1/19/2013
Recorded at the Vermont Arts Exchange by Ethan Hacker
Digitally recorded to Logic Pro with MOTU Ultralight Interface MKII with 2 Rode NT5 matched condensor mics

First published in The Berkshire Eagle – January 17th, 2012

Lake Side Dive: Finding its moment
By Jeremy D. Goodwin, Special to The Eagle

Lake Street Dive really took off once its members figured out the band was founded on a bad idea.

The four undergraduates in the jazz program at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music sat in a room and drew up plans to create a new genre — “free country,” an amalgam of Ornette Coleman and Loretta Lynn, as the band’s bassist Bridget Kearney has explained.

Once they started gigging together and recording demos, though, it became clear that other musical voices were clamoring to break through.

“We’d done a couple tours out in Iowa and were driving around and realized we all shared a love of a lot of the same pop music. That was also sort of a sign that we should forget the whole free country idea and get moving on some nice little three-minute songs,” recalls drummer Mike Calabrese.

The emerging sound was a neo-soul stew with the raw energy of a garage band and plenty of 1960′s-era pop inflections, built from Kearney’s unflaggingly dexterous touch on acoustic bass, Calabrese’s very musical drumming, singer Rachel Price’s soulful croon and Mike Olson’s bright trumpet lines and grounding guitar parts.

Nine years, three albums, one EP and one immensely popular YouTube clip later, the band might be finding its moment. The video clip, of the band playing a smoky, sexy rendition of the Jackson 5′s “I Want You Back” live on a street in Boston, was posted last May and has logged over half a million views. When it returned to its old,
cozy stomping grounds of the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge this month, it did so with a four-night run.

For the first time, the band has signed a manager, and has played tours opening for national acts like the Infamous Stringdusters and Yonder Mountain String Band. (Their set at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom in support of the Stringdusters earlier this month earned a favorable notice in the New York Times, within a review of the headliner’s performance.)

Lake Street Dive plays Helsinki Hudson in Hudson, N.Y., on Friday, and then a sold-out show the next night under the aegis of Williamstown’s Billsville House Concerts at the Vermont Arts Center in North Bennington, Vt.

“You go to jazz school and you take on a persona almost and part of your identity is being super into jazz and talking about it all the time. I think a lot of people are afraid to admit that their musical background is a lot more diverse and rooted in mainstream music, which is totally normal and fine,” Calabrese says wryly of the band’s early development. “Once we were traveling outside of school and discovering [we like poppier music], we said this is safe ground we can finally admit it.”

The 2011 covers CP “Fun Machine” includes Lake Street Dive-ified takes on tunes by George Michael, Hall and Oates and Paul McCartney, among others. There, and on its albums of original material, the band manages to sound like a very effective, small-group spin on the neo-soul movement, but with the low-overhead flexibility and interplay of a string band or jazz combo. As it’s proven, it can conjure the romance of a smoky nightclub through four minutes of intense performance out on the sidewalk in mid-afternoon.

“We’ve been getting a lot more gigs, a lot more press, a lot more attention on social media. It’s been super exciting,” observes Calabrese. Though the band hones its organic interplay through plenty of solo gigs, the opening slots have demonstrated the band’s sound can meld with a variety of other musical styles.

“When we get an opportunity to get in front of a bunch of people who aren’t necessarily in our scene but may enjoy it, we’ve really enjoyed the fruits of doing that.”

The hip, candlelit dinner-theater vibe of Helsinki seems an ideal setting for Lake Street Dive. But Saturday’s show in Vermont may be a little more off-the cuff. Though it’s at more of a proper venue than usual, it’s the latest in Doug Hacker’s informal concert series. Launched in April 2011, the Billsville House Concerts have featured more than 40 shows, Hacker says.

“One of my favorite musicians in the world was playing for me and all my friends, and I was sitting on the couch four feet away,” Hacker recalls wistfully of the debut concert, featuring singer/songwriter Joe Pug.

