Friday, June 13, 2014

Band Review: Spirit Lake


At some point after Mt. Saint Helens erupted, there was a song that played on local radio dedicated to Harry Truman, the old man who lived at Spirit Lake Lodge and refused to evacuate. When I hear Spirit Lake, even though there was a whole lake and other references, that's the first thing that I think of.

Because I remember that song as kind of country-flavored, there was sort of a feeling that the band Spirit Lake might be, and the cover of their 2012 album, Uncle Walker's Amber Restorative, made me think about pulling out the old-timey rankings again.


There are some more old-fashioned aspects to the band, musically, but there is also such a strong influence from '70s rock that they don't really feel that old-timey at all. They do feel very Portland. That may be partly because their most recent release title, The Biggening, feels like it could be a Jedediah Springfield reference, or it could be because I know of them due to recommendations from Tara Dublin, who has been, and should again be, in Portland radio. Also, it could be because the band actually is from Portland.  

It's got a bit more funk than most - check out the intro on "One More Lie" - but I think the overall feeling is classic rock with some Northwest flavor.

Music can be purchased via CD Baby and Bandcamp, and the best source for performance information appears to be ReverbNation.





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