Words and photos by Kenzie Trikouros.
Adrian Galvin, better known to fans as Yoke Lore, transforms his personal experiences into art that resonates far beyond himself.
Adrian creates music that feels both intimate and expansive, threading together raw emotion and vivid storytelling.
Yoke Lore’s most popular and recognizable song is “Beige” from the Good Pain EP.
I found Yoke Lore through “Beige,” and like most people, have been a fan ever since. The song is contemplative and delicate. It’s about vulnerability and the complexities of love, exploring the fear and beauty of completely opening up to someone.
We talked about all the different ways people have used the song, for love or for pain.
Adrian told me, “It’s a beautiful thing that people have found and connected with it. The song has taken on so many different meanings for so many individuals.”
A Name with Meaning and A Life With Music
Adrian started on the drums when he was a child. Marking the beginning of a life filled with music.
“When I was really little, I started playing drums because my sister did,” Adrian said, “She was like the coolest person ever, so I wanted to play the drums too.”
Music was woven into Adrian’s life, through personal interest and family.
Like many musicians, Adrian was in various bands through middle and high school.
Some of the (in my opinion, awesome) band names included Chicken Fist, Knights of the Lunch Table, and my personal favorite, Motley Shrew, a Toto and Motley Crue cover band.
Adrian was a member of the band Walk The Moon during their formative years but left before they achieved mainstream success.
His departure led him to eventually pursue his solo music career as Yoke Lore.
As we were on a Zoom call, Adrian’s dog jumped around in the background. She was a cutie named Cowboy.
The name “Yoke Lore” stems from Adrian’s experience as a yoga teacher and the concept of a “yoke” as a symbol of connection or binding.
It reflects his belief that musicians are storytellers, exploring how people, ideas, and experiences are intertwined.
Adrian told me has a tattoo of a yoke, the wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to a plow or cart they pull together.
We talked about our tattoos and what they meant to us. I showed him my tattoo of a lamp from my grandparents’ house.
Adrian has a tattoo of the Greek god Pan and a tattoo shared with his sibling, honoring their grandmother who was a painter.
The yoke tattoo stood out the most to me. Not only was it very well done, but it felt the most symbolic, like a reminder of connection, storytelling, and the themes that shape his music.
Yoke Lore at Stone Pony – 11/20/24
Written on a banner and surrounded by colorful zigzags and squiggles, the words “Yoke Lore” sat behind Adrian throughout the whole show.
The crowd was immediately captivated and sang along to every word as Adrian jumped on stage.
“What is your favorite song to play live? I asked him.
Not released anywhere, “Tom Robins” is Adrian’s favorite song to play live.
He said, “I never recorded it because I don’t know…it just feels special to me in some way. Over the years, I’ve thought about recording it, but every time I play it live, it feels like a wonderful moment shared with the audience- something that’s just for us.”
