Lost Canyons is a Bozeman based band that started in 2016. Their current lineup is: Kennan Krause - Vocals & Guitar; Mitch Lauenstein - Guitar, Banjo, Keys, Vocals; Paul Elias - Electric Guitar, Drums, Keys; Jaden Attard - Bass; Lucas Swets - Drums

Lost Canyons pride themselves on driving guitars, impactive melodies and introspective lyrics.

Soon after forming a dream came to fruition with the release of their debut ep titled ‘Drive By Volume.” More recently Lost Canyons released their first full length album titled ‘Lost Canyons.” The album is an ambitious effort meant to showcase both the band’s range as musicians and their ability to connect to their listeners.We recently had the chance to catch up with Kennan to see what the band is up to:

Brian Ripple: Hello. You guys recently released your new album, Lost Canyons; can you tell us a little bit about it?

Kennan Krause: Totally! This self-titled album is our first foray into the full length album. The concept of the full length album is something that we’ve romanticized — generally, as a band, we love to listen to full albums start to finish, so we figured we’d try our hand at getting a full album out there.

​Lost Canyons is definitely a driving album. We pictured people driving through the Beartooths blasting these songs. A lot of my songwriting happens in the winter when I’m longing for sunsets at 10 pm, so that’s definitely reflected in the lyrics for this album. We leaned pretty hard into the indie rock side of things as well, which was a breath of fresh air for us as a band. We sought to push ourselves dynamically this go-round, and we’re pretty proud of the outcome.

BR: Where was it recorded, and by whom?

KK: Our album was produced by Ben Morris of Mountain Morris Productions (check out his band, Desperate Electric! They’re unreal…). I can’t say enough good things about Ben and his producing. He brought our album to life and met us in our vision of creating a bigger album.

​He owns a studio down in Butte, and runs it as “a band BnB,” so we got to stay at his studio for a week to crank out the album. Long days, but such a blast. We had an incredible experience!

BR: Where can people go to listen to the new album?

KK: Anywhere you stream your music, we’re there! Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube, Bandcamp, etc. We also recently got to play a few of the new tunes in a studio session with Big Sky Bonus Tracks; you can catch those live performances online on YouTube.

BR: What would you like to share about the band itself?

KK: Lost Canyons is predominantly a four-piece indie rock band (we sometimes dabble in being a five-piece band when possible). We got our start as a folk band here in Bozeman circa 2021, then quickly realized we love the electric too much to be fully a folk band. We have an EP out as well, titled Drive By Volume, which we released in 2021.

​Musically, we hang our hat on our melodies, and creating songs that people can relate to. People just love to sing, so we try and write songs that people can sing along to.

BR: When did you personally pick up music? What was that process like?

KK: I started on the bass, actually! It was really helpful for me starting out. I started playing bass when I was 10, and then evolved into teaching myself guitar, attending YouTube University. When I started out, I was big into Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson, so I kind of laid down the foundation with a focus on strumming rhythm, and then my fretting eventually caught up.

​Vocally, it took a while to get to where I’m at now. Honestly, gigging a ton works wonders on that front, so that’s been a fun journey. Singing, for me, hasn’t been as instantly gratifying as guitar, so it’s been cool to see the progression of my voice as the years have gone along. I’ve definitely had to put more work in on the vocal side of things, so it’s been very rewarding to see where I’ve gotten to.

BR: Who are a few of your current favorite artists to listen to for inspiration?

KK: We draw a ton of inspiration from bands like Wilderado and Futurebirds. Duncan Fellows is an indie band based out of Austin — they’re a huge inspiration. Rayland Baxter is another one. Gregory Alan Isakov always holds a special place in our hearts. Noah Kahan’s new album is something special, so that’s played a part. Hozier has been the most recent inspiration. I’m really drawn to melodies and dynamics of songs, and I think Hozier does that masterfully.

BR: If you could see any bands/artists, living or dead, perform live, who would you go see first?

KK: You guys ask the tough questions! I’ve gotta see Leon Bridges at some point. I’d love to see Hozier, too. The Beatles in their prime would have been surreal. The Eagles in their prime — their harmonies are insane. That’s so tough to pull off live, so I’d love to experience that.

BR: What are the next plans for Lost Canyons 2024?

KK: Tour, baby! We’re touring the album this summer around the region, mainly focusing on the PNW. We’re getting some more festivals under our belt this summer, and we’re trying to add some Logjam shows under our belt. Logjam has played an integral role in getting great artists to Montana, so we’re trying to join along for the ride!

BR: Are there any upcoming shows you have soon, or anything else you would like to share with our readers?

KK: Yeah! We’ve got some shows at ski resorts coming up this winter, which we’re stoked for. We’re playing at Bridger Bowl for King and Queen of the Ridge on February 3rd. We’ve been booked for March 1st at Tips Up in Big Sky, so that’ll be a sweet show. We’re also playing for Red Lodge’s Spring Jam on March 9th.

​I also play some solo shows around town; my next one is at Map Brewing on January 3rd. I’d love to meet readers, so feel free to come through and say hey! Thanks a ton for checking us out.   

BR: Thanks Kennan, we will definately be looking for you out there.

Be sure to take a listen to Lost Canyon’s new release and even better, go see one of their shows.