For a few rotations, a merry-go-round can be a fun diversion, but eventually, you’re going to want to step off, hopefully while maintaining a bit of grace in the process.
Such was the case with the members of Texas-based lo-fi folk rockers Midlake. In 2012, the band was left dangling in the wind by the departure of former lead singer and songwriter Tim Smith two years into work on the band’s next record.
Rather than call off the project entirely, more than a decade after the band’s formation at the University of North Texas, backing vocalist Eric Pulido stepped into the spotlight, a role to which he says he never aspired.
If you go
* What: Nightfall concert series featuring Eric Pulido (of Midlake) and Friends * When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 22;Meagan Saunders & The Driftless open at 7 p.m. * Where: Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. * Admission: Free * Phone: 423-265-0771 * Artist website: www.midlake.net * Venue website: www.nightfallchattanooga.com
The opener
Meagan Saunders is a local Americana/roots singer/songwriter. Her band, The Driftless, includes guitarist Jason Reed and violinist Ashley Cofield. For more information, visit www.thedriftless.net.
For the next six months, the band knuckled down to write and record an entirely new collection of songs that became the album “Antiphon.” The furious pace of the record’s development and the next year of touring in support of it left Midlake’s members feeling discombobulated and ready for a rest.
“The last record was kind of a cool opportunity but not one you would ask for,” Pulido says. “It was kind of like full steam ahead throughout that time of really trying to keep things alive under not the most ideal circumstances.
“We were quite pleased and blown away by how it was received, despite his departure. I was really thankful for that. But at the same time, through it all, we all felt throughout the process that it was time to put the ship in the dock and just take a breath.”
For the last year, Midlake has been taking a hiatus from touring, except for the occasional one-off performance. Its members have instead devoted their energy to a variety of side projects and to reconnecting with their families.
In addition to ongoing work on Banquet, a collaborative project with members of Midlake, Band of Horses, Granddaddy and Travis, Pulido also has been engaged in a solo tour – alongside a pair of Midlake bandmates – that will bring him to Chattanooga as this week’s Nightfall headliner.
The show will feature 90 minutes of acoustic music pulling from Midlake’s four-album discography as well as a handful of covers.
Coming out of the period of frenetic activity that left Midlake’s members feeling a bit haggard, Pulido says he’s enjoying taking the stage for shows such as Nightfall, which tend to be far less stressful than full band shows.
“I think it helps me embrace music in a more pure and honest way,” he says. “I want to do it more. Something like this is kind of fun because it’s a little bit lower maintenance.
“I know it’s not the same thing, and that’s OK. I’m mixing it up instead of getting too caught up in one thing. It’s more interesting to me – and to those who see it – for it to be something unique, or new at least.”
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.