Ten years later, LAKE has plenty to sing about.
The indie pop band that sprung from Olympia’s music scene a decade ago is returning to frontman Eli Moore’s hometown for a free 10-year anniversary performance Aug. 22. LAKE will play every song from its 10 albums (seven published, three unreleased), an estimated 120 pieces, during a 12-hour marathon at Bayview Hall this Saturday.
But don’t call it a concert.
“We’re thinking it’s more like an art installation than a show,” said multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ashley Eriksson, who has been married to Moore for four years. “It’s not about the performance being good.”
Added Moore: “I picture some of the songs as going to be a complete disaster.”
Moore had to leave South Whidbey, which is where he grew up and where his parents still reside, to find his voice. The 37-year-old tried the music scene in Los Angeles, where he first met Eriksson, before they relocated to Olympia and founded LAKE with Kenny Tarantino and Lindsay Schief. The first letter of their first names is how the band’s name was created — L for Lindsay, A for Ashley, K for Kenny, E for Eli.
K Records in Olympia signed them to a deal and has released all of their published albums.
For their 10-year anniversary and full-catalog celebration, not every song will be played in its entirety. Some songs, said Moore and Eriksson, have not been played in front of a crowd in several years.
These days, LAKE is a veritable collective of musicians, including current bandmates Markly Morrison and Andrew Dorsett. But LAKE members past and present are expected to help carry the 12 hours of tunes.
Eriksson and Moore moved back to Langley, his hometown, a few years ago. Having recently returned from a six-show, 10-day tour of California and a brief camping trip to British Columbia, Moore and Eriksson were already preparing for their magnum opus. Inside their home, instruments, amplifiers, keyboards, synthesizers, a violin, drum kits, guitars, and microphones are all about in order. Where they live is where they work, recording and scoring music for their band, stage and film.
LAKE has some popularity for recording the end song to Cartoon Network’s “Adventure Time.” But Moore and Eriksson also record for local performances, such as the Whidbey Children’s Theater production of “Peter Pan” and OutCast Theater’s “The Pillowman.”
In addition to performing, they were thinking of opening up one of the microphones to fans and friends willing to sing along.
People give credit to musicians for three-hour sets. For the lo-fi, relaxed energy of LAKE, a 12-hour show will be just as daunting as a high-energy, thrashing concert.
“I’m a little scared, I’m not sure what it’s going to be like physically,” Moore said.
