Stop. Before you read any further than this line, start playing the youtube video below. I can try to cram as many descriptions and heap as much praise into this article as possible, but the best way for you to understand Venice is Sinking, is to just let their music soak into you. Put on your headphones, and que up the song Azar One.
I first saw Venice is Sinking play Athfest a few years back at the Georgia Theatre. It was pretty late and somehow the venue was not packed at all. Seeing them at all started as an accident that turned into a fantastic night. The first song I heard by them that night was Pulaski Heights (below,) which stuck with me for years after. Somehow it ended up on almost every playlist and mixtape I made from that point on. Their masterwork, AZAR, was released in 2009 by One Percent Press, and was followed up with Sand & Lines, which was recorded in the now fire-damaged Georgia Theatre. Both albums were met with warm reviews, and their sound is something that is relatively unique in our area.
Reminds us of: A slow rolling train headed towards salvation.
Next Local Show: THIS SATURDAY, 12/11 at New Earth Music Hall. $5.
Who Are They: Aaron Esposito, Lucas Jensen, Daniel Lawson, Jeremy Sellers, James Sewell, Karolyn Troupe.
Credentials: Tiny Mixtapes, Latest Disgrace, Absolute Punk, Redefine Magazine.
Why Them? Venice is Sinking provides to any (even casual) listener a feeling of weightlessness during their build. The pristine, intricate build of their songs gather so much momentum that towards the end, you feel as if your perched over a cliff, or at the top of your roof, peering down. In their live performances, they stretch that anticipation to the ABSOLUTE limit, pulling you with them until just before your mind starts to wander away from the moment. It’s at that second that they let go of the reins and let the free-fall begin with well crafted, inescapable choruses. They have been out grinding for several years, but I have absolute faith that they will find their way to the worldwide recognition they ultimately deserve.
In a way, their close work with efforts to rebuild the Georgia Theatre is perfect, because like like their songs, the Theatre’s build has been brick by brick, one agonizing steel girder placed after another. And also like their songs, one day we will look around us and be enveloped in the sounds of a reopened Georgia Theatre, and have to catch our breath just to understand how we got there.
AW
