Lake Drive

Thursday July 4, 2:00 p.m., Generac Stage

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After years of attendance at Milwaukee’s Summerfest, looking up to their favorite artists and wondering when their chance to be on stage would arrive, Rayven Burdette, Adam Secord, Brandon Detaege and Trevor Gallagher will perform at this year’s Summerfest for the first time with their band, Lake Drive.

I first saw Lake Drive perform at what I thought would be a house show—a DIY-style of concert that those of us who frequent local punk, indie or alternative shows are familiar with, usually in a basement or backyard. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance digs at The Falcon Bowl in Riverwest, a combo dance floor and stage. It took me until I was handed a free cupcake to realize that this was not just a concert, but an open birthday party. In even the most unique of venues and events, Lake Drive filled the space with loud, danceable music. They emphasize their desire to perform “as big as possible” even in the smallest of venues, starting from their first gig in a bandmate’s basement. 

Lake Drive has been a self-described emo rock band for much of their young existence, performing covers of 2000s emo classics and beginning to write originals. Bringing out “the old stuff” at The Falcon Bowl, Lake Drive performed a faithful rendition of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by Panic at the Disco that would inspire nostalgia in any 20-something who grew up on Tumblr and hated gym class.

The group came together as result of multiple bandmates working at The Rave, scanning in patrons with a security wand. A popular music venue close to Marquette’s campus, Lake Drive has great familiarity with the acoustic quality and capacity of The Rave. Once more established as a band, it was emotional and exciting to book The Rave themselves and perform at once was many of their workplaces.

New Single, New Fans

Upon the release of their new single, “Plus One,” Lake Drive is shifting gears to lean more towards pop rock. Frontman Rayven lists The 1975 and The Neighborhood among their style influences. 

“We have this running joke between us—the second we drop a song we ask each other, ‘How come this isn’t viral immediately?’” This joking complaint contrasted the early success of their recent single. “Overnight, we had 1,000+ streams. The response on YouTube and TikTok in particular has been very positive,” he said. While 1,000 streams may seem on the lower end, gaining popularity through streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music can be a straight vertical climbing wall for newer bands. For the rapid reception of their new single to align with a successful application to perform at Summerfest, Lake Drive members had to pinch themselves. “We were skeptical at first that it was really happening. We expected a smaller stage, an earlier spot, and we figured that’s OK, we have to start somewhere. Fortunately, we got a great spot opening for groups that we really look up to!”

The band is looking forward to the year ahead, and has high hopes for touring, producing more music videos that are authentically them, and leaning into the pop rock genre.