Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
True to its name, San Francisco�s Built for the Sea crafts lush indie-rock that is at once dreamy, hypnotic, and emotionally powerful. The band is the project of singer Lia Rose, who recruited a talented pool of musicians � including the Rum Diary�s Daniel McKenzie on bass, the Aimless Never Miss� Jon Latimer on guitar, and drummer Justin Silva � to realize her deeply personal and political songs for the band�s self-released, eponymous debut album released last month. Sleep the pain away, sleep the past away, sleep the day away, Rose sings on �Awake,� a reference to the endless cycle of war and the despair she felt when the United States began bombing Afghanistan. It�s an impressive start for the 26-year-old, who has no formal background in music, though she grew up surrounded by instruments thanks to her family�s wind-chime business. Rose decided to pursue music seriously just three and a half years ago when she joined the San Francisco band Minipop. One of its first shows was opening for Metric at the Great American Music Hall. After she parted ways with the band, she landed a solo show with Jill Sobule at Cafe du Nord.
Not long ago, Rose, who grew up in Long Beach, was a science major at UC Berkeley. Like many new transplants, she gravitated toward politics. She started with animal rights, moved to environmentalism, and finally found herself in a De-Cal class called Female Sexuality. �It was through that class that I rediscovered my passion for telling stories and writing songs,� she remembers. �I got the guts to get up in front of the class. ... What I was doing was telling my own stories in a way that other people could relate to. I had really incredible reactions to it.� Rose admits she�s just now being exposed to �good music.� Having grown up listening to rap and KROQ, she cites Radiohead, Bj�rk, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Death Cab for Cutie among her current inspirations. It�s the emotionally charged nature of those bands that Rose is aiming for, and it comes through clearly on the band�s debut. �This is what I�ve been craving, getting this big sound,� she says.
--Kathleen Richards, Eastbay Express, December 2006 - Eastbay Express
"San Francisco's Built For the Sea is the latest addition to my seduction playlist ... Lead singer Lia Rose's soothing voice creates a unique contrast against the powerful musical build up coming from the guitars, drums and piano behind her. The result is non-pretentious, satisfying mellow rock." --Freeindie.com
- Freeindie.com
"There are those moments where you hear someone play music and you say, 'Holy Shit. Must record.' Terri [Winston, Women's Audio Mission] was teaching a basics recording class, when student Lia Rose opened her mouth to sing and Terri had the moment mentioned above ... It's obvious what Terri heard, Lia's voice is captivating and beautiful. The band is versatile and play well, and Terri's recording and production prove that she is more than qualified to be teaching recording. Mastered by our pal Sarah Register @ The Lodge, NYC." - LC, Tape Op Magazine, Album Review - TapeOp Magazine
Discography
Built for the Sea, Self-titled, Self-Released Debut Album (Released Date: November 29, 2006)
From this album, "Awake" and "These Streets" have been played on San Francisco's Alternative Rock Radio Station Live105 (105.3FM)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
San Francisco’s spitfire Lia Rose played her last show as bassist and one of the singer/songwriters in San Francisco indie dreampop band Minipop in June 2005. She immediately became consumed with songwriting and soonafter resolved to begin pre-production on her first album. While attending a 'Recording Basics' WAM (Women's Audio Mission) Workshop in September of 2005, she was approached by Terri Winston, producer and founder/executive director of WAM. Their immediate connection led to a pre-production process and group effort which shortly thereafter became Built for the Sea's self-titled debut album, produced by Terri Winston. The band's members now also include Justin Silva, Jon Latimer (The Aimless Never Miss), and Daniel McKenzie (The Rum Diary).
Built for the Sea's November 2006 CD Release party in San Francisco was a huge success. Together with Audrye Sessions and Push to Talk, Built for the Sea played to a packed house at San Francisco venue, The Rickshaw Stop on Nov. 29th. Among the audience members was Live105 DJ Aaron Axelsen; having discovered Built for the Sea for the first time, he debuted "These Streets" from their album on his Soundcheck show the following Sunday with a phenomenal review and two songs from the album are now in rotation on the radio station.
Within a month of their CD release, Built for the Sea was added to SXSW this March in Austin, TX. The band is currently booking shows and discussing tour
possibilities for 2007.
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