Interviews: Lake Mar/e

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Progressive Metal band, Lake Mar/e, from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it or came out just like that?

In Lake Mar/E’s first instance, it was just Eric and me (Stephen). We couldn’t decide whether we wanted Lake Mar or Lake Mare. Both names signified several directives that we felt complemented our joint motivations. So we chose both. I don’t recall the exact coffee talk. But it seems like we were going for something that signified: captivating visions, unpredictable acts of surreal aggression, a component of admiration of natural beauty, and space/time travel. There is a Latin meaning in Mar that makes the name redundantly hilarious. And my favorite (3rd-party) interpretation is Lake Mar Slashy...which inspires me to create a mascot. I’m still thinking about that one :)

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

This is where our hearts are at. A musical career destined for no spotlight can only come from a band with strong conviction. We don’t need this band to generate wealth. This affords us the ability to prioritize art over chasing pre-defined audiences.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Yes, to varying degrees. Kris and Stephen have shared stages (not bands) since the late 90s. Eric and Stephen met a little over a decade ago and formed the first instance of Lake Mar/E as a 2-member project. We contracted Nick (current drummer) to do some session work for our first demo. This project was put on hold shortly after the project's conception, when Eric moved states away. It wasn’t until Kris’ recent passion for the Lake Mar/E songs that we formed Lake Mar/E in its current form.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Stephen - There are so many ways to gauge that question...if hours listening is the metric, then probably BTBAM.

Eric - BTBAM

Kris - Iron Maiden

Nick - is too busy working on his two Master degrees to answer

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Us Marmenites of Lake Mar/E create journeys, not just statements. Sometimes I (Stephen) think about personal or philosophical topics and attempt to map the emotional development of said topic in musical terms. Other times, it’s an investigation of music theory. Occasionally, it’s just having fun rocking out. There is usually something very intentional behind each section of each song.

The lyrical component usually reaches within. Take, for example, this excerpt from Faded Gray:

When you lie

here

Might not

feel like

you know

just who you are

Words can splint

bones

but wishes won’t dust

the chalk 

off lining your scars

(Talk to me)

Like water as it runs

Over palms

Dipping in streams

Eric and I worked on the lyrical concept together. It stemmed from what you might consider an auditory-induced daytime hallucination.

As you may recall, Sigur Rós was claimed to induce vivid hallucinations in listeners. I wanted to see what that was all about.

I was lying on my bed listening to Von by Sigur Rós. The blue pixels from the Windows 2000 screen saver on my PC seemed to lift off the screen and reform as (what appeared to be) me, in a much older state; its stern gaze pierced every insecurity in my soul with its black, crescent-moon-shaped retinas. A bystander confirmed that it wasn’t simply a dream. I could hear them speaking, yet remained mute. I was simply unable to speak or see them, while I could sense their presence for a very uncomfortable amount of time.

These sorts of surreal experiences that no one feels comfortable speaking of...speak to the volatility of the human mind. That said, I encourage you to re-read the above excerpt.

6. Where was your last gig?

We recently played a show in Elko, NV, at the Silver Dollar Club, and the mix was just incredible! The crowd was really into both bands, and on stage, everyone in the band could hear themselves and each other, which was not the case at the venue we played the night before (ahem, in Nikki Sixx’s hometown). After the show, I heard a familiar song playing through the loudspeakers as the crowd dispersed and people sidled up to the bar to refill their drinks. I (Eric) turned to Kris and said, “What song is this...is it? Wait...” Then my mind pinned down the song, and I realized that the bar was playing the set we had just wrapped on the loudspeakers, and everyone was enjoying hearing it again, even though they’d just witnessed it a few minutes ago! And it sounded incredible! It was surreal and satisfying at the same time.

7. Where would you like to perform?

The major music hubs: Nashville, LA, NYC, Dallas

8. Whom would you like to perform with?

Anyone and everyone where we both complement each other!

9. Whom not?

I don’t think we will be opening for Justin Bieber any time soon

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

I am very much an introvert at heart. I have never been comfortable on stage...to be honest. No one else in the band has expressed issues with this. I have to maintain the essence of who/what Lake Mar/E is...what motivated me to get on stage in the first place. I have to deal with that overwhelming side of my lizard brain. My lizard brain response to my lizard brain is to suppress it. Don’t do that. Allow it to flow through you; accept the excitement and even try to view the excitement as a positive thing. Focusing on keeping the downbeat in my ear or in my foot helps.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

The challenge in this question is not to re-evaluate the impact of every artist I have listened to for 40 years. Yet, I am sure they have all had their influence in one way or another... ’Inspired’ has a very specific meaning to me. I consider myself a researcher of new sounds, new ideas in tonal harmony, and rhythms. Off the top of my head — some bands that have opened my eyes to new concepts have been King Crimson, NIN, and BTBAM. If you want to go further back in time into non-genre matching references, I enjoy the transcending philosophy in Charles Ives' compositions, the unruly dissonance in Dvorak’s compositions, and the nuanced motifs that Chopin is so famous for. Then there is the (innovative half of) jazz composers in The Real Book (e.g., John Coltrane). The list goes on... We’re currently loving the new Para Bellum by Testament.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

A ride home, ha ha.., unfortunately, we literally didn’t have room in the van, but we lined him up with a local that got him home safe and sound

13. What do you think of your fans?

The same way I feel about a mother duck walking her family across a busy street, I’d stop traffic for them.

14. What do you think of our site?

Breathing the Core site is sick... a place where we can go globally to see who’s who of new bands/music! Love it

15. Something to add?

We prioritize making each show better as we learn the lessons from the previous. Feel free to check us out in TN or AL in our upcoming shows:

Dec 17 - Cobra Nashville (you guessed it: Nashville, TN)

Dec 19 - Growlers (Memphis, TN)

Dec 20 - The Shed DIY (Tuscumbia, AL)

We are also making some progress on the LP. We are struggling with how to make this a priority at the moment. But we will hit it hard after our December shows! There have also been semi-formal discussions of a music video. We have several great storyboards at the moment.