Lake Street Dive’s latest album is called Good Together, and that’s a fitting description for the band itself. When Rachael Price (vocals), Bridget Kearney (bass, vocals), Mike Calabrese (drums, vocals), Akie Bermiss (keyboards, vocals), and James Cornelison (guitars, vocals) make music together, it’s with a sense of joy and gratitude.
We caught up with Mike Calabrese, who spoke about the group’s early days, their current approach to making music, and an upcoming show in Calgary.
Touring over the past twenty years has brought them to dozens of countries, which Calabrese loves. “I’ve always been a fan of travel. I like languages and food, and feeling like you’re not home. And we have been doing this so long. We still have fun doing it. We can be ourselves and then see how that lands in all these different places.”
Four original members met at New England Conservatory of Music in 2004. Calabrese says that he, Price, and Kearney, along with original member Mike “McDuck” Olson, found each other because Olson was a composition major. As he wrote music, he invited other students to play the songs he was creating. The chemistry among the four original members of the group was instant. “It’s such a cool place to go to school,” says Calabrese. “At first it was just fun to play, and to get gigs, but we also developed a quick and very good friendship. That was really the incubator for everything else we did. We just liked hanging out.”
Changes in personnel have not affected the consistent and recognizable sound of the group. Calabrese says, “Bridget’s compositions are a huge part of the tone of the band.” Olson left the band in 2021, and new members Bermiss and Cornelison joined in 2017 and 2021 respectively.
Calabrese describes these changes as “easy.” “We knew Akie was a killer songwriter, piano player, and singer. And he was fun to hang out with. Same thing with James. He was in an opening band that toured with us for a month. Once we saw what he was capable of, it was easy.”
Now Lake Street Dive keeps returning to a theme in their friendship and in their music: joy.
“It’s a birthright,” says Calabrese. “We’re wired for joy. After a baby is born, everyone wants to know when that baby is going to start to smile. Because it’s fundamental, it’s easy to overlook. It’s simple but essential.”
The band hopes to get back in the studio early next year. The whole band was at Calabrese’s house in Vermont for five days to exchange ideas and write some songs. “It was just a really fun and inspiring process, and we’re hoping to do that more.”
Lake Street Dive will perform at The Calgary Stampede on July 11. Find details here
