Concert Review: Fog Lake and Foxes In Fiction

By Lillian Jones

Music Director 

As autumn ever so slowly approaches, the air gets cooler, the leaves get crunchier and our musical rotation gets sadder. To throw myself into the deep end of this seasonal pattern, I found myself at a Fog Lake concert.

I had only heard of Fog Lake recently when they opened for Loving on their tour back in the Spring. Unfortunately I had missed that show so this was my first introduction to Fog Lake and I’m quite happy that it was. The concert was held in the indoor section of Mohawk – a very intimate setting, perfect for the occasion. My friends and I made our way into the warm room and were able to get up close to the stage, making it all much more personal. 

The opener, Foxes In Fiction, was already deep into his set when I arrived, but luckily I was able to catch the last three songs to get a sample of what I had missed. Foxes In Fiction is a solo project of Warren Hildebrand – a lo-fi ambient artist who’s vocals softly whisper over the electronic instrumentals. In the background of Hildebrand pressing buttons, turning knobs and singing into the mic, serene visuals played projected onto the wall. I found myself zoning out as I listened to the calming music and watched clips of a beach, birds flying, cherry blossom trees, and street views with a shimmering geometric pattern laid on top. The second-to-last song piqued my interest as it reminded me of one of my favorite bands, Kitty Craft! While not an exact comparison to Kitty Craft, the song was more upbeat than the others played and was very cutesy. 

While I did not get to see the entirety of his set, Hildebrand seemed quiet, just enjoying presenting his art to a crowd. The only words I heard him speak were “Free Palestine” as he walked off stage wearing a keffiyeh. 

After a short break, it was time for Fog Lake to take the stage. But first, they had to turn on the cult classic, found footage film, The Blair Witch Project, to project onto the wall and set the tone. I later found out that this is front-man Aaron Powell’s favorite film, making this all the more special.  

The set began with one of their most popular songs, “Inference(1)”, a song I can only describe as the perfect indie track filled with melodic guitar riffs and nostalgic lyrics. Afterwards, Powell took a pause to thank everyone for attending the show. As he stood there in his Modelo hat, he went on about how much he loves Texas, saying it reminds him of home, being that he’s from a small town in rural Canada. “This is my favorite state in America, it’s really cool, it’s really fun, I get along with the people here!” 

The next song played was one called “Dinosaur” off of his 2018 album, Captain. During this song a moody red color overcasted the band, perfectly complimenting the tone of the song. This is also when I noticed the drummer, Michael Tomizzi, was mouthing along the lyrics. He was doing this almost every time my vision moved in his direction and I found this quite sweet.Towards the end of the song, Powell had a technical difficulty with the top string of his guitar. Luckily (or unluckily), this was not the first time this had happened on tour, so lead guitarist, Corey Mastrangelo, was prepared to lend him a hand and switch guitars! Powell revealed his clumsy antics throughout the show as he later lost a guitar pick through the cracks of the stage and said a thank you to whoever had found his lost credit card earlier that afternoon. 

Having only dipped my toes in the Fog Lake lake (haha get it) before attending the concert, I was able to have a fresh opinion on all of the songs played. I left the concert with a couple of new favorites added into my monthly playlist. The first song to catch my attention was “Side Effects” as my friend next to me audibly was excited, exclaiming “Yes! Yes!” as the title was announced. This song was more upbeat as a mixture of pink and blue lights danced across the stage. I had a little groove going during this song as the catchy rhythm of the guitar played on. 

One song I’ve been obsessed with since seeing it live is the track “Secret” off of the most recent album released in 2023, Midnight Society. This song is quite melancholy – which I’ve been told is a good summary for my overall music taste. I loved listening to the repetitive lyrics of “It used to be beautiful,” at the end of the song and have had it on repeat since. That song might be engraved in my brain now. 

To end the concert, all other members, but Powell left the stage. While my friends and I chatted a little in anticipation for what the last song would be, we overheard the name, Chappell Roan. Thinking that Powell was just being silly, my friend jokingly said “play casual!”, he then began the last song – a cover of “Good Luck Babe!”

After the music was over, I got to meet Aaron Powell himself! He was extremely sweet as my friend and I introduced ourselves. My friend has been listening to Fog Lake for six years now, so it was very surreal for her to have a conversation with the man behind the project. Although the concert was an hour length of music filled with saddening lyrics, I felt overwhelmingly happy. The next morning, I woke up to Texas finally welcoming the Autumn weather as it was a high of 74. The perfect temperature for listening to Fog Lake!