:WAKE.那时的他们还是以吉他贝司为主要表现方法.1991年,lycia在Projekt发表了 IONIA,Mike在Will执意离开而使BYZANTINE这本来应该出版的作品流产后独自创作了全部的作品,那是一种荒凉,空旷的氛围音乐.含有大量的合成器声响.在随后的岁月里,Mike不断的创作着新的作品:93年的A DAY IN THE STARK CORNER 94年的LIVE(LYCIA首次演出的录音,David Galas加入到乐队里来,同年两人组成了一个分支乐队BLEAK,并与95年发表了专辑VANE.不同于LYCIA的作品，VANE是一张暗淡的抑郁民谣作品)95年的THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST是一个值得纪念的双专辑，并不是指音乐又回到了LYCIA那种混合了吉他贝斯与合成器的荒凉萧瑟的招牌音乐,而是第二张专辑中女歌手Tara Vanflower的出现,这位后来的MIKE夫人当年还是个小姑娘,她为LYCIA带来一种清澈的歌声,但丝毫也不损害以往LYCIA音乐中那种孤独和凋零的气氛,反之更加映衬出那种种荒芜背后的悲苦.96年COLD推出的背后是Mike的身体被病魔纠缠,这很不幸,LYCIA停止了所有的活动,消失在人们的视线里.在修养期间mike夫妇组建了Estraya,而David组建了自己的Snowblind,但都没有真正出品作品.97年,lycia已经濒临解散,但大家还是决定为它做一次好的巡演留做纪念.98年ESTRELLA发表,这张他独自创作的专辑本来应属于BLEAK的作品,mike考虑后还是用lycia发表了他在丧母与自身重病的情况下坚持完成专辑..99年TARA VANFLOWER在MIKE的帮助下发表了自己的首张专辑THIS WOMB LIKE LIQUID HONEY。一个诡异凄凉的黑暗音乐童话.同年还有一件大事就是mike成立了自己的厂牌Lycium Music. John Fair，Will Welch,David Galas都加入到这个厂牌下.2001年Estraya终于推出了自己的首张专辑,同年projekt也发表了两张LYCIA的精选集.听LYCIA 及Mike其它分支组合的作品你会发现一张比一张荒凉,悲楚.有如从深秋走到隆冬.有人说是mike居住的俄亥俄荒野的小山令他的音乐如此,有人说是他那久治不愈的病痛令他的音乐如此,但我想主要还是他的内心世界本就如此荒芜吧.lycia虽然结束了，但Estraya完全继承了它的血脉.乐队风格 ： 黑潮乐队成员：John Fair: bass, drum programsDavid Galas: drum programs, synthMike VanPortfleet: guitars, bass, drum programs, synth, vocalsWill Welch: bass, drum programs, synthby John BushMike Van Portfleet formed Lycia in early 1988 in his hometown of Phoenix. Inspired by post-punk and the ethereal 4AD sound of the 80s, he began experimenting with guitar loops on his four-track recorder. He recruited an old friend, bassist John Fair, to join him, and the two recorded Wake in 1989 for Phoenixs Orphanage Records. Fair left a year later to play with Caterwaul, but Van Portfleet continued to record, sending his demos to the goth-ambient Projekt label. Projekt liked what it heard and signed him to a contract.The first Lycia release for Projekt, Ionia, appeared in 1991. After recording A Day in the Stark Corner in 1993, Lycia became a duo once again when David Galas appeared on several live dates in California, documented on 1994s Live. Van Portfleet and Galas first recorded in the studio as Bleak, a side-project which released Vane in 1995. Tara Van Flower became the third member of Lycia that year, and her vocals appeared on The Burning Circle and Then Dust, a double-album released in 1995. Estrella followed in 1998.