LAKE Digital Interview

PA: Dear Ashley, Eli, Lindsay, Adam, Mark, Bill,
whoever else might be around,
Hi guys. You may or may not remember me as a friend of Spencer Sult [Generifus].
I hope tour is going super well.

PA: What is being a band called LAKE like in places without water? Kind of
challenging?
Ashley: Well, during this last fall tour we all forgot how hot it would be in the southwest and forgot to bring clothes for very hot weather - hotter than it ever gets in (coastal) Washington. We were desperate to find thrift shorts and sandals for that week of sunshine. We're talking 100 degrees in late October. When I left for tour, I was already wearing wool and thermals. What a great big diverse country we live in. But anyways, even in the face of drought, there's still mountains of water in the sky to quench one's dreams of the Northwestern lakes.

PA: What's touring Europe like for LAKE?
Eli: Touring in Europe was very exciting, but we needed someone to wake us up in the mornings, and help us get from A to B. It was very stressful to travel in Europe as a group, with no help. We couldn't tell if people in England liked our band or not, or maybe they couldn't tell. But in places like Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Hamburg we felt quite liked, loved even? Scandinavia is incredible, but I'd really like to go back in the winter. We had a great time and made friends that i hope to keep forever. I liked all the bread and butter and cheese. and in Scandinavia all the pickled herring was great. In Norway we played a festival with Jars of Clay!

PA: How was working with Weston Currie?
Poor Weston was falling apart during the shooting of the LAKE video. At first, his back was killing him and getting worse and worse, which we were able work around taking the necessary breaks. Then, later that night, we went to a friend's birthday party and Weston sprained his foot dancing. Weston had to go to the hospital and the next day we were shooting again, but Weston was on crutches. I don't think our video would have turned out any differently though, had Weston been in better physical shape. He's really great to work with; very funny and imaginative and a he's good listener as well. It will be fun to work with him again.

PA: How is the new vinyl being received? I don't have it yet, but I saw the test
pressing when I came to that Eli show in Olympia last spring.
Eli: It was super fun. i just now read some of our press report and had the honor of reading my first negative reviews and it didn't even hurt. in general it seems like people who listen to the record intentionally, and cognizantly seem to like it. I have heard people complain that it is too short, which i agree with. i think "Oh, the Places.." fits nicely into many people's percepption of the northwest, lo-fi, k records cannon. [note: LAKE sold out of the record on their European tour]

PA: Does super aggressive dance music have chance against mellow NW pop?
Eli: Not a chance. but it's funny that in review after review pretty much every description of our band includes the word mellow. When we made this album, I thought it WAS super aggressive dance music. But I guess it's not. It is quite a bit more rockin' (in my opinion) than our other records. Maybe we need to have it remastered, so it jumps aggressively out of the speakers.

PA: I've been hearing about gnarly house parties from Sult featuring diverse music. What's the future for the Oly music scene?
Eli: It really seems to be growing. I live on Whidbey Island now, so when I come and visit Olympia or play a show, every time, it seems to have grown; especially in regards to the house show/all ages scene. It's crazy! I think Spencer Sult is a new powerful figure in Olympia and he seems to be inviting lots of people from the dorms to shows, which is awesome.

PA: If LAKE were a lifestyle brand, what would be the top three LAKE products for sale at Sharper Image[R.I.P.]?
Ashley: LAKE stoppers (for the bathtub), LAKE rain sticks, LAKE sandwich

PA: Thanks LAKE!

The new album is called Oh The Places We'll Go.
Get it here or any shop that sells K Records.



LAKE - Heaven from Weston Currie on Vimeo.