There’s a particular kind of band that makes you forget you’re standing in a field holding a drink — the kind where the musicianship is so locked in, the vocals so effortless, the groove so deep that you just disappear into it. Lake Street Dive is that band, and they’re bringing it to Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards on August 5 for what should be one of Central New York’s best summer nights.
The Conservatory Kids Who Became a Force
Lake Street Dive started at the New England Conservatory, which tells you something about the caliber of players in this group. But here’s what the credentials don’t tell you: they’re fun. Genuinely, infectiously fun. They took their conservatory chops and pointed them at classic soul, Motown pop, jazz, and indie rock, and the result is music that’s sophisticated enough to reward close listening and groovy enough to fill a dance floor.
Rachael Price is the centerpiece, and for good reason. Her voice operates in a register that most singers can’t touch — powerful without strain, precise without coldness, soulful in a way that feels inherited from Aretha and Dusty Springfield rather than studied. But calling Lake Street Dive a singer-plus-backing-band misses the point entirely. Bridget Kearney’s bass lines are melodic anchors. Mike Calabrese’s drumming swings and punches in equal measure. The interplay between all of them has the telepathic quality that only comes from a decade and a half of playing together.
What the Live Show Delivers
If you’ve only heard Lake Street Dive through recordings, the live show is a different animal. Songs like “Bad Self Portraits” open up with extended grooves and instrumental conversations. “Hypotheticals” hits harder in a crowd. The setlists move between funky workouts, tender ballads, and jazz-inflected detours that remind you these musicians could play anything but choose to play this. There’s a joy to their performances that never feels forced — they’re clearly a band that still likes being on stage together, and that energy is contagious.
Beak & Skiff in August
The orchard setting at Beak & Skiff is something special in its own right. Central New York in August, apple trees framing the stage, the kind of golden-hour light that makes everything look like a film still. It’s a venue that rewards bands with warmth and texture in their sound, and Lake Street Dive has both in abundance. The outdoor acoustics give Price’s voice room to soar, and the relaxed atmosphere matches the band’s personality perfectly.
This is the kind of show that converts people. Bring the friend who says they don’t really go to concerts. Bring the one who thinks they only like one genre. Lake Street Dive has a way of making everyone in the crowd feel like they’ve been a fan all along, even if they walked in not knowing a single song. August 5 at Beak & Skiff — mark it down.