Great Lakes (band)

Great Lakes is an American psych/pop/rock band from Athens, Georgia, affiliated with the Elephant 6 Recording Company.

The group started after an early songwriting partnership btw Dan Donahue and Ben Crum & officially formed as a collaboration with co-founder James Huggins III as a song writing trio btwn Birmingham, Al. & Athens, Ga. in 1996. The original line-up included bassist/vocalist Craig Ceravolo and was temporarily billed under the name "Cherry Valence". After officially relocating to Athens, Ga., the first 2 albums and international tours saw the group swell to around a dozen or more live & recording members. Their lineup has at times included (Dottie Alexander, Bryan Poole, Kevin Barnes, Derek Almstead, & "James Husband") from Of Montreal, members of Elf Power (Andrew Rieger, BP Helium), The Essex Green & Ladybug Transistor (notably, Jefferson Rush & Julia Rydholm), with major studio & live contributions from Heather MacIntosh {cello}, and Scott Spillane {horns} Neutral Milk Hotel.

Great Lakes released their self-titled debut album in 2000 on Kindercore Records, which was preceded by a 7" single on Happy Happy Birthday to Me. The debut LP included a 3-D cut-out spinning psychedelic mobile to sit atop the vinyl record as it's played, designed by Donahue (with Chris Bilheimer).... Dan Donahue continues to design psychedelic art, album covers and video for bands as MGMT, Pavement, Belle and Sebastian and R.E.M. The song "Vrgl" was featured on the CMJ magazine free CD included in the publication's national circulation. After releasing a number of other singles, including a split 7" with Elf Power, they released their second album, The Distance Between, on Orange Twin in 2002. Their sophomore effort still conceived, recorded, and mixed by Crum, Donahue, & Huggins in the Athens, Ga. home studio. The Distance Between was selected as one of the top ten overlooked albums of that year by Magnet Magazine, which noted the bands' ability to "spew out a fuzz-laced garage assault" and complimented their "knack for fusing melancholy with feats of ballroom levitation." The extended live band toured extensively in Europe at the time focusing on Scandinavia & the UK for several months. A highlight stateside found them supporting Belle & Sebastian to a sold out crowd at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Ga. (one time home to Crum, Donahue, & Huggins in different suburbs of the city). Around this time, both Crum and Donahue relocated to Brooklyn, NY & continued writing while Huggins continued to tour with other projects while remaining a recording & arranging contributor to the band. Their third album, Diamond Times, came out in 2006 on Empyrean Records. "Diamond Times" is the last recording of the original members of Great Lakes and the afore mentioned past members of the live/recording band with numerous other contributions from musicians overdubbed in New York after initial live tracking and arranging in Athens, Ga 2005-06. With their 3rd LP, Diamond Times, the band's sound has evolved into what Uncut magazine called "powerful, accomplished pop music", and "utterly great". Crum joined up with Ladygug Transistor as a touring & recording member temporarily and co-wrote & recorded on a number of the groups songs at the time. From 2008 the live band has seen several rotations in line-up eventually whittled down to a two piece and solo act for many shows in and around Brooklyn. "Ways of Escape" is the first release in the Great Lakes catalogue to feature Crum as sole songwriter and band member. Donahue & Huggins are both releasing new material currently with the projects, Dream Boat & James Husband respectively. Dan Donahue has contributed lyrics to several other bands including Of Montreal's "City Bird", Elf Powers "The Taking Under", and most recently Bear In Heaven's song "Space Remains". Since 2010, the band has become a solo recording outlet for Crum, who continues to write & perform under the moniker Great Lakes.