We’re so excited to announce our NEW ALBUM, Stained Glass! Yes, something good has come from the Covid 19 pandemic. Available now on all streaming platforms! Bonus Track “Wallbender’s Lament” on CD ONLY! Double Album Vinyl and CD’s available at all live shows.
If you’re a true collector of all things Venice, the double album vinyl is a stunning package and worth having, even if you don’t have a record player. Andre Kemp’s design is a true work of ART!
After the world was turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic, most people’s perspective on life and what’s important really changed. Although it felt like the world had stopped spinning, at times, it was during these days, months, and years of uncertainty that many of Venice’s “Stained Glass” songs were conceived. Each member of Venice was quietly and privately cataloguing their artistic interpretation of this new reality and uncertainty by recording or writing down little snippets of ideas, like guitar riffs, melodies, or lyrics…all of these came about while looking at life through a new lens. “Once it was safe for us to gather, we brought the band back together to begin working through the collection of ideas we had stored away during our individual isolations”, says the album’s producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist, Michael Lennon. “We set up a simple multi-track studio on my back patio in Los Angeles, California”. Surrounded by colorful hanging Tahitian pareos to brighten the room and block the direct sunlight, the band gathered in a circle, facing each other. The backyard's screened patio allowed for an open, outdoor feel with Venice Beach breezes, and provided shelter from any unwelcomed weather. “There was an openness and freedom that we felt by being outdoors and not being confined to the traditional, stuffy, windowless studio environment”, says Pat Lennon, Venice’s guitarist and vocalist, and cousin to Michael.
“The beauty of this approach on Stained Glass was that one person’s idea would be presented to the other 5 musicians and each guy added a different color to that idea”, says Michael. “Whether it was an unexpected drum beat, or a moving guitar line, those simple ideas turned into pieces of art, colored by the different musical and lyrical contributions. That only happens when you are working that idea out, together, and playing as one unit”. That was the main inspiration for the album title; like a kaleidoscope, each guy's experience and taste in music was bringing a different color to the songs, but together their contributions made one piece of art, one song. Michael concludes, “if you zoom out, each song becomes its own color and all those songs or colors come together to form one big piece of art, one big piece of ‘Stained Glass’”.
