Search - Grand Lake :: Nevermint

Named after the legendary Grand Lake Theatre, in the Lake Merrit district of Oakland, California, Grand Lake is the music of Caleb Nichols (ex-Port O'Brien, vocals, bass), Jameson Swanagon (a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, guitar), Erika Pipkin (a graduate of the composition program at Mills College in Oakland, vocals, keys) and Ryan Parks (singer-songwriter of local mainstay No'S, drums). Grand Lake blends the traditional indie canon of the 00's with such disparate influences as Mark Ribot, ESG, the Pixies, Blind Willie Johnson, Moe Tucker, Jon Brion, and Ella Fitzgerald. This convergence of personalities and influences comes together to create a sound that is distinctly Grand Lake - minimalist arrangements of catchy pop tunes, paired with a sensibility that smacks of both the conservatory and the garage. Take all of the above with a lyricist (Nichols) who defies convention and what you come up with is Grand Lake's debut offering Nevermint.