This week’s featured band is Built for the Sea, a San Francisco quartet whose textured rock-pop calls to mind to the legacies of shoegazer and melodic alternative rock music without drawing too heavily from either camp. The group started as a songwriting project for singer-keyboardist Lia Rose, a veteran of the Bay Area music scene, and the band’s 2006 self-titled album showcases her strong command of soaring melodies and bittersweet personal lyrics. Rose’s voice has drawn many listeners into the band’s music and it’s central to the songs too, a versatile instrument equally capable of airy musings and earthy wisdom.
But while the group started as Rose’s, it has evolved into a truly collaborative effort, full of talented musicians. We’ve actually already interviewed members of this band twice before on the podcast, speaking with guitarist Jonny Latimer as a member of The Aimless Never Miss and drummer Eric Kuhn for his band Silian Rail. With fourth bandmate Daniel Mckenzie also a member of Shuteye Unison and formerly of the now-defunct The Rum Diary, it’s a collection of songwriters and performers to be reckoned with and suggests an exciting new chapter for Built for the Sea.
In addition to our interview with Rose, Latimer, and Mckenzie, we’ve included four songs in this episode, two from Built for the Sea’s 2006 debut and two from the Rose Hill Collective’s recently-released Volume 2 compilation. You’ll hear more about the Collective in the interview.
Upcoming Shows:
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Bottom of the Hill
with The Action Design, Shuteye Unison, and Carcrashlander
9pm, $8 advance/$10 door, All Ages