Typically located at the Hacker family’s home in Williamstown, but sometimes at friends’ barns or other larger sites, the series has included such rising acts as Sean Rowe, Brown Bird, and many others who’d typically play Helsinki or other, larger venues.

The Hackers can squeeze in about 50 people at their home, and keep in touch with their regulars through email announcements. All of the ticket money goes directly to the artists, who are also fed and housed for the night.

“We’re not running a business of any sort; in fact, if we were running a business, we would close it, because we lose money every time we do something,” Hacker says. “But at this point we have a pretty stellar reputation, and people will take a risk and pay 10 bucks if they know the money is going straight to the artist.”

Here’s a compilation of videos shot at Billsville shows this year. In general, I don’t like to point cameras at people so the collection is somewhat sparse. That said, we think these are awesome.

Liz Longley – “Unraveling”

Joe Fletcher – “Every Heartbroken Man”

Jonah Tolchin – “Rocks and Nails”

Plume Giant – “Strawberry Fields”

Ellis Paul – “Kick Out The Lights”

Chamberlin – “Down By The River”

Spirit Family Reunion – “100 Greenback Dollar Bills”

Hurray For The Riff Raff – “What’s Wrong With Me”

The Daredevil Christopher Wright – “The Birds of the Air and the Flowers of the Field”

Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons with Brown Bird – “Too Many Doors”

Brown Bird – “Bottom of the Bottle”

Was simply a crazy/awesome weekend for music lovers. Joe Fletcher + Spirit Family Reunion at The Dreamaway on Thursday. Freshgrass on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and of course our show with Brown Bird, Joe Fletcher and The Wrong Reasons and Poor Old Shine on Saturday. Video evidence!

Photo Credit : James Joiner Photography

Here then, are just a few of the highlights from the last year and a half . . . we’d really like to hear from you in the comments. What memories do you have?

Strand of Oaks
So everyone’s prepared for Joe Pug because of all the videos but then I introduce Strand of Oaks which must be confusing. Tim comes out all trucker hat and quiet and simply kills everyone with that sound and that voice – all hushed urgency and dread with underlying hope. A friend comes up to me after the set and just stares at me for about three beats then says “Holy Shit”. Exactly, I say.

Joe Pug
On a Tuesday night in April Joe Pug kicks off The Billsville House Concert series. Yeah, we hear “the new Bob Dylan” once a week but there are few who can draw close to that comparison – Joe’s one of them. He closes the show by asking me “Doug, is there something you want to hear?” The question jolts me out of the trance I’ve been in for the last 90 minutes induced by having one of my Top 5 performers of the last year playing music in our living room. I request “Call It What You Will” and Joe delivers an effortless, beautifully nuanced version that I’ll remember always.

Call it what you will, I’m heartbroken still, words are just words.

Dan Mangan
Dan Mangan is “Big in Canada” but relatively unknown here. He agrees to play a show on the day before he is booked at the Albany Tulip Festival ($!!) and proceeds to literally kill it in front of a crowd who has no idea who this supremely talented guy is. A rousing “Robot’s” ALMOST ends a set that brings us a batch of new songs off the record that quite a few critics will put in their top 10 releases of the year. We say ALMOST because Dan follows it up with an amazing rendition of Elliot Smith’s “Waltz #2″ that Dan calls a “kind of a perfect song”. Dan’s final on stage words are, essentially, praise for house concerts and music fans as he quotes Margaret Mead ” Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

We stay up until 3AM learning more about the intricacies of Canadian politics (while drinking copius amounts of red wine) than I might have thought possible. In the morning, Dan leaves with his very own robot made from cardboard and duct tape and plays in front of a hometown crowd of 12,000 people a week later.

Guggenheim Grotto
What needs to be said about a perfect Berkshire night that ends like this? Other than it did not end until we sang a song by EVERY IRISH MALE SINGER until 3AM in the barn.

