The Lay Awakes

The Lay Awakes is a singer-songwriter duo based in Brooklyn, NY, with roots in the Canadian prairies and small town Ontario.

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Anna (piano, vocals) grew up in various states and provinces, but her family ties connect her to rural Manitoba. Her musical roots trace back to classical piano studies and the inspiration of dance and theatre. She graduated from New York University with a masters degree in music composition, and since has collaborated internationally with film directors, dancers, and fellow songwriters. Anna released a solo album in 2013.

Patrick (guitar, vocals) was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and grew up in Fergus, Ontario. His music lineage goes back to the family campfire and songbook. He studied music at Vancouver Community College and at Hunter College in Manhattan. Patrick has spent many years representing Canada in wheelchair basketball; he is a three-time Paralympic gold medalist and largely considered the world’s best wheelchair basketball player.

The Lay Awakes released their debut EP in 2015 and their debut LP “Home Away From Home” in 2018.

The songs on their debut full-length album, Home Away From Home, feature a handful of appearances by Patrick on lead vocals, but more often it is Anna’s hauntingly beautiful voice that takes the lead. It is a voice that, particularly on the softer, more atmospheric songs, is at once darkly sweet, and then instantly light and quiet as if she were right beside you. It is a rare gift to be able to impart such intimacy with the listener, but Anna’s voice, in combination with the emotional openness of the compositions makes songs like the title track Home Away from Home and Babe Are You Sure immeasurably compelling.
Home Away From Home is produced by Jeremy McDonald, a Pittsburgh native, whose production credits include Beyoncé and Kevin Garrett. The mixing engineer is the Grammy Award winning Will Hensley, who has worked with such artists as Coldplay, Regina Spektor, Leonard Cohen, and John Mayer. No doubt, the work of both Jeremy and Will has resulted in an LP that comes across as solid and mature, but still falls fresh on seasoned ears.
The Lay Awakes bring a mature, dynamic, and versatile approach to the singer/songwriter genre, leaning more to the refined adult contemporary pop side than the more acoustic/folk sound commonly associated with the genre.
It is a credit to the duo as songwriters and musicians that Home Away from Home is so diverse in tone, emotional dexterity, tempo, and production sensibilities, going from lush, to evocatively sparse. What ties everything together is Patrick and Anna’s voices, uninhibited lyrical authenticity, and that “X factor” that simply makes you want to be a part of what they’re doing.