Galveston Calling

This is not your father’s beach music. Meet El Lago, the region’s ‘intense’ new Island-based indie rockers.

Daniel Ortiz
8_CityBookElLago_DOrtizPhoto_120417

Lauren Eddy, frontwoman for Galveston dream-pop band El Lago, may consider herself a latecomer to rock music. “This is my first time playing electric guitar, and this is definitely the first time doing the rock-band thing,” says Eddy, who formerly stuck to acoustic sounds. “I’m 30. I got started with this band at 27. Much later than a lot of musicians.”


Not like anyone cares, or can even tell; Houston Press, for example, called the group’s EP Colors, released in November on Houston-based Miss Champagne Records, “one of the prettiest and most intense” records of 2017.

Engineered by Grammy-winning producer Steve Christensen at SugarHill Recording Studios, Colors is an eight-song deep dive into shoegazy indie rock. It’s comparable to a forward-sounding version of Cocteau Twins, thanks to Eddy’s dreamboat, Kate Bush-like vocals. Her husband Charles Eddy is on drums and her brother Jacob Villarreal plays bass, while friend Jaron Hall is on guitar.

“I hate to say it’s a family band, but it kind of is,” laughs Lauren, who writes all of the lyrics and often brings demo versions of songs-in-progress to practice. From there, the group jams out some ideas, writes out parts for their respective instruments and eventually lands on a fleshed-out song.

The soft-spoken Lauren, who had never formally played in a band until her gang got together a few years back, says she developed her vocal and guitar style in an “organic” fashion, sponging as many recommendations as possible. “I found a lot of music from people coming up to me and saying, ‘Hey you remind me of so-and-so.’ The first time I listened to Kate Bush ... I was like, ‘Wow, I’ve never heard anybody sing like this.’ She has been a big influence vocally. For guitar, it was more about feeling it out … in developing a style.”

The pretty brunette works part-time as a baker at a coffee shop on The Island, and lives with hubby Charles at the National Hotel Artist Lofts, the historic 1800s building that has had former incarnations as an opera house, office building and hotel. There, at the affordable live-work space for artists, Lauren loves to spend hours on a home-cooked meal.

In addition to the band — which gigs regularly at Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge, Walter’s Downtown and Galveston’s Old Quarter Acoustic Café, and is planning a summer swing of the eastern U.S. in support of Colors — Lauren has published the monthly Wake the Zine for the past two years. The printed and online publication features musician interviews, visual-artist profiles and monthly Galveston show listings. “The zine is a way to promote events here,” she says, “to try to bring in new people.”

Art+Culture
Leadership in Action: For Bianca Bucaram, ‘Strong Network and Family’ Are Essential

Bianca Bucaram, founder of The Bucaram PR Group and BXM Music

Get to Know Bianca:

Bianca Bucaram, founder of The Bucaram PR Group and BXM Music, is a dynamic force in the public relations industry. She is known for her tenacity, empathy, and bilingual communication skills. As a local publicist with national reach, she blends local insights with broader impact, telling compelling stories that foster business growth and create opportunities.

Keep Reading Show less

Chef Ope Amosu addresses foodies

A DINNER SERIES with a cult following hosted a foodie-approved event in Houston on a breezy evening atop the rooftop at POST. Secret Supper curates one-of-a-kind culinary experiences across the world, drawing devoted followers who travel from near and far to partake in its exclusive events.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

Beth Muecke, Justin Garcia

HANDSOME HOUSTON ARTIST Justin Garcia held a homecoming of sorts at Downtown’s Z on 23. He’s been on a world tour with Orphaned Starfish Foundation, the nonprofit that helps orphans, survivors of trafficking, and refugees break their cycles of abuse and poverty. Garcia is traveling to all 80 of the foundation’s programs around the world, creating unique art pieces that aim to capture each program's unique feel with color, shape and words.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment