Lake Eats Grass Brings Fingerpicked Folk and Journal-True Lyrics on 'Rights For Mayflies'
Some names you have to say twice before they settle. Lake Eats Grass is the songwriting project of Lake, based in San Luis Obispo, California, and the studio album Rights For Mayflies is out now: nine tracks of acoustic folk, indie, and alternative rock. The song "The Band" came to us through the Pixanami submissions inbox, and it is a good door into the record.
The road here
Lake was classically trained in viola from the age of eight, then walked away from it after high school when the performance world got too intense. The guitar arrived during the pandemic, almost by accident. An uncle noticed, and gifted a beautiful Hagstrom acoustic that Lake still plays. The guitar went to college, got played two to three hours a day for three years, and somewhere in there the songs started. Open mics came next, then regular gigs around San Luis Obispo and a local songwriter community Lake credits often.
Day to day, Lake works in environmental restoration, and it shows in the writing. By Lake's own account, pretty much every song carries some kind of nature metaphor, which makes the project name feel less like a joke and more like a mission statement.
What it sounds like
In an interview with Distortion Radio, Lake describes the music as acoustic folk and singer-songwriter songs with alternative indie rock sounds mixed in, built on finger-picking technique and lyrics that are personal and expressive, "almost journalistic." The influences Lake names are Elliott Smith, Adrianne Lenker and Big Thief, and Palehound, who grew up in Lake's hometown and is currently Lake's guitar teacher.
I don't know how else to put it but this music just puts me in a happy place. It feels like standing barefoot in a field of lush grass with wildflowers swaying in the breeze. Even if you're stuck inside... you'll get that feeling.
Live
Lake plays live very regularly around San Luis Obispo: open mics, jam sessions, and shows with local artists, with CD copies of the album for sale at gigs. After a short travel break, more hometown shows are lined up.
Start here
"The Band" — the submitted track and the way in. Then take Rights For Mayflies front to back: nine tracks, goofy fun instruments and serious expressive songs side by side, in the artist's own words. I'm not gonna spoil it, but definitely go listen to 'Dog Portal'. You won't regret it. You won't regret listening to any of this. Do it.