David Wax
So David and Suz show up and the crowd gets the feeling they are going to take off. Which they do. They connect with the crowd immediately (the donkey jawbone sure doesn’t hurt) and lead everyone around the hallway and back into the living room for a crazy dance off. They’ll go on to play the main stage at the Newport Folk Festival in just a few weeks.

Sarah Borges
What needs to be said about Sarah Borges – at 8 1/2 months pregnant she can bring it like no one else. Sarah puts everyone in the room at ease with her self-deprecating humor and that rare ability to make you feel like you’ve known her for years in about 30 seconds.

Maryse Smith drove down from Burlington, VT after I harass her into performing. I’d only read about her and listened on her Bandcamp page. Lots of folks I respect up in Burlington are talking about her and I convince her to come and play for tips. Here’s a woman with a lot to say and she does so with such an offbeat delivery that you can’t help but pay attention. Sometimes Maryse shoves what should be too many syllables into a single line only to have them come out sounding fantastic on the other end. We’re excited to see where Maryse goes.

Anais Mitchell brought her voice, guitar and songs to a eager and loving crowd on a muggy July night. I’m not exaggerating when I say the audience was transfixed the entire night. Anais played songs from “Hadestown” – one of the records on my “Best of 2010″ list as well as a few new amazing tunes from her new record tentatively set for a February release. We basked in music, lyrical poetry and good spirits for almost two full hours. The night ended as one of these special evenings often does, with a full participation sing along to “Goodnight Irene”.

Brown Bird
I introduce Brown Bird to a house full of about 45 people, hear one song, and then leave. Caroline misses most of the show as well because of what we’ll call “kid logistics”. I return to hear the final two songs and Caroline makes it back for the dying applause on the last song. David and MorganEve then steal our hearts by playing a seven song min-set for us after everyone has gone home including letting Kai sing all the words he has learned to “What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor” thanks to the Williamstown Theatre Festival‘s outdoor theater.

Brown Bird becomes out “Go To” band and has performed twice more in Williamstown to even larger crowds.

Ethan and a few of the Circus Smirkus kids jam with the band into the night.

Sarah Lee & Johnny
I confirm the gig with Johnny via a cell phone call in the parking lot of Stop & Shop. Fitting, for a show that is the closest to “local” that we’ve had. Sarah Lee & Johnny arrive humble, professional and then proceed to slay us with their close harmonies and dynamics.

Kingsley Flood
We poach Kingsley Flood for an afternoon show before their late night appearance in Pittsfield. First show with the local Taco Truck in attendance and on a beautiful summer day we get the rollicking vibe and good time fun that only happens in these settings. Hey, Magic Hat is selling #9 in cans! And it’s good!

The Mommyheads

Some of the Mommyheads were skeptical about this performance, this “barn show”. They aren’t anymore.

Jenny Owen Youngs

Jenny sent us Gorilla coffee from Brooklyn after the show – which is a HUGE WIN FOR ME. From time to time we log into StageIt to watch Jenny perform a few songs from her living room and she always has something charming to say to the kids.

Swear and Shake

Swear and Shake filled the house to the brim and delivered a sweet set of indie folk tunes that ended with some charming piano songs. I forced Kari to play “Do Right Woman” – to all of you who heard it, you’re welcome.

Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps
Pre-show warmup

We thought we’d do this show and then take a little break from the house concert thing. When Caroline stood on the table and delivered a walloping version of “Drown In My Own Tears” I could of ended the whole thing forever on an up note. Thankfully, I got an email the next day from . . .

Sonya Kitchell // Elizabeth and the Catapult

So much talent in our little house. So much. Elizabeth played “Thank You For Nothing” as the first song of the night. I think the whole room held their breath the entire song and we were all stunned at what we had just witnessed. Sonya was hypnotizing and her voice, her voice! Holy everything.

Later Kai shot Elizabeth in the eye with a nerf gun and scratched her cornea. This is what memories are made of.

