[MUSIC - Lake Street Dive: Good Together]

I know, I know I'm not the first one to sweep you off your feet

But I believe we can make it

You know, you know back where I came from they're coming after me

Where do I think of escaping?

And if you stay (stay) by my side (by my side)

Kousha Navidar: You're listening to All Of It on WNYC. I'm Kousha Navidar in for Alison Stewart, and you are just listening to the title track from Lake Street Dive's brand new album Good Together. It's out today. Very exciting. It's born from what the band calls a joyful rebellion. The group's eighth full-length record was truly a collaborative songwriting effort. It combines the big, brassy sound they're known for with the upbeat lyrics and melodies. They're going to make you just get up on your feet and dance. Of course, it wouldn't be a Lake Street Dive album without a really great backup track.

There's one of those two, which we'll hear in just a little bit. Lake Street Dive is headlining a concert at Madison Square Garden on September 14th, and their new album is out today. I am very lucky and thrilled. I hope you can hear it in my voice right now, to be joined live in the studio with Lake Street Dive. They're all sitting and standing around me. We've got vocalist Rachael Price, bassist Bridget Kearney, drummer Mike Calabrese, keyboardist and vocalist Akie Bermiss and lead guitarist James Cornelison. Sorry. Hey, everyone. Let's say hi on three, one, two, three.

Lake Street Dive: Hi.

Kousha Navidar: All right. Let's kick things off with a song. This is Lake Street Dive with a live performance of their brand new song Seats At the Bar. Take it away.

[MUSIC - Lake Street Dive: Seats At The Bar]

Dimly lit and the music's loud

Makes no difference to us, if there's a crowd

Don't give your name

Don't stand in line

Don't believe the fuss

'Cause we don't have the time

We just breeze on in the door

No reservation

Say no more

There's no need

Where we are

In our seats

At the bar

Sidle up and look around

You and I are the skyline of this town

The fancy cars park at two tops

Topping off their tanks with châteauneuf-du-pape

You know where they can stick their labels

Just 86 the cloth and the table

'Cause there's no need

Where we are

In our seats

At the bar

No, I don't care where we are

'Cause it's always been you and me

Feeling free

Knee-to-knee

Heart-to-heart

Bittersweet

In mason jars

In our seats

At the bar

Is it where we met not long ago

That we're obsessed for reasons I don't know

Just tell me any time 'til we depart

Any midway between forever and the start

Baby, won't you meet me?

We'll try for a corner

I don't need any prior warning

'Cause there's no need

Where we are

In our seats

At the bar

No, I don't care where we are

'Cause it's always been you and me

Feeling free

Knee-to-knee

Heart-to-heart

Bittersweet

In mason jars

In our seats

At the bar

Give me those seats at the bar

Seats at the bar

Kousha Navidar: Wow. That was Lake Street Dive Live in Studio 5 here at WNYC with a performance of their brand new song Seats At the Bar. Their new album Good Together is out today. Mike, that was the song you wrote, right?

Mike: Correct, yes.

Kousha Navidar: Where did the inspiration for the song come from?

Mike: Well, my wife used to work in the on-premise wine and spirits business. She would always be pre-kids, driving me around Boston where we lived at the time, and be like, "Oh, can we go to this account? Oh, can we go to this account?" We would always just find two seats at the bar to get a drink, maybe get dinner at the place. I thought it would be a cool paradigm for a love song.

Kousha Navidar: Oh, wow. Thinking about the paradigm of the whole album, you've all said that this album was born out of "like a joyful rebellion." Rachael, can you tell me what you mean by that?

Rachael: I think that we were searching for a way to write about all the things that we wanted to write about, which is, includes things that are painful and things that are hard, but do them in a way that was joyful and have a positive spin on those subjects. That's where the Joyful Rebellion began.

Kousha Navidar: Wow. Bridget, why did it feel important to prioritize joy at this particular moment for you?

