http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EPwRdVg5Ug

Here is a fantastic version of The Jackson 5 song “I Want You Back,” which launched their rise in popularity when Kevin Bacon came across the video and tweeted about them.

Lake Street Dive

Petr Cancura on Going to School with Lake Street Dive

The world is a small place. I realize that every year when the festival comes around and I notice how many of my friends I see performing as either bandleaders or coming through as side musicians. 

This year, among others, are four great friends that I went to college with in Boston, at the New England Conservatory. I remember Lake Street Dive forming the year I started at school. A lot of bands start up in college and you never know what will stick and what will fall by the wayside, but this band turned out to be different. 

The musicians, besides all being really strong, were so committed to what they were doing that their rise to stardom this year is not a surprise and is well deserved to say the least. Here is a fantastic version of The Jackson 5 song “I Want You Back,” which launched their rise in popularity when Kevin Bacon came across the video and tweeted about them.

Bridget Kearny, Mike Olson, Rachel Price and Mike Calabrese were all in the Jazz Studies program at New England Conservatory when I was in the program as well. As music school goes, you all end up playing together more times than you can remember. Bridget, the bass player, was my roommate both in Boston for a short period and once we all moved to New York. 

Together with another NEC alumnus Michael Winograd—who will be performing with Socalled on June 24—we managed a somewhat crazy household. 

Whenever we would all be in town at the same time we would make up songs together and record them. Some of these you may even find on YouTube if you dig hard enough, such as our classic “Old Joe The Trash Man.” 

Another offshoot from this household and Lake Street Dive is The Saxophone Band, led by Michael Winograd featuring amongst others, myself, Bridget Kearny and Mike Calabrese, the fantastic drummer from Lake Street Dive and one of the grooviest drummers out there! The Saxophone Band specializes on early 90’s pop songs played instrumentally. This started as a fun(ny) band, but the group is actually really good and gets more and more people out every time.

So, to sum it all up, when you go see Lake Street Dive you will not only see a phenomenal band, but you will now also have a glimpse of a little microcosmic scene in Boston/New York City. 

Lake Street Dive plays June 27 at the Laurier Avenue Canadian Music Stage. Tickets and details: https://ottawajazzfestival.com/artists/lake-street-dive/