Big Lake is a brand-new band with songs that will creep up on you and take you by surprise. One minute, you're passively listening to one of the tracks from their debut EP January Second Election, and the next, you're tilting your ear toward the speakers, trying to sift through the sonic layers of the song to get to lead singer Patrick Mazurek's voice and discern what, exactly, he's singing about. And just like that, you're hooked. Mazurek, lead singer and guitarist, shares the stage with three band members: Eben Stine on electric guitar, keys, and backup harmony; Jordan Leininger on bass and vocals; and Michael Gunvalson on drums. Save for Mazurek, all the band members also belong to Lost Shepherds -- and while both Big Lake and Lost Shepherds operate within the same basic genre of indie pop, the bands each achieve their own sound. [City Pages, July 2011]