Bridget: For me, it all stemmed from a cover that we had been doing. We'd been covering the song, I'm Just Another Soldier in the Army of Love. It's a Staples Singer song, which we learned for Mavis Staples' 80th birthday party. We had put it into our set and realized that from the way it made us feel on stage and also the reaction that the crowd was getting from it, it was just creating this different spirit that we hadn't really had in our shows before. Wanted to aspire towards writing something of that level of just love.

The moral of that song is, I'm just another soldier in the army of love, love is my only weapon. Yes, there are these things that are challenging, make me sad, make me angry, make me scared, but if love is your reaction to it, then how can you lose?

Kousha Navidar: Yes, how can you lose? It's funny you say lose because I'm thinking about playing a game and the way that you guys wrote this song, I thought was super interesting. Akie, you wrote these songs with the help of a 20-sided die. How did that process work?

Akie: I'm so glad you asked.

[laughter]

Akie: Some of us, namely Bridget and myself, played D&D on a regular basis. We were in a room trying to come up with songs and we were all staring at each other like, "What do you want to write about?" We decided we could use this 20-sided die to create a sense of chance and chaos to the [unintelligible 00:08:53]. We rolled it four times to find out what chords you would get. You rolled it another time to find out what tempo you'd be playing at and rolled it once more time to find out what time signature you'd be in.

Then each person that rolled was in charge of their song, creating a demo. Then we all had 30 minutes to go away and write to this. Sometimes it was beautiful, sometimes it was a monstrosity. Then come back and share what we had written to those songs. Several of them did not make the record. Some of them are too strange, but a few did make it on the record.

Kousha Navidar: Between you and Bridget, who's the Dungeon master there?

Akie: I'm the Dungeon Master.

Kousha Navidar: You are? Okay. I'll take that up. [laughs] That's a wonderful point. You mentioned there were some songs that didn't make the record, but of the songs that did, James, I'm wondering for you, what's a song on this record that you don't think would've existed if you hadn't gone through this unconventional writing process?

James: [whistles] Well, Good Together would be an example of that being a tune in seven.

Rachael: It's true.

James: What would these--

Rachael: The die rolled seven. We had to do it.

James: Yes, the die actually rolled.

Mike: Obey the die.

James: A meter, an odd meter and launched us into [unintelligible 00:10:08].

Kousha Navidar: In that case, when you were trying to pick the rhythm, was each number of the die that rhythm? If you rolled a four, it would be in four. Do you remember what each one stood for?

Bridget: Mike was the rhythm master, as he usually is.

James: There was a good amount of arbitrary decision-making. If the die rolled a nine, you'd be like, "You have nine beats to work with. How do you want to do it? Is it a measure of three with a triplet feel? Ah, that's a nice cheat. Is it a bar 5 and a bar of 4." Whatever.

Kousha Navidar: Got it.

James: Dealer's choice.

Kousha Navidar: Dealer's choice

James: Dealer's choice.

Akie: It's really easy. Write your own song today.

[laughter]

Kousha Navidar: The 20-Step Guide to Writing a Song by Lake Street Dive. The next song we're going to hear is called Twenty-Five. It's a breakup song, classic. Lake Street Dives have a great breakup song. Bridget, I know that it was an idea that Rachael had that you took and ran with it. You guys have written a lot of breakup songs before. How did you want this breakup track to feel different from the ones you have on other records?

Bridget: I think we wanted this one to really be a celebration of the moment that that relationship existed in. Not everything that's wonderful is permanent. There are so many things in life that only last for-- you go on a great trip to Brazil or something, and then you leave Brazil and it's not like, "Oh, I hate Brazil now because I'm no longer in Brazil." It's like, "No, that was amazing. I had a great time. This experience was valuable and I can have it forever even though it didn't last."

Kousha Navidar: All right. Well, let's hear it. Here is Lake Street Dive with a live performance of their new song, Twenty-Five. Take it away.

