Gratiot Lake Road

Gratiot Lake Road centers its indie folk sound on the husband-and-wife partnership of Ben and Emaleigh Jensen. The project took shape in 2009 across Northern Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, where the pair began playing shows across the state and issued their first EP, Seasons, the next year. Emaleigh handled most lead vocals and banjo while Ben supplied acoustic guitar and percussion; for the full-length debut Stamp Sand Shores, issued in 2012, the Jensens brought in a rhythm section plus further instruments. That larger configuration hit the road behind the record and started shaping material for a follow-up before the couple moved to Hampton, Virginia, in 2013 and finished the album as a duo once more. Their second LP, Read This If I Don't Make It Home, appeared in 2014. The songs present richly delivered reflections on travel, nature, and introspection.