Lake Street Dive

Lake Street Dive
Ordered Smooth
By Jennifer Mandaville
W
hen writing about a band I have interviewed,
nothing gets the gut churning more than considering
the group’s subsequent interviews. In this case
Stephen Colbert, David Letterman and Ellen DeGeneres – as
well as scores of print interviews and reviews in publications
that include Rolling Stone and People. What is left to be written?
Right?
Lake Street Dive is a beguiling mix of big-band-swing, 60’s
British Invasion and Motown, tossed with an 80’s dance band – a
cerebral concert of old meets new. And still, there is something
more.
Naming themselves after Lake Street, a Minneapolis street
lined with dive bars, the best the quartet could imagine at the
time was to play one of those dives. It is safe to say they have
traveled well beyond “hoped for” Lake Street gigs.
Brooklyn and beyond
All former students of The New England Conservatory in
Boston, the fourpiece, Brooklyn-based ensemble consists of
Rachael Price – lead vocals, guitar and ukulele; Bridget Kearney
– upright bass; Michael Calabrese – drums; and the heart and
founder of the 10-year-old band, Michael Olson (McDuck) –
trumpet and guitar. Why Brooklyn? “Brooklyn for musicians is
like L.A. for actors,” Bridget declares matter of factly. Bridget
says she and Rachael met in drum class their freshman year. “I
don’t think either of us had any faith in the other one’s abilities as
a musician based on that class,” she says laughing.
Make no mistake, though, they are accomplished songwriters
as well as musicians and singers – as showcased on their 2014
album – Bad Self Portraits, which has risen to wide-reaching
critical acclaim. Rolling Stone deems it “ … a blend of soul, Brill
Building pop, Motown and swing topped off by Price’s lustrous,
fullthroated singing,” and went as far as labeling Lake Street
Dive “The Year’s Best New Band” on their March 13th cover.
Not bad for a band that didn’t have a Wikipedia page less than a
year ago.
For the fun of it
Rachel Price
Photos by Dylan Langille
The band is known for bringing fresh sounds to covers, most
notably The Jackson 5’s “I Want You back,” In 2012 the band
gathered around the mic on a corner in Brooklyn and laid down
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a YouTube track of the song.
And yes, the rest is history. The
viral video off their EP Fun
Machine, is a reinvented and
soulful take on the 40-year-old
classic, and is skyrocketing
toward two million hits. The
band, having tried a variety of
formulas over the years, credits
the notoriety of this video as
the act that created the shift.
T Bone Burnett then
invited Lake Street Dive to
play on Another Day, Another
Time: Celebrating the Music
of ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’ the
Coen Brothers Showtime
special,
featuring
other
topshelf performances by Joan
Bridget Kearney
Baez, Keb Mo, Gillian Welch,
The Avett Brothers and many more. Just when fans are thinking
they might be seeing them everywhere, they are. Price was
featured singing “The Star Spangled Banner” at an opening
baseball game in Episode 6 of the second season of the Netflix
original series, House of Cards.
Cocktail hour
When I sat down with Bridget and
Calabrese after their set at the 40th annual
Telluride Bluegrass Festival, they shared
an unjaded enthusiasm for their craft and
what they see as a unique take on classic
sounds: “We studied jazz,” says Michael,
“but as a band, realized our background
and sound could be applied to Motown,
soul and pop, and that we could draw off
of artists we admired – The Beatles, Paul
Simon … bands we grew up loving.”
Recalling the soulful, jazzy style of
Amy Winehouse, I asked if she had been an
influence on their sound. Bridgett shared
she was good with the comparison, but, in
truth, they were developing and growing
at the same time as Winehouse. “She was
influenced by the same things as us.”
Great songwriting is one of the band’s
strengths and, while Rachael does not do
a lot of songwriting, Bridgett “writes with
Rachael’s voice and style in mind. …”
Huffington Post, entertainment journalist,
Michael Bialas writes, “No matter who’s
doing the writing Price’s alluring alto can
carry a tune to its desired destination ...
‘You know, I’m singing the songs written
by my best friends,’ Price said, ‘So I’m
pretty aware of their experiences as they
are of mine. We function as a group
that it’s like, if it’s Bridget’s song, she’s
‘singing’ on the bass [by] playing it, too.
It’s like we’re all having a conversation
about what happened to that person. Like
I’m taking the role of singing it, but it’s all
part of one statement that we’re making.
... You know it’s not me at the forefront
– like I’m carrying the weight of feeling the
song. Everybody’s feeling the song.’”
Bad Self Portraits
In February 2014, the band released their much anticipated
and critically acclaimed third album, Bad Self Portraits, which
is being released by the Northampton, Massachusetts indie
Michael Calabrese
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label, Signature Sounds Recording, as the follow-up to a
self-titled debut and subsequent EP. An eclectic explosion
of Price’s soulful voice mixed with the band’s precision
harmonies and near-perfect trumpet, guitar, bass and drums.
The album has been described as a microcosm of evolution
spanning from British Invasion rock (“Bobby Tanqueray”),
to Motown soul (“Use Me Up”) and even The Band-like gospel
blues (“What About Me”).