[MUSIC - Lake Street Dive: Twenty-Five]

There was a time when I imagined us forever

I can't quite remember how I thought we'd work it out

I guess I would move to California or you to Boston

And I'd learn to like to stay at home or you'd learn to like going out

And although the stories that I tell myself about us now

Don't take me to the grave

I'll be an old woman with somebody else by my side

But I will always be in love with you in my memories

When we were twenty-five

I always think of you whеn I drink affogatos

'Cause that summer, we would havе them every afternoon

The hot and cold was such a perfect combination

Melt all together, bittersweet and creamy, and always gone to soon

But all the joy we had and love we gave away back then

Well, it never went to waste

I'll be an old woman with somebody else by my side

But I will always be in love with how you loved me

When we were twenty-five

Kousha Navidar: Beautiful. That was Lake Street Dive with a live performance of their new song, Twenty-Five. Their new album, Good Together, is out today and they're going to be playing at Madison Square Garden on September 14th. Rachael, I'm sitting here lucky enough to get to listen to the song in real-time right here. You can really feel the emotion in that song. Even if it's not a song that you wrote or is drawn from your own life, how do you bring that emotion forward in your own performance?

Rachael: Well, it helps that I get to sing a perfect song. I think that's always the pleasure of getting to sing in Lake Street Dive is that all of these songs are so amazing so I don't find them too hard to pull off. I just have to embody the character. Honestly, I draw a lot from my own experiences with everyone's songs. I think about how I can relate to it and I think about those things.

Kousha Navidar: John, this is your eighth full-length album. How do you think you've all grown as a band from that first record to this one?

James: James.

Kousha Navidar: Oh, James. Sorry. Sorry.

[laughter]

James: Oh, man. Well, I have been with Lake Street for three years now, but have been a fan of the band for probably close to 15 years or something. I first heard Lake Street Dive when I was in college and can remember where I was listening to their first couple records. If I had to comment on the band's growth-

Rachael: Yes.

Akie: Please do.

[laughter]

James: -I think that the band has continued to push the identity of the songwriting a whole lot. I think those first records are really fun, largely love-centric records. We all love those. I think in these more recent records, they've really pushed their content to explore other identities and genres and subject matter beyond just the love life songs that we all cover.

Kousha Navidar: Akie, you guys are known for this big retro sound, but I've noticed you started bringing in more electronic sounds into your music these days. How do you think the old and new meld well on this record, how do you think that you bring those two things together?

Akie: Well, we should give major props to our producer, Mike Elizondo, for helping us do that. He is another one who pushes the boundaries in terms of, "You should use this sound or this keyboard or this plugin or this pedal to, I guess, call them futuristic sounds." Although a lot of these synthesizers are from 40 years ago. I think there's already a bit of a blend of old and new. I think the strength of this band is that having played for 20 years, there's always a bit of-- oh gosh, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but it's like when you're making your own bread and you have a yeast that you use as a starter.

The band is always pulling from that original starter to make whatever new bread they have so there's like legacy of the old bread in the new loaf.

Rachael: Wow.

Akie: Hello.

Kousha Navidar: Hello.

[laughter]

Akie: I'll see myself out.

Rachael: Loved it.

Kousha Navidar: Rachael, I want to talk to you for a second about the track Party On the Roof. It's a perfect track for summer here in New York City. It's about having a party on the roof here in New York. I know that you wrote that one. Do you live here in New York?

Rachael: I do. I live in Brooklyn.

Kousha Navidar: Oh, great. What do you love most about the summer in the city and what'd you want to capture in that track?

Rachael: Well, I've lived in New York for 14 years now, I think, and I moved here from Iowa and so there was definitely a adaptation to the closeness of everything, but it comes with so many pros. One among them being the diversity that exists in New York City. I just wanted to write a song that would celebrate all the folks that are in each other's business here together. Like so many songs on this record, there exists some tension in it and that the first line says somewhere in the city getting hotter every year, which we're all experiencing right now.

We'll have to throw a party when the smoke clears. This was written last summer when there was this crazy orange light in the air and it's like stuff is hard, but here we are all together and let's find a way to have a good time.