Spirit Family Reunion

In the middle of this show we thanked our contractor for shoring up the floor joists in the basement. The crowd sat in their chairs for all of 30 seconds and we danced the rest of the evening in a joyful sweaty mess.

Liz Longley

It’s hard to miss Liz’s songwriting talent as she delivers lyrical wonders song after song. We got a special version of “Unraveling” on the Steinway to end the evening.

Joe Fletcher

We knew we liked Joe going in, we liked him more as the night progressed. Lyrical, sardonic and witty – Joe captivated us all that evening.

Jonah Tolchin

We convinced Jonah to stop by on his way to another gig and we’re glad we did. Here’s a kid whose talent is hidden behind polite humility. When he stands up to sing . . .

Plume Giant

Ethan puts up a web cam and pulls the sound from the mixer. Techy!

Ellis Paul / Peyton Totchterman

Ellis Paul at our house? With his career? How lucky were we? Radoslav Lorkovic turns our $50 piano into a million dollar machine.

Chamberlin

Spirit Family Reunion // Hurray for the Riff Raff // Broken Wing Routine


Was this the show of shows? 175 people in a beautiful barn – this is what a night of music should be all about.

Joe Fletcher

Joe warms up for his richly deserved debut at the Newport Folk Festival

** Post title from the lyric’s to Joe Pug’s “Hymn 101″
Yeah I’ve come to know the wish list of my father
I’ve come to know the shipwrecks where he wished
I’ve come to wish aloud among the over dressed crowd
Come to witness now the sinking of the ship
Throwing pennies from the sea top next to it
And I’ve come to roam the forest past the village
With a dozen lazy horses in my cart
I’ve come here to get high,
To do more than just get by.
I’ve come to test the timbre of my heart
Oh, I’ve come to test the timbre of my heart
And I’ve come to be untroubled in my seeking
And I’ve come to see that nothing is for naught
I’ve come to reach out blind
to reach forward and behind
For the more I seek the more I’m sought
Yeah, the more I seek the more I’m sought.

And I’ve come to meet the sheriff and his posse
To offer him the broadside of my jaw
I’ve come here to get broke
Then maybe bum a smoke
We’ll go drinking two towns over after all
Oh, we’ll go drinking two towns over after all.

And I’ve come to meet the legendary takers
I’ve only come to ask them for a lot
Oh they say I come with less
than I should rightfully posses
I say the more I buy the more I’m bought
And the more I’m bought the less I cost
And I’ve come to take their servants and their surplus
And I’ve come to take their raincoats and their speed
I’ve come to get my fill
To ransack and spill
I’ve come to take the harvest for the seed
I’ve come to take the harvest for the seed

And I’ve come to know the manger that you sleep in
I’ve come to be the stranger that you keep
I’ve come from down the road
And my footsteps never slowed
Before we met, I knew we’d meet
Before we met, I knew we’d meet

And I’ve come here to ignore your cries and heartaches
I’ve come to closely listen to you sing
I’ve come here to insist
That I leave here with a kiss
I‘ve come to say exactly what I mean
and I mean so many things.

And you’ve come to know me stubborn as a butcher
and you’ve come to know me thankless as a guest
but will you recognize my face when gods awful grace
strips me of my jacket and my vest
and reveals all the treasure in my chest

Here are a few live tracks from Spirit Family Reunion and Hurray For The Riff Raff. What a night, what a night, From the honky tonk blues and harmonies of Broken Wing Routine to the southern country folk of Hurray For The Riff Raff and Alynda Lee’s amazing voice to the energetic burst at the seams energy of Spirit Family Reunion. 10 dollars? 10 dollars? This was a million dollar night.

- You can hear the crowds pent up energy just explode on SFR’s first song! DANCE PARTY!

Did I mention an eight song encore that moved from rave up roots to rock to The Beatles to sloppy musical love? Let’s do it again soon.

Listen up and try to sit still – seats are filling up for the June 9th show, you better reserve yours soon.

http://www.billsvillehouseconcerts.com/tickets

A few minutes of “Down By The River”