Rhythms, rhymes, rock & the rise of Ricky Lake
Ricky Lake live at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland; press photo courtesy of the artists.
Never mind the histrionic clamor and scare hype of negative headlines from the media hubs holding on to their last vestiges of advertisement fueled pseudo-relevance. The Bay Area remains at the forefront of creative innovation, experimentation, breakthroughs in civic/social/artistic progressions and so much more. As certain as our own idiosyncratic convection cycles and other associated wild weather patterns; the Bay is forever shaped by the winds and tides of perpetual change. The adversarial culprit forever stems from the dubious capitalistic seductions by omnipotent technocratic institutions with no regard for the local inhabitants, the influence of bureaucratic subsidized entities that become deeply imbricated into the civic fabrics and extents of infrastructure and politics (beholden to the eternal allure of profits over people). From the Bay’s earliest nascent beginnings this has been the case. The dichotomy between the wide-eyed visionaries of progress with heart versus the opportunistic harbingers of exploitation and short-sighted ambitions provide the contrast that keeps the fight for a greater enlightenment alive and well. And while the rent is always too damn high, property values forever out of reach, evictions and cultural erasure are real, small businesses forever in the grip of survival struggles and so forth; there is indefatigable spirited light that forever resists being extinguished against a backdrop of unbelievable odds.
Keeping that push toward brighter echelons of art and consciousness is the beloved collective Text Me Records operating out of Different Fur Studios in the Mission with a roster of today’s, yesterday’s and tomorrow’s brightest and most brilliant aesthetes. Emerging out of the harrowing throes and smoldering ashes of the global pandemic we have witnessed the dawning of pop polymath radical Ricky Lake. Featured on the pages of our media hub from local artist showcases to our debut of “Choka” — Ricky has traversed the North American trails from Los Angeles, to Southern Nashville before setting up shop in Oakland to find a creative home among contemporaries and friends from Taifa Nia (Same Girls, OCD), Steezxxz, TheMobsJEDi, Stoni, Studio Dad among the expansive Text Me team of genre defying creatives. Surrounded by some of the world’s greatest pop art luminaries, Ricky Lake shatters the conventions of style into a musical blender of sparks that lighten up a messy and cloudy planet. Ricky resists any semantic attempts of reductive containment, tackling the contemporary artistic conundrums of what aesthetics can be that draw from the textile canons of rhythms, blues, beats, rhymes, rhythms, life, trad poetics, fusing and synthesizing art into the double helix core of thesis / synthesis permutations into new terrain and new stratospheres of sensations and sentiments.
After a barrage of collaborations, mixtapes, guest spots, et al. — Ricky Lake has announced the forthcoming album Altered with the following lauded singles. The buzz kicked into high gear with the bad and bougee Bay-centric visuals for “The Answer”, starring AVN icon Jessica Drake and visuals by Matt Zolly. Ricky and company deconstruct emo affectations into a stylistic whirl of electric power pop stylistics that features romantically charged endeavors among iconic sights from the Painted Ladies, Alamo Square, Palace of Fine Arts and a host of other exclusive footage available as NFT collectibles. “The Answer” sharpens the slacker grunge of the 90s into a streamlined and seamlessly mixed bouquet of botanical energy, where expressions of song are delivered with heart and candid exhibitions of human emotion.
Swaying like the seesawing oceanic waves of the Pacific rocks “Rift”, bopping on the water like a ferry making the rounds in the San Francisco Bay. At its very heart Ricky Lake builds heart-swept poetry off the foundation of a glorified sea chantey that is processed through auto-tuned treatments along with mind illuminating chords and keys. Ricky offers meditations on the pangs of absentia, an ode of melancholy for the one that is far away that might have gotten away, that comes to terms with the fleeting passages of romance amid flights of fancy. “Rift” works through the realm of the temporal, grasping for something of a greater foundation, reckoning with the constructs of impermanence that wears both heart and soul affixed to a designer sleeve of valor and valiance.
“Timba” is the best bop that Drake and the OVO set never made. Ricky Lake gets a boost from the clique of Studio Dad, Drew Banga, GrandBankss & Leviathe that evokes midnight modes of mindful reflection. Ricky lets the audience in on a privy moment of pause: that point in the evening when hanging out with friends over drinks, snacks and small plates when the mood becomes pensive and the inward thought streams survey the points and places you have been to, the roads traveled and the destinations still yet ahead. “Timba” glimmers and glows with tones that takes a time out from the bustle and hustle and takes some time to take inventory of everything and everyone around you (past and present). The verses and bars move with the blurry viscosity like a stemware chalice of fine wine, where the vintage sediment is sipped with heartfelt sentiments expressed in all of their tannic complexity. Ricky Lake’s latest taste of the album Altered points toward the familiar corners of abstract feeling pieced together like an audio impressionistic portrait of life in the imperfect and emotive tense.
