Great Lakes

GREAT LAKES formed in 1996 in Athens, Georgia and released a self-titled debut in 2000. Though fronted by Ben Crum since its inception, the band has always enjoyed the contributions of a rotating cast of accomplished collaborators. Their debut benefitted from contributions by members of Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, of Montreal and many others, and garnered strong reviews from Mojo and Uncut, which led to festival appearances in Europe and an opening slot for Belle & Sebastian. After Crum left Athens for New York in 2002 the band went through many iterations, releasing three more albums and many singles and touring the US and Europe many times. The list of collaborators grew to include many players who made names for themselves with the likes of Talibam!, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Beirut, The Ladybug Transistor and many others. While the band's debut and 2002’s The Distance Between established Great Lakes' reputation as accomplished purveyors of top-notch late 60s-inspired psychedelic pop, over time Crum shifted the band’s focus towards more organic and natural instrumentation, beginning with 2006’s Diamond Times and continuing with 2010’s Ways of Escape, and increasingly incorporated more folk and country music influences as his songs veered away from psychedelia and began to take on a greater degree of emotional depth. The band's more recent records have been praised by Magnet, Allmusic, No Depression and many others. A fifth Great Lakes album is currently in the mixing stage, and is expected to see release in 2014. All of the band's albums are available from Orange Twin Records.