No one will ever accuse Midlake, the five-piece indie outfit from Denton, Texas, of being too hasty. The Trials of Van Occupanther, set for release early in June 2006 on the UK's Bella Union label, is the result of a full year of patient recording and re-recording in their home studio. But hey, patience seems to be part of the formula for these guys. The members of Midlake, all former jazz students at the North Texas School of Music, came together in the late Nineties and released their first album in 2001. Somewhere along the way, they found a powerful advocate in Jason Lee, the star of the television series "My Name Is Earl" and films like "Mallrats," "Vanilla Sky," and -- perhaps not incidentally -- "Almost Famous." Q Magazine, NME and Uncut all gave the band's first full-length album, Bamnan and Slivercork, rave reviews. "Roscoe," a single off the new album, has already been circulating the net and has proved popular among bloggers and the Myspace crowd. And the band is slated to play Lollapalooza 2006 as well as tour Europe with SXSW stagemates The Flaming Lips. In other words, the stars seem to be aligning for Midlake. In the thick of this year's SXSW, Gearwire got some insights into Midlake's songwriting and recoring approach when we caught up with Paul, Tim, McKenzie, and both Erics at the Fox and Hound on Austin's Guadalupe Street. We also caught a bit of their show later that night, when Midlake had the unenviable but still very cool job of following The Flaming Lips. Critical Stats

Name:

Midlake

Personnel:

Paul Alexander: Bass, Keyboard
Eric Nichelson: Keyboard, Guitar
Eric Pulido: Guitar, Keyboard, BVG
Tim Smith: Vocals, Keyboard, Guitar
McKenzie Smith: Drums

Select discography:

Milkmaid Grand Army EP--2001
Bamnan and Slivercork--2004
The Trials of Van Occupanther--Forthcoming