Lake Jiroudek, who grew up in Cannon Beach, has taught music and performed locally with his brother, Evan, under the band name Innocent Alex.

The “gifted” label is a two-edged sword.

While it can open doors, it can also become a burden. Lake Jiroudek, a North Coast guitarist, has enjoyed and suffered the label since his teen years.

Jiroudek, who grew up as the youngest member of a musical family in Cannon Beach, first picked up a guitar at 14. As a high school graduate, he was chosen for a full scholarship at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York City.

Since then, Jiroudek and his brother, Evan, have continued to teach music and perform under the band name Innocent Alex.

This week, Jiroudek is releasing a new self-titled album under the stage name Lake Laconic. On Saturday, the artist will be featured in a concert at the Ten Fifteen Theater in Astoria.

It’s billed as an album release and will include other musical guests with local ties, including Israel Nebeker of Blind Pilot. The show starts at 7 p.m. and includes singer-songwriter Weezy Ford as an opener.

Learning from the masters

Jiroudek spent his first high school year at Seaside High School, participating in the jazz band and collaborating with his brother in various musical endeavors.

He studied for one year at Sunset High School, near Portland, and finished his last two years at Idyllwild Arts Academy, a performing arts school in Pine Cove, California, in the San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles.

“That opened a lot of doors,” he said. “I was really into jazz, and I was very serious about it at that time.”

He casually mentions some of his mentors: Marshall Hawkins, Miles Davis and Shirley Horn, who are among the true giants of jazz. This exposure to the best in the field gave the young guitarist the experience he needed to move ahead.

Applying to Juilliard, Jiroudek said he remembers the auditions the most, particularly one audition which had all the school heavyweights, plus big star pianist Kenny Barron in the seats.

“They played a progression called ‘Rhythm Changes’ with really complex chord changes, and you have to call out the chords and all the variations. That was very intense,” he said.

Jiroudek was chosen from a field of 12 finalists, among thousands of applicants. As a student, he was exposed to the best jazz teachers and playing opportunities. This school has turned out many of the greats.

Moving home

After graduation from Juilliard, Jiroudek joined his brother again in Santa Clarita, California, where they performed together as a band and began accepting students.

This time saw the brothers began to develop the core of their writing and producing style.

They moved back to the North Coast at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and started teaching online. Jiroudek gives a lot of credit for his advancement as a player and as a producer to his brother. Though he avoids classifying his music as one genre, he agrees with the indie rock label.

Currently, the guitarist is involved with another major interest — baking, as a baker for the Blue Scorcher Bakery in Astoria, while writing and arranging music for future albums.

A songwriter’s journey is often not a linear process, so pieces of songs written today may be used in combination with song bits from a month or a year ago. Some songs take years to come together.

The Lake Laconic album is just that, a combination of older material and new material, and sometimes it’s both.

Another album is also in the works. Meanwhile, Jiroudek hopes to set up a West Coast tour in support of the new album and said his new material will be more oriented toward live audiences.