During a season of perpetual sun, we had the opportunity to catch up with Ricky Lake in the following expansive interview session:
With a season of perpetual sun upon us, insights on the best way to spend summer 2022 in the Bay Area.
Be outside for sure. Go to Golden Gate Park. Dolores Park pretty played out to be honest, really just find any park or a restaurant you can sit outside at. Spend the day with friends and family, drink or smoke or do what you do. Then when the moon comes up the options grow. I’m usually at some bars around San Francisco, much to my Oakland homies dismay. But when I step out in the town I have just as much fun. The Bay has a lot to offer, just make sure you stay safe and keep your situational awareness up.
Along the path of moves from LA, to Nashville and then Oakland; give us some insights on the origin stories behind the making of Ricky Lake.
Adaptation was probably one of the biggest catalysts to my creative journey. Moving around like I did and between drastically different social climates, I had to learn how to adapt and maneuver while maintaining my own sense of self. In my opinion I was pretty successful at this endeavor, and in doing so I opened doors to meet all types of characters I wouldn’t have otherwise. It was through these rare people in my life that I started to explore my own creativity. To say my friends and acquaintances have been inspirations is an understatement.
Eight miles high with Ricky Lake at Eli’s Mile High Club; press photo courtesy of the artist / Text Me Records.
Insights into the collaborative and supportive collective and community Text Me Records. Taifa Nia, Stoni, Studio Dad and the whole crew are all making moves.
At this point I’m so comfortable with the team at Text Me Records that everything just feels pretty fluent. But specifically having people like Studio Dad, Tiffany Wilson, Taifa Nia and Stoni on my side has been a true blessing. Since I met him almost 8 years ago, Taifa has been my musical shaman pretty much. We use to play shows in the Oakland underground rock scene (I think that’s what it was?) where I met so many people that I still am influenced and keep in touch with today. He’s how I met the Text Me team and the Different Fur staff. Helping to propel my career by introducing me to people like Patrick Brown (Studio Dad) and Tiffany Wilson. Patrick and Tiffany have helped me understand the real nitty gritty facts of the music industry, while simultaneously managing me and never stifling my creativity or my vision. They’ve also introduced me to incredible people like Stoni. I’d heard of Stoni before in the music scene, because who hadn’t. But then actually getting to work with her and seeing who she is as a person was truly special. Stoni one of the best rappers in the bay, if not the best. Our friendship has evolved into something truly unique and amazing, we really are like family.
From fusions of the electric and sentimental to flexing future r&b and hip hop styles and tones; describe the alchemy at work in a Ricky Lake track.
I tend to enjoy my vices when I’m working on a song, if that makes sense. I get in the right mood or zone or whatever you want to call it. In terms of genre, I keep it pretty simple. Either I’m going for a pop song, a rap song, a rock song, or a fusion. The fusion tracks are where it gets tricky cause usually that ends up sounding corny. But with the team of producers I’m blessed to know, we almost always come up with something lit. At the end of the day I make songs for myself and for my friends. If I like it, my friends like it, then to me it’s a good song.
Getting emotional on the mic with Ricky Lake; press photo courtesy of the artist / Text Me Records.
Further meditations on what to expect from the upcoming record.
Expect more of the rock vibe for sure, but also be ready for some diversions. That’s all I’ll say for now.
Other local and global artists deserving of recognition that are not getting enough shine.
The artists in the Bay go crazy. I really can’t say that enough. The amount of talent and authenticity that exists in San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, Vallejo, Berkeley, is extremely immense. All genres too. Some of the artists I’ll name are getting they shine, don’t get me wrong, but they really some superstars that’s ready to be international icons in my opinion. I know I’ll miss some names but here we go: CallHerStoni, Siri Seiko, Taifa Nia, Same Girls, Tia NoMore, Ritty Bo, Fvbe, PissAuf (asabackwards), Leviathe, Steezxxz, themobsJedi, Nanosaur, Amen Auset, ggravee, inochi, Gloomy June, 4shley, SVCHXCKY, 143 Kane, Ynb 201, Tall Boy Tim, Raymos, D Money, SMB Blurr, Mikey OD, 333evol, Dee Dot Jones, Lien Theresa, Bea, horsepowar, Pass, Zharmila, louielser, AroMa, Cel Genesis, d.dilla, Madge, Tall Tee, Claire George, Anubis, Matthew Ali!, Spaceli, pritty, Clear Mortifee, Fat Tony, Fijiana, Paris Williams and more but my brain hurting trying to think of how many amazing artists I know. It’s just too many.
In conversation with Ricky Lake; press photo courtesy of the artist / Text Me Records.
Hopes for the Bay, the world and so on.
Peace peace peace. But you know how us humans be.
Other assorted words and expressions of wisdom and light.
Talk to a loved one today, if you don’t have any try and go make some.
Ricky Lake’s anticipated album Altered will be available TBD, listen to more from the artist via Bandcamp.