The Lakeman cometh.
The genre-defying, long-form instrumental project formed in the fall of 2014 out of the jams of Josh Pym, Warryn Berry, Robert McLaren and Josh Bissonnette.
Watch: Meet the Band with new song Powers Creek by Lakeman
The friends and bandmates played together in different forms and while preparing for an upcoming show Lakeman took its true shape by ditching any sort of vocals or lyrics.
鈥淲e tried it for awhile and everyone was singing all at once pretty much. There was just so much going on and then we had a show opportunity so we were like, let鈥檚 scrap them and do it instrumental,鈥� Berry said.
The format clicked and it stuck, with many Lakeman songs clocking in over 10 minutes.
鈥淣ot having a bunch of banter in between songs or anything gives you this opportunity to sonically explore and build these relationships between pieces,鈥� McLaren said.
Their current setup also plays down a common fear within the band.
鈥淲e鈥檙e terrified of speaking publicly. We just wanted to make a set where we didn鈥檛 have idle chatter between songs. So that鈥檚 actually kind of why we don鈥檛 talk between songs,鈥� McLaren laughed.
Their latest work formed out of individual pieces brought forward by band members, which they work together to find connections and create transitions, building one cohesive movement. It鈥檚 hard to tell if a song ever actually ends while watching Lakeman live. Music continues to play throughout their set, even if band members are switching instruments or making technical changes.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 really like to have silence in the set. So we try to keep noise going all the time. We also get bored with the instruments that we play, so we like to switch them all up constantly,鈥� Bissonnette said.
It can change the dynamic of a song, and sometimes keep the writing process fresh, with the multi-instrumentalists bringing new and ever-changing sounds while playing a figurative game of musical chairs.
鈥淵ou change with how you play with people and with a normal band where it鈥檚 like, you鈥檙e the drummer, you鈥檙e the guitar player, you can rely on certain things. That challenge in itself is what is kind of adventourous about it for us,鈥� McLaren said.
It brings in a lot of aesthetically different ways to make music to the palette as well, whether that鈥檚 McLaren singing into a violin or using an orchestral bow on an electric bass.
鈥淲e each give each other the ability to bounce around on whatever we want to try. It works out well,鈥� Bissonnette said.
The writing process is a fluid one as McLaren put it they 鈥渟wim through the dirge together.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 like trying to write really intuitively, things just kind of happen and we follow them,鈥� Pym said.
Lakeman鈥檚 songs can range into the 30-plus minute mark, and in tune with their unique style they don鈥檛 plan on putting out their work in any traditional way.
鈥淚 think we have this problem with being satisfied with what we do and then by the time we鈥檙e showing it to everybody we kind of want to move on,鈥� Pym said.
They are looking at an unconventional release for their latest work. Facing an ever-changing multimedia landscape, Lakeman is looking to explore a release which would highlight the visual elements of their music.
鈥淥ur motto has been that the LP is the tombstone of the local band. From all of our personal experiences,鈥� Pym laughed.
Lakeman play 琉璃神社 at Fernando鈥檚 Pub on March 17 and Muninn鈥檚 Post March 24. They come to The Whole in Penticton on March 25. To check out more by Lakeman visit .
