California-based emerging artist Lake Eats Grass has just released Rights For Mayflies, a nine-track debut studio album featuring a mix of acoustic folk, indie, and alternative rock. We had a great conversation regarding the new release and learned more about the artist behind the music.
Lake: Hello. My name is Lake, and I have a songwriting project called Lake Eats Grass.
How would you describe your music?
Lake: I would describe my music as a mix of acoustic folk/singer-songwriter vibes with some alternative indie rock sounds. I put a lot of effort into finger-picking technique and writing lyrics that are really personal and expressive—almost journalistic.
What artists do you consider to be major influences?
Lake: I'm very inspired by Elliott Smith and Adrianne Lenker and her band Big Thief. I listen to a lot of indie rock. One of my favorite indie artists is actually an artist who grew up in my hometown who has a project called Palehound. They're my guitar teacher right now, so I learn a lot from them, and I definitely listen to those three artists all the time.
When did you realize you had a passion for music and how have you progressed since then?
Lake: I was classically trained in viola starting at the age of eight, then kind of gave up on it for a few years after high school because the performance world was very intense. Then the pandemic rolled around, and I randomly picked up guitar. My uncle took notice of that and gifted me a beautiful Hagstrom acoustic guitar that I still play. I ended up taking it to college and just kind of got immediately hooked and started playing it two to three hours a day for basically three years, and it's just kept going from there. Around that time in college I started writing songs just to express myself and sometimes just to have fun around the campfire with my friends. It took a lot to gain confidence to perform in front of people, but I started out with open mics in town, and I really grew to love it over time. So now I play live music very regularly. I'm based in San Luis Obispo, California, and I've started gigging around town. I still do open mics, and I do a lot of jam sessions with my friends as well.
How are you planning to promote your debut album?
Lake: So far to promote my album I've played a few shows, and I'm very excited to have several CD versions of the album available for sale. I'm taking a break from music to travel around the country a bit to visit friends, so I will be taking those CDs with me. Then when I come back to San Luis Obispo I have a couple more shows lined up, so I'm very excited to just keep getting the word out by playing.
Have you faced any difficulties so far as an artist and how have you overcome them?
Lake: I used to—and still to an extent do—struggle with performance anxiety a lot, which I think is a side effect of growing up in the classical world. I never let it stop me from playing a gig, but I do get quite nervous on stage, especially if it's just me. Continuing to press on and play solo shows anyways has been really good exposure therapy. And I've also been leaning into the songwriter community in San Luis Obispo and the central coast of California a lot, and I'm very grateful for all their support. We have a wonderful little community of songwriters here.
What are some of your personal interests beyond music?
Lake: Outside of music I work in the environmental restoration world, so I love nature and traveling, and both of those things really inspire my music a lot. Pretty much every song I write has some sort of nature metaphor. And I spend a lot of time hiking, swimming, rock climbing, and of course seeing live music in my community—it does kind of all come back to music!
What can fans look forward to in the coming months?
Lake: I will be traveling a little bit and taking a break, but when I get back I have a few shows lined up with some local artists I really look up to. And I'm really looking forward to that.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Lake: The only other thing I'd want to say is that I'm really proud of all the work my producer and I put into this, my first studio album that's out now. It's called Rights For Mayflies. It's nine tracks. It features a lot of very goofy, fun instruments, and a lot of very serious, expressive songs as well. And I'm just really proud of the results, and I hope you enjoy listening to it.
Thank you!
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