"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 Colorado singer-songwriter Daniel Rodriguez.
Performing for the Lake Effect Surf Shop session along with Rodriguez are Justin Mazer on electric guitar, Zachary Jackson on bass and vocals, and Milwaukee’s own Darren Garvey on the drums and vocals.
Rodriguez's style of music can be described as acoustic, lyrical, contemplative folk. He credits most of his sound to the community he found in a small Colorado town when he first moved out west wanting to become a professional musician. "A lot of the local professional musicians lived up there because of this beautiful, isolated community. And a lot of my chops and my ambitions came from all the picks they would have... and so I kind of grew up as a musician at those parties," Rodriguez recalls.
While his introspective music best matches his character, Rodriguez has been playing in different genres for years. He's a founding member of the band Elephant Revival — a true melting pot of musicians.
"When we first started the band it was five people and we were all coming from different parts of the country," says Rodriguez. "Somehow we created this sound. If something wasn't completely distinct, it was just a melding of all those things."
The multi-instrumentalists blended elements of Celtic, Americana, Folk and Indie Art Rock, released six albums and performed countless shows and festivals in the U.S. and overseas. Once Elephant Revival went on hiatus in 2018 Rodriguez became a solo artist, debuting a collection of songs in an EP called Your Heart The Stars The Milky Way in 2019. His debut full-length album, Sojourn of a Burning Sun, was released in August of 2020 and his second full length album, Vast Nothing came out in March of 2023.
"Now my solo thing is sort of taking all those influences ever since I was little and through Elephant Revival up until now, [and] isolating that," Rodriguez explains.
He says that he's in a good place with still trying to find his sound, and embraces the learning opportunities writing new music presents.
"I think my sweet spot is really just authentically giving what it is I’m writing to. If it’s a live show I’m authentically playing that to a community event and authentically being myself. And then in a recording aspect it's that as well, it's like OK you're in front of these microphones [and] I want to tap into the original essence of how and what I wrote and put that down for all of time," says Rodriguez.
"I think I'm still ever discovering that sweet spot. I don't know if I've officially found my sound yet," he adds.
SET LIST
- Brother John (0:14)
- Mixtape (3:28)
- Good Graces (7:36)
MUSICIANS
- Daniel Rodriguez: vocals and acoustic guitar
- Darren Garvey: drums & vocals
- Justin Mazer: electric guitar
- Zachary Jackson: bass & vocals
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
