Six dynamic, female-oriented bands will rev up Local Spins Fest in May. Today, we begin our series spotlighting each act, asking them to answer seven key questions. Today, Lokella is in the interrogation room.
Final Show With Current Lineup? Lokella’s May 20 appearance at Local Spins Fest could be epic. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Today, we begin our month-long countdown to Local Spins Fest 2023, our 11th anniversary celebration taking place outdoors on the Studio Park Piazza in downtown Grand Rapids, with six wide-ranging Michigan bands performing. (View the schedule below and get tickets, $20, online at themidtowngr.com.) We’ve asked all seven acts to answer the same seven questions in a Q&A format to give readers insights into what makes them tick. Today, we present Grand Rapids rock band Lokella, which may be playing its final show on May 20 with the current lineup of Jennifer Bartlett, Evan Bartlett, Chris Bursley and Josh Poel. Scroll down for a Lokella video.
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Local Spins Question 1: What’s one thing about your band that most folks might not know?
Jennifer Bartlett: When Evan and I decided to dismantle our previous band, Fine Fine Titans, we landed on the name Lokella with the idea that we were going to start writing new music strictly as a duo. Not long after, Chris showed up in our DM’s and proposed we jam together and see what kind of music we could create. We had our friend Nathan Jean join us on drums and suddenly, Lokella was unintentionally a four-piece. Josh took Nathan’s place about a year later and we’ve been a four-piece ever since.
LS Question 2: In your wildest dream, which famous, internationally renowned artist or band would you most like to tour with or open for?
JB: Incubus or even more wild, Prince.
LS Question 3: What’s the best record you’ve listened to in the past year?
JB: Paramore, “This Is Why”
LS Question 4: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in your music career and what advice would you have to artists making their way in the business?
JB: The biggest mistake that seems to be the umbrella hovering over all mistakes: not following your intuition. For new artists embarking on this journey: start before you think you’re ready, be persistent in your practice, help to create and support community over competition and believe in yourSELF. Nothing is owed to you and there will always be better players, writers, performers and ideas. Embrace your unique gifts and remember: It’s not about who you know, it’s about who you are to other people.
LS Question 5: What’s the best concert you’ve ever seen (and when and where did it take place)?
JB: Beyonce in 2018, Ford Field, Detroit
LS Question 6: Complete this sentence: In the next year, Lokella …
JB: … will let the cards fall where they may.
LS Question 7: What can fans expect from your set at Local Spins Fest?
JB: As our last Lokella performance with Evan on bass while celebrating seven years as a band, we’re going to bring the fire with everything we have.
VIDEO: Lokella, “Same Old”
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