Delivering on the sublime and broken promises of
unrequited love, drummer Michael Calabrese tells Rolling
Stone. “Everyone can relate to a selfie, right? This song tries
to capture a context that exists ubiquitously in our culture right
now. When coupled with the traditional idea of love in song
form, it becomes a selfie of the soul; another medium that can
be used to share a portrait of yourself with the masses. That’s
how we felt the rest of the songs functioned on the record and
the reason we gave the album its name.”
The album’s release did not come quickly, or easily. In
2006, Price signed a solo record contract with Claire Visions
that proved to be nearly impossible to break. And while the
band recorded Bad Self Portraits in 2012 it took another year
for Claire Visions to release Price from her contract, allowing
the band to release the album. During the stalemate, Price
continued touring with Lake Street Dive, and in late 2013 an
agreement was reached allowing the band to announce the
release of the album in February 2014.
Alive in paradise
Most recently, I caught the band at the Paradise Theater
in Paonia, Colorado (post big-time TV interviews and post
their recent gig at Carnegie Hall). I really had no idea what to
expect. I had seen them before, and had been following them
closely enough to know they were on a fairly frantic and fastpaced tour, having performed down the West Coast a couple
days before, and jamming to the East Coast in as little time.
But, Lake Street Dive was not to disappoint – the band was
tight and fresh and gracious, with fans pushed up to the small
stage and on their feet from the first notes of the first song. I
spent much of the show stage left, about 6 ft. from McDuck’s
chillax horn and guitar playing. Kearney and Calabrese never
stopped smiling, nor stopped delivering their high-energy
musical perfection, and Rachael belted out a constant stream
of vocal bliss – leaving fans grinning, high-fiving and desiring
more.
“You can’t measure that sort of thing in success or the
amount of gigs or press,” Price says. …“Like we walk out and
we have 500 faces smiling up at us ready to have a good time.”
Enjoy High Notes from
2012 - 2014 online at:
www.wellspringpub.com
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Photo by Dylan Langille
High Notes Q & A
A conversation with Jennifer Mandaville, and Mike “McDuck” Olson, trumpet and guitar
player and founder of Lake Street Dive.
JM: Typical 24 hours on the road?
McDuck: Oh my gosh so boring. I tried answering this
question with a silly hour by hour breakdown, but it was too
dull. I’m writing to you today from the Sprinter van we ride
around, between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. This is
beautiful country, but there’s a whole lot of nothing out here
on the interstates, and this is where we spend anywhere from
three to twelve hours a day. Our nightly work begins with
our load-in and sound check, which is totally routine, then
we cram Thai food into our faces and change for the gig. We
do our vocal warm-ups, make the set list, then the actual fun
part starts – the show! Which is over in a heartbeat, of course.
We sell merch, pack up, load out, go to a hotel and watch TV
until we pass out. Then, up again and on the road the next
morning!
JM: Before you go on stage you always?
McDuck: We do these warm-ups that involve dancing and
singing scales while we buzz our lips and make funny faces
– pretty silly stuff. We don’t like scream in each others’ faces
and try to pump each other up or anything; there’s generally a
lot of smiling, actually.
JM: Colbert and Letterman – those were notable PR bumps. Was
the murmur set off by your YouTube cover of the Jackson 5’s
“I want you back”? As you know, that is the buzz.
McDuck: Yes, “I Want You Back” was the spark in the
kindling I suppose. For the longest time, at each and every
show we played, everyone who spoke to us after the show
said ‘I came because I saw your YouTube video!’ So that was
quite significant for us. It still is.
JM: Were you surprised or was it just a matter of time – so to
speak?
McDuck: Very surprised. We were up in Maine recording
Bad Self Portraits with our amazing producer Sam Kassirer,
when the YouTube video really took off, and we were way
out in the middle of nowhere. I’m talking no internet, no cell
reception, no nothing. We were driving away from the studio
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back into civilization, and everyone turned their phones back
on, and they started blowing up, and we all at once realized
that our video views had gone up by thousands of views, and
were all over these blogs and stuff. It was truly wild.
JM: Who has the better green-room fare and the firmer
handshake – Stephen
Colbert or David
Letterman?
McDuck: Ahh, we don’t
like to eat and shake and
tell...
JM: You describe
yourselves as a “live
outfit.” When you
transition from the road to
the studio, what
do you do to keep that
sound vibrant and alive?
McDuck: We try to
track as much stuff live
as possible, and go for
“roomy” open sounds, especially with drums and the guitar
tones. We don’t want to go for a really slick, polished finished
product, but rather go for sounds and production elements that
could be even considered “wrong” or “bad,” but with the right
combination of sounds, the right mix, the right
producer (and Sam Kassirer was certainly
the right producer) those trashy sounds can
be perfect, and can in some way suggest to
the listener a more live vibe in the studio. We
love that stuff. We truly are a live band, but
recording is so fun and invigorating for us.
JM: Another Day, Another Time, and House
of Cards – describe those experiences?
McDuck: Another Day, Another Time was
SO fun. It was such a great experience.
