Venlo

Based in New York and deeply influenced by “The New York sound”, Venlo’s ideals are serious and aggressive. Taking a stripped down “take me or leave me” approach, they are a modern antithesis of the modern day candy-flossed band. 

This quintessential 5 piece guitar band bows its head to bands such as The New York Dolls, Jesus & Mary Chain, The Strokes and other rock revivalists spanning several generations, while drawing aesthetic influence from the 50's and 80's. 

Formed in New York, this group of friends met early on through street skateboarding and developed similar ideologies and artistic approaches.  This common perspective carried over into the bands musical taste, and when each of the members of the band had left previous projects, it was only natural that they started writing and recording songs together.  Their first release "In A World Of Black & White", comprised of ten songs, was written in its entirety in under a month and was recorded in 3 days in a live room.

Venlos formula is basic, unadulterated, rock. They accomplish simple yet tasteful melodies that were a stigma of past rock bands.  Ryan Bergman's punchy vocal style and casual voicing pay homage to those of Lou reed and Iggy.  His subject matter, largely derived from his poetry, focuses on struggles of the working class and weekend debaucheries.  Guitarists Aaron Kudla & Marcello Iaboni bridge the gap between gritty and clean guitars creating a unique tonal quality which helps define the bands sound. Drummer Joey Rizzo's straight ahead approach along with bassist Johnny Hodge's punchy/melodic bass style help to uniquely define the rhythm section as a force that ought not to be undermined.

Their sound has been described as “pleasingly sinister."  In a live setting, Venlo is youthful, engaging, and undeniably boisterous.