Besnard Lakes Interview: SXSW 2010

The Besnard Lakes have been creating sonically ambitious music since 2003, when the husband and wife duo of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas uprooted from their native Regina, Saskat and relocated to the creative hotbed of Montreal.

Having just released the follow-up to their Polaris Prize-nominated sophomore album, the group has now set their sights on bringing their proggy, shoegazing yacht rock to Austin, Texas for SXSW Music Festival.

Spinner recently spoke with Goreas about the band's origins, the music that brought her and Lasek together and her secret love of Lady Gaga.

Describe your sound in your own words

The bastard child of Yes coming across Fleetwood Mac in a back alley.

How did your band form?

There have been a few different incarnations of the band. Originally when we first started playing it was a couple of friends getting together in Regina to play some instrumental songs and it's been though several different lineups until we came to Montreal and started to record.

What are your musical influences?

The stuff that has touched me the most was the stuff that I was listening during my formative years. I was always a huge fan of the Pixies, Sonic Youth and Nirvana. That's the stuff I was listening to when I started playing. But there's also '70s rock from my older brother and sister's collections. Of course there's also prog rock, Jace and I courted to that music.

How did you come up with your band name?

Besnard Lake is an actual place in North Saskatchewan where we go and repose and do nothing but sit and stare into a fire. It's a place we've grown to really love. We go there every year. Plus Lakes is an anagram for Jace's last name.

What's your biggest vice?

Cracking my knuckles. I've been told by many experts that it's a precursor to arthritis.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I think that Lady Gaga is f---ing awesome. I think that she's the new Madonna!