Everyone was so welcoming and wonderful
and made us feel like we belonged – even
though it sort of felt like we slipped in
through the back door when no one was
looking. Seriously, we were surrounded by
our heroes and legends, and no one vibed
us out; there was literally a high-five line
backstage when we came off after our
Those trashy
sounds can be
perfect, and
can in some
way suggest a
more live vibe
in the studio.
— McDuck
performance. It was an excellent exposure opportunity for us
too; it’s become another thing that lots of people say they saw
us on when they talk to us at shows.
JM: Mike C. and Bridgette told me a year ago in Telluride
that while you were influenced by the same things as Amy
Winehouse, you would not necessarily call her an influence
of yours. Who or what sound is influencing your music today,
and how has your sound changed in the last year or two?
McDuck: The same kind of bands and artists are still
influencing us as ever; classic songwriters like the Beatles
or Carole King, even Billy Joel or Paul Simon, and soul
singers like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. Really we’ve just
discovered how fun it is to play rock-n-roll and soul, and so
our arrangements and performances these days skew towards
the high energy and the funky, as much as we’re capable. It’s
just the most fun way to play and write.
JM: Your hidden talents?
McDuck: I love to draw, Rachael roasts a mean chicken,
Calabrese is a bit of a trivia gold mine and Bridget owns a
potter’s wheel and has made several beautiful clay pots.
JM: The best piece of advice you actually follow?
McDuck: Always write thank you notes. (Thanks mom.) We
really try to send thank-yous to people who have been
For more information about LSD or
to order Bad Self Portraits and your
Lake Street Dive trucker’s cap, go to
www.LakeStreetDive.com
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kind to us – not just industry folks who have helped us out
professionally, but to people who offer to take us out to
dinner in a city we’ve never been to, or to people who bring
us lemon squares before a show. It’s tough to keep up with,
there are a lot of really wonderful people out there who are
really excited about the band, but we try to show people our
appreciation.
JM: The most memorable show, yet and the one you are
looking forward to … why?
McDuck: On this tour [spring, 2014], we were really
blown away by our show in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
It was one of the biggest rooms we’d played to date, and it
was one hundred percent packed, and EVERYONE danced
and EVERYONE sang along. It was super inspiring and
wonderful, but also had an element of “How did this happen?
Where did you all come from?!”
JM: If you could slow down some aspect of your success
what would it be?
McDuck: I don’t know how to respond to this without
sounding like a brat! We’ve had a fair amount of interest
overseas, which is GREAT, don’t get me wrong, but we
have our hands full touring the US and Canada! How can
we neglect our amazing North American fans and audiences
by going to Europe or Australia? But how can we turn down
touring in Europe or Australia?? There’s just not enough time
in the year, unfortunately.
JM: The best thing you ever, bought, stole or borrowed?
McDuck: I stole a muffin from Calabrese the other day in a
hotel room we were sharing while he was showering – it was
delicious. He had gone down to the continental breakfast, and
I didn’t have time. He’s my best friend, he’ll
understand.
JM: What notable or surprising shifts have
you experienced touring and performing in
the last year?
McDuck: People just care now! I mean,
people cared from the beginning, and
those early fans are still really special to
us because they believed in us from the
beginning, but there are just so many people
coming out of the woodwork and driving
long distances to come see us. It’s so
flattering and wonderful. And they all know
the words and sing along? So crazy cool. I
mean, these are songs we’ve written about
deeply personal experiences, and we’re just
four friends doing what we love, and people
actually care. It kind of doesn’t get any
better than that!
JM: Do you have nicer wheels? Is it a van? Bus (there are only
four of you! …)? Describe.
McDuck: We’re rolling around these days in a SICK Sprinter
van. Our tour manager/sound engineer/all around awesome guy
Luke pimped out the inside, and built bunks into the back. And
there’s this really comfy couch and captain’s chairs and custom
cabinetry; … it’s rad. We’re only renting it for the moment, so
it’s not a permanent thing, but we’re enjoying it while we have
it!
JM: Tell me about the Lake Street Dive scene and sound in
Carnegie Hall … was it what you
expected? Why or why not, and in what ways?
McDuck: The sound in Zankel Hall [a 599-seat venue at
Carnegie] has maybe spoiled us forever. It was a beautiful,
gorgeous space, and the crew and staff were all so professional
and kind. We barely had to have any of the instruments in the
PA, everything just carried so beautifully. It was probably the
easiest gig for our sound engineer to date. If anyone at
Carnegie Hall is reading this, have us back please!
JM: What is something you have yet to be asked, but is an
interesting or little known fact about you
or the band?
McDuck: We have this funny birth order thing that
corresponds to not only the band, but our families as well. I am
the oldest in the band and the oldest child in my family.
Calabrese is next in line and the second child of two. Bridget
comes next and is third of four. And Rachael is not only the
youngest in the band but of her siblings as well. Weird huh?
Best not to read too much into that, I’d say...
Editor's Note:
Cover story of the 2014 spring/summer
High Notes Magazine. For the rest of the
issue and other WellSpring publications
go to www.wellspringpub.com
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