The Summer in the Studio series returned to Saugatuck this year on Aug. 1 with a performance by singer/songwriter Catie Curtis. Each Monday afterward, a different artist will perform, but on Aug. 29, Lake Folk, a roots noir band from Ann Arbor bring its unique sound to the series.
"Our themes are a little darker, and we seem to find ourselves playing a lot of murder ballads," said Danielle Gartner, the band's cellist, vocalist and mandolin player. "The roots noir genre is something we came up with, based partially off some of the comments from our fans about our sound."
Not only the lyrics influence the label of this subgenre, but the instruments as well.
"Someone said, ‘Boy, you're kind of like a roots thing, referring to them (the instruments)," Gartner said. "The cello definitely brings a darker side out, and our vocalist's voice is very soulful."
Though not every song off their debut album, Feel Like I'm Home, is quite as haunting as the next, the members of Lake Folk find a lot of things that influence them. Their songs have a storytelling quality to them, personal stories from the bandmates that you probably won't hear elsewhere. An example of this rare storytelling is in "Lilly's Waltz," a song off the debut album based on a story passed down through one band member's family. The soulful song is seen through the eyes of a little girl who witnesses a murder, all told through vocalist/bassist Erin Shellman's strong, eerie vocals and Gartner's flawless strokes on the cello. But because the roots noir genre is a blend of folk, jazz and Americana, the band as a whole, and its individual members, draw from other influences.
"As a group I think we identify with the music of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings and Abigail Washburn," Gartner said.
However, the band members all listen to different genres, ranging from classical music to old time jazz like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, to traditional rock. This blend makes it so Lake Folk exemplifies Ann Arbor's music scene.
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Lake Folk: Summer in Studio Aug. 1- Catie Curtis |
"There's a super rich history of music here, starting with jazz and indie folk here in Ann Arbor and in Ypsilanti. It's very supportive."
So when Lake Folk takes their act west to Saugatuck, one can expect something somewhat familiar, but something new as well. Gartner feels similarly.
"The fact that it's a Monday show and that it's an earlier show brings something different to the table for us. It also gives us exposure to a new audience. If nothing else, the audience can walk away with some new, incredible stories."
The band came together in an organic way, as three of the band's five members went to school together in Cleveland, Ohio. Then Gartner met Shellman in college, then went to the same grad school together. Soon Erin started dating Bryan Mayer, Lake Folk's guitarist who joined the forming band as they were starting to play together and figure out they just might have something. The last member to join, drummer John Nipper, answered the band's ad through Craig's List.
"I think we're one of the only success stories of finding a Southern drummer through the site," Gartner said. "We're so fortunate. John is amazingly talented, and he fits our group's mold so well."
As for their future, Lake Folk have many things in the works, including a Southern tour (Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee) in October, which is a follow-up to the tour they did in April. The band hopes to tour on the east coast sometime soon as well, after they finish their current project, of course. Lake Folk has been busy writing songs for the upcoming movie Boom Town, a story about a band touring in Michigan.
"When the film gets released, we'd like to perform around the state, along with the premieres," Gartner said.
Whatever the future brings, Lake Folk will be in Saugatuck performing on Aug. 29. Each show is $15.