Kousha Navidar: Absolutely. Having a good time. You're playing at Madison Square Garden pretty soon. Rachael, I'm wondering for you, what does it mean to you all to be able to headline at Madison Square Garden?

Rachael: It means so much to us. I think we were all super giddy when the idea of it was thrown out to us. "Would you guys want to play a place like Madison Square Garden?" We said, "Yes, but are you asking us for real? Could it even happen for us? Could we sell the tickets?" When it became a reality, I think it feels really good and it feels like an achievable milestone for us. I think, had you asked us many years ago, we would have said, "No, we can't put on a show at Madison Square Garden. We don't know how to do that."

Now, at the start of our summer touring about to begin and having a new show and all of these new songs to play, I think we're just like, "Yes, we're going to freaking rock Madison Square Garden.

Kousha Navidar: That's wonderful. We're going to go out with one last new song, which is Dance With a Stranger. We're going to ask some questions about it before we dive in. Bridget, you wrote that song and it's almost like an old-fashioned dance party song that comes on with the instructions built into the lyrics. Tell us a little bit about that. What inspired the track?

Bridget: I've been to a number of square dances in my life. Actually, I have a phobia of social dancing when there's no rules, like wedding-style dancing. I leave when the dance starts because I'm scared. When there's a little instruction, like at a square dance, I love it. Just dancing in a group, everybody moving to the left and then moving to the right at the same time is so fun. This specifically was inspired by a honky-tonk that I attended in Kingston, New York. Again, it was just a beautiful community event. There was young people, old people, people from the city, people from the country.

It's totally normalized to just walk up to a stranger and say, "Nice to meet you. Would you like to hug me for three minutes and spin around the room?" Then you do that and you make a human connection. That's what this is about.

Kousha Navidar: I love that. Do you hope that people at the shows will follow those instructions?

Bridget: We're going to try to get them to. That's for sure.

Kousha Navidar: [laughs] All right. Let's hear it. I've been speaking with the band Lake Street Dive about their new album. It's called Good Together. It's out today. They're going to be performing at Madison Square Garden on September 14th and they're going to play us out now. First, before you start, I just want to say thank you all so much for coming down and hanging out with us. It's been such a pleasure to get to talk to you and to get to hear from you all. Their brand new song, Dance With a Stranger. Take it away.

[MUSIC- Lake Street Dive- Dance With A Stranger]

Left, right, front, side

Find somebody new

And then take them by the hand

And say you understand

Look around the room

Find someone's eyes that are new to you

Might be a child's or a grandfather's

Anyone will do

Go say, "Hello, how do you do?"

Listen to their answer, commiserate

Say, "I feel that way sometimes too"

And, "Would you like to dance?"

And if they say, "No," that's okay

But if they say, "Yes," take their hand

Lead them out on the dance floor

Listen to the music play

Open up your whole heart

And dance, dance with a stranger

'Til they're not a stranger anymore

You just dance, dance with a stranger

'Til they're not a stranger, not a stranger anymore

Left, right, front, side

Find somebody new

And then take them by the hand

And say you understand

Look around the room

There are so many people here like you

People who came here to be together

And dance it all away

Who wanna be good and love one another

And have big dreams or hard times, and like to dance

Look around the room

Find somebody you've never seen before

And lead them out to the dance floor

And dance, dance with a stranger

'Til they're not a stranger anymore

You just dance, dance with a stranger

'Til they're not a stranger, not a stranger anymore

Left, right, front, side

Find somebody new

And then take them by the hand

And say you understand

Oh-oh-oh, dance, dance with a stranger

'Til they're not a stranger anymore

You just dance, dance with a stranger

'Til they're not a stranger, not a stranger anymore

Left, right, front, side

Find somebody new

And then take them by the hand

And say you understand

Left, right, front, side

Find somebody new

And then take them by the hand

And say you understand

Left, right, front, side

Find somebody new

And then take them by the hand

And say you understand

 

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