Music Q&A with Lake Mosaic
Photo courtesy of Lake Mosaic
Michigan-based punk rock outfit, Lake Mosaic, released their latest album, Perseverance, in February! The band blends together elements of pop punk, easycore, and post hardcore to create their own tailored blend of rock. Lake Mosaic is made up of Matt Eble (vocals), Adam Whitener (lead guitar), Naveed Ajam (rhythm guitar), and Ben Merte (bass). In this Q&A, the band talked about the album, who they’d like to see in concert, and more!
Congratulations on the release of Perseverance! What does the album mean to you?
Thank you so much! The release of our album means a lot to us all. It started as just a few demos written right around the start of the pandemic in March 2020, and to get to the point of releasing our debut album solidifies the feeling that we are a band that’s here to stay. Also due to the pandemic, we did almost all of the work for the album before we ever played a show together. Now, we are really starting to see the payoff of our work at every show, and it’s been a great feeling.
The album itself means different things to each of us, but a common thread is that life can throw you some curve-balls, and when you fall down, you should always get back up and try again. Always. This is something that I think resonates with a lot of people, especially after what everyone has been through the past couple years.
What’s your favorite song off Perseverance?
Personally, and this is Adam speaking here, my favorite song from the album would have to be “Leave Behind Everything”. I was really fond of that one from the start when it was just an instrumental. I took a solo trip to Lake Michigan and a lot of that song came to me when I was paddle boarding on the lake. When I got back inside, I translated the ideas onto my guitar as best I could. Then, when Matt wrote his parts, it took the song to the next level. I think my favorite song to play live is still “What’s Left of Me” since that song has so much energy, and we always have a great crowd response to that one.
What's the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?
“Just finish the song”. This was advice I received in college from one of my Music Production TA’s. A lot of new songwriters get stuck in the 8 or 16 bar loop, or Verse/Chorus, and I’m just as guilty of this. But it’s really important to just push through to the end of the song, and changes can be made later, or the song can be scrapped altogether, which we’ve done. Another challenge is if you are mixing your own music, there is the temptation to make it sound as great as you can while you’re writing. I’ve found it helpful to separate those parts of the process; focusing more on writing and just finishing songs first, and then focus on tones, production and mixing later.
One more valuable piece of advice I’ve gotten is to create limitations for yourself when writing. It can be overwhelming looking at a blank DAW screen with so many tools at your disposal. If you set out to make a song only using certain instruments, plugins, chords, and melodies, it can often lead to some really creative results.
If you had a chance to interview any of your musical heroes, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I would have loved to interview Duane Allman. This may seem kind of random given what we play, but I’m a big fan of all of their music, especially the early stuff with Duane. He was a free spirit, a great band leader, and a killer guitarist.
What is one artist or band that you haven’t seen in concert that you hope to see someday?
One artist I hope to see one day is System Of A Down. They had such a big impact on me and my musical taste growing up, especially the album Toxicity.
What is your favorite thing about making music?
My favorite thing about making music is losing myself in the process. Sometimes I’m able to get to a flow state where it feels like anything is possible. It’s also when I feel most confident. My other favorite thing about making music is the connections made with fans, other musicians, and local venues. Everyone is trying to do the same thing at the end of the day and the sense of community is amazing.
Thank you for taking the time for this Q&A. Any last words or final message for the readers?
First of all, thank you for reading! Be sure to check out our debut album Perseverance on all streaming platforms and follow us @lakemosaicband on social media.