On July 21st, Franconia Sculpture Park had the utmost pleasure of letting loose with Lady Lark, a Minneapolis artist reviving a sound that echoes 20 years of pop, soul, and funk music. 89.3 The Current has called her “a pop/soul star to be” with “that 90’s R&B heat.” Taylor Harris, also known as Lady Lark, and her band is comprise of Oran Chan, Kyle Pleggenkuhle, Trevor Aarsvold, and Joel Komoto. Lady Lark was the headlining at on the local stage at the 2017 Minnesota State Fair and was featured on The Current’s 2017 “New and Best” list. Some of their musical influences are Sharon Jones, Charles Bardley, and Hall and Oates. Lady Lark’s infectious hooks are wrapped in danceable beats that add a modern twist to a familiar groove.
In addition to Lady Lark’s performance, The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League, provided the park with elegant composition, raucous enthusiasm, and virtuoso playing. Drawing on their influence from almost a century of American music, The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League is comprised of Daniel Rosen, Alan Peterson, Jonathan Halquist, Peter Whiteman, and Kellie Reichert. The self-described swing sextet banded together in the winter of 2014 to revive the music of times gone by, with a twist of narrative and contemporary culture.
What are your main impulses to create or perform music?
Taylor Harris (TH): Love, the challenge of creating, and the reward for doing something that makes myself and others happy.
The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League (GATL): The main impulse to create music is to share. We all have thoughts and ideas and feelings that sometimes words alone can’t fully describe. Playing music together lets us explore that space and hopefully share it with other people. Plus, playing music IS SUPER FUN.
How would you describe the music scene of your city and how important is this in terms of your creative process?
TH: Being from Minneapolis, there is such an incredible history of talent and inspirational stories. The Minneapolis Sound is what I grew up listening to and gravitated towards, which I want to bring to the music I’m making today.
GATL: In a word: diverse. We’re lucky to have a really active and vibrant music community in the Twin Cities. We’ve got jazz and indie rock and metal and hip-hop and R&B and funk and soul and electronica and countless other styles of music represented. People from all over the world play music here and you can go out and see it any night of the week. Stylistic diversity is pretty important to our sound, and we’re always looking to grow and learn, so it’s a real blessing for the creative process to be here in Minnesota.
What has been your most memorable performance, and why?
TH: Playing at First Avenue this past January for The Current’s Birthday Party. The tightness of the band, the energy from the crowd, and the venue itself – an experience I had dreamed of and it coming to fruition and bring even better than I could have imagined.
GATL: Tough question. Pretty much every performance has memorable aspects. Recently we had the opportunity to play at Driftless Books and Music in Viroqua, WI. It’s a massive bookstore housed in an old tobacco processing plant. There’s something really special about playing and hanging out surrounded by the smell of old books and millions of words shelved all around you. The band all loaded up books and we read passages from dirty romance paperbacks. Definitely holds a special place in our hearts.
How did you meet?
TH: I met Kyle Pleggenkuhle at work where we bonded over our love for music. Through his friendship and musical partnership with Oran Chan, we started making music together and created the Lady Lark sound.
GATL: Through our web of talented friends, we built the supporting band and live experience you see today. Some of us met way back in grade school, some of us in high school, some of us in college, and some after college. The Band formed pretty organically, mostly out of a shared desire to just get out there and play music!
What led you to take advantage of alternative performance opportunities?
TH: Every show is a new experience, with a different crowd and unique energy. Perhaps selfishly, I want to take advantage of each opportunity and experience to grow as a performer, connect with all types of people, and support the evolving ways and place where people come to enjoy music and art.
GATL: Necessity? Circumstance? It’s tough to make a living as a musician, and it’s important to keep your eyes open for any opportunities that might arise: teaching, private events, jingles, TV/film licensing. Anything. We sort of lucked into this whole swing jazz style, because it lets us play a lot of private events for weddings and cocktail artist and stuff like that. It’d be harder to have the financial stability to do more standard touring and recording without that.
How does your performance change from indoor to outdoor venues?
TH: Before going into a performance, I like to think about the vibe of the venue, the crowd I’ll be connecting with, and tailoring my performance to what I think (and hope) they’ll enjoy the most. That being said, there is always room within the set to adapt to what is happening in the moment and take advantage of what a venue, whether indoors or outdoors, can offer to maximize the experience.
GATL: Hadn’t thought about that before! I’d say we sweat more outside. It gets hot in the summer, and wearing fancy clothes doesn’t do much to keep you cool. The band also has a shared love of the outdoors. Playing under an open sky is pretty nice.
Do you remember your first session?
TH: I remember the first time I went to go sing with Kyle and Oran – I was scared beyond belief, had no idea what I was doing, and kept thinking to myself, “Am I crazy right now? I’m not a singer!”…that feeling can creep up from time to time, but as soon as I start singing my songs, everything feels right. Doing this has pushed me outside of my comfort zone time and time again, and it has only made me more appreciative and confident that I’m doing exactly what I should be doing.
GATL: The band formed so organically, it’s tough to look back and pinpoint a single session. A lot of the early sessions are pretty memorable, though. Looking back, we had NO idea what we were doing when we started out. It’s really exciting to trace the evolution of the band over the last five years, though, and tavvke stock of all the things we’ve learned together.
What can we expect from you in the future?
TH: You can expect more. More music – I’m working on an album now. More evolution – I’m always pushing to be, and do, better for myself and my fans. And more fun and love – what this is all about. This is just the beginning and I’m excited for all that is coming next.
GATL: More! We’re always trying to push ourselves and grow. We have a new album coming out in September (our 4th), and it’s definitely our best work so far. We’re really excited to share all the new songs with the world.
Please join us Saturday, August 25h, from 2 to 6pm as Franconia Sculpture Park concludes our seventh annual Music @ Franconia series with headliner Ben Weaver along with Superior Siren and Strong Buffalo in our artist-designed Earthen Amphitheater. Visit Mary Johnson’s famous Lizard Lounge for a beverage or beer from Surly Brewing! Be sure to also join in a guided tour during breaks to meet artists-in-residence and learn about works in progress! All events are family friendly and dog-friendly. Concert admission is free! Parking is $5 per vehicle.
This activity is made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the East Central Regional Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Thank you!