"Live at Lake Effect" is a new music series featuring local and nationally touring artists performing in the Lake Effect Surf Shop in Shorewood, Wis.
We brought the Lake Effects together, along with Visionary Studios, to showcase musicians once a month through an interview with the band exclusively on Lake Effect, plus filmed performances. Today we have fellow Midwesterners and Indie-psych rock band Night Moves hailing from Minneapolis, Minn.
(Bottom row, left to right) Night Moves drummer Mark Hanson, bassist Micky Alfano, and Milwaukee musician Trapper Schoepp.
Performing for the Lake Effect Surf Shop session were Night Moves founder John Pelant on the keys and vocals, guitarist Charles Murlowski, and bassist Micky Alfano.
The Night Moves sound is atmospheric, lush, and layered — clearly evident in the sounds bouncing off the surf boards even with their modified three person group. In order to meld the sounds of rock with Americana, folk, and even what some call cosmic, Pelant notes the studio is as much of an instrument and essential tool for the band.
He admits that studio sessions can sometimes get "out of hand with all of the tracks that we have," recalling that he's had up to 120 tracks in one session for a song. But for Pelant, once he learned how to use these tools it was "a game changer."
Even though the group is based out of Minneapolis, the band has UW-Milwaukee roots. Pelant went to college at UWM, and he recalls during his time living off of Downer Ave. in his sophomore year everything was stolen from his house — including his old Windows computer. So, he replaced it with a MacBook and "Once I got Garageband I could layer everything that was in my head. So that was kind of a game changer, so the band sort of started here in Milwaukee, actually."
When asked about when he feels most productive or inspired, Pelant says as a Midwesterner he takes advantage of the winter months: "I'm almost distracted when it's nice out, so it's better when it's gloomy and cold because then you have nothing but time and you just want to stay in and write," he says.
With Minneapolis having such a storied music history with artists from The Replacements, to Prince and Bob Dylan, Pelant isn't quick to compare Night Moves to any other musician or band and instead says, "you look up to people like that and they set the bar really high and it makes you want to be better."
SET LIST
- Strands Align (0:10)
- Coconut Grove (3:23)
- Mexico (7:26)
MUSICIANS
- John Pelant: vocals and keyboard
- Charles Murlowski: guitar
- Micky Alfano: bass
Live at Lake Effect Team:
- Executive Producers: Audrey Nowakowski & Trapper Schoepp
- Audio Engineering: Jason Rieve
- Location: Lake Effect Surf Shop in Milwaukee
- Production Company: Visionary Studios
- Camera Op: Brad Roehl, Kieran Walter Sundaram & Brandon Stearns
