Radiolake

...And this one also stopped in to grab some of that delish Lapsang Zhivago tea (okay, among you coffee drinking nerds, even my fave Lapsang Souchong is an acquired taste, but hey...) at Sureshot coffee, and guess what? There was this kickass band playing (they're called 'Radiolake', and they have the coolest femme drummer who can really bang those skins baby!). They sound like 'Band of Horses' meets Nirvana and gets tweaked by this one's fave band, 'Dead Confederate', and yet they're so original and so refreshingly original. Way better than those clone bands that all sound alike and look alike these days. Very much like the bands this one loved when she was just moving to Seattle from Chicago, in '87, before the evil condo conversion of every piece of land happened to this evil, little city. They'll be playing at The Skylark (in West Seattle, and a place this one hopes to sample for her other column in The Seattle Sinner) on April 11th, at Flight's in Everett on April 25th and at Bop Street Records in Ballard on May 17th. Go see these guys, and fall deeply, happily in love with them as this one has. Oh, and they have an ep with songs on it this one hopes will weave themselves into the television show she hopes is made from the serial story, 'Young Blues' (in this very column!) someday dahlings. Do see the female drummer in the next print version of this column in two weeks in Seattle Gay News. You'll see, Olga rock (that's her name my little spring tulips).
- Rajkhet Dirzhud-Rashid

Snow Patrol, Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie. These are all bands that have had great success in the past with seemingly simple riffs and poignant lyrics, yet are profound enough to make even the most jaded music listener take a closer look at how they are living.
Radiolake, a three piece band originally from Moses Lake, now based out of Kent, WA, has been trying to harness that ability to write guitar driven music with emotional vocal harmonies that will make you really stop and listen to what the music is saying.
One of the first songs the young band had written is called “Manage Your Future” and is about how people sometimes hang with the wrong crowd and make dumb decisions to keep face. The song begins with a familiar yet satisfying Coldplay-esque airy drum beat that is quickly accompanied by guitar and bass before the vocals kick in. “Your hanging with the wrong crowd, I don’t want to go there, I don’t want to see you fall to the ground like you always do.... Will you manage your future.” The music in this song is very comfortable, and the lyrics are to the point. The guitar “solo” towards the end of the song is creative and melodic and match well with the constant chord strumming of the second guitar and driving 4-4 drum beat.
When listening to the bands newest recorded song “Fireworks” it reminds me of the first time I heard Snow Patrol’s “Lite Up” and the emotions the music and words evoked in me. The huge guitar sound and drum sticks riding the crash cymbal through the chorus creating such a sweet moment of chaos all while the lyrics are being delivered with smooth and controlled emotion.
Lee Lester, the bands lead singer and rhythm guitar player, began his music career here in Moses Lake as a drummer but quickly found a passion for being a part of the song writing process. He began playing guitar and writing down everything he was seeing and feeling and is now finding himself in front of a microphone singing his beliefs in front of the world.
Olga Moreno, the bands drummer really had no previous band experience before Radiolake, but her natural talent and ability to keep a strait forward beat going all night has cemented here position on the throne... err, drum throne that is. Moreno’s style of playing is by no surprise on the same plane as one of her biggest Musical influences, the band Wilco.
Brandon Smith is Radiolake’s lead guitarist and is responsible for the melodic glue that keeps the songs going. Smith has settled into the niche that has been carved out by Radiohead and Coldplay before him. That comfortable place where well placed chords and slow picked notes speak in a much louder voice than the all-to-fashionable speed solo’s and crunchy guitar sounds.
- Venue Magazine