Great Lakes

Originating from Athens, Georgia, the psychedelic-infused indie pop and indie folk ensemble Great Lakes operates under the direction of songwriter Ben Crum. Their sound blends rustic Southern indie folk touches with a reflective, artful atmosphere that mirrors the often somber themes running through Crum’s lyrics. Early connections to the Elephant 6 collective of eccentric pop acts defined their initial phase, most clearly captured on the self-titled debut LP issued in 2000. After Crum moved to the East Coast, a richer and more expansive approach surfaced, with Diamond Times in 2006 illustrating that evolution. The band also delivers forceful guitar-driven rock, a direction they pursued on Contenders in 2022.

Crum and high-school friend Dan Donahue, both drawn to music, formed the original lineup; they started composing material with Donahue handling lyrics and Crum supplying melodies. Multi-instrumentalist James Huggins, already active in the Elephant 6 outfit Of Montreal, joined them to establish the first version of Great Lakes. Following a debut single on the Happy Birthday to Me label, Kindercore Records put out their self-titled first album in 2000. Once Huggins stepped away to focus on Of Montreal and additional projects, the roster turned fluid, leaving Crum and Donahue to coordinate the rotating cast of musicians who appeared live or on recordings.

After relocating to Brooklyn, New York, the pair issued the second Great Lakes album, The Distance Between, through Orange Twin in 2002. Diamond Times arrived in 2006, yet Donahue chose to move back to Athens in 2009, at which point Crum assumed primary creative control, composing both music and words while leading an expanded nine-piece group. Ways of Escape, the initial release from this Crum-centered configuration, came out on Orange Twin in 2010.

Crum initiated work on the next Great Lakes project in 2011, though the effort was paused for several years until he enlisted keyboardist Joe McGinty, vocalist Suzanne Nienaber, bassist David Lerner, and drummer Kevin Shea to finish the tracks. The resulting album, Wild Vision, appeared on the band’s own Loose Trucks imprint in January 2016. Two years afterward they released another full-length, Dreaming Too Close to the Edge, again via Loose Trucks. For Contenders in 2022, Crum reassembled Suzanne Nienaber and Kevin Shea alongside Chris Ziter of the Essex Green, Louis Schefano of Little Red Rocket, and Glen Hansard and Josh Ritter sideman Ray Rizzo. Produced by Crum, the record marked a return to Happy Birthday to Me Records.