A quick glance at the tour page on Venice's Web site (www.VeniceCentral.com) reveals that the veteran, Venice, Calif., band is big in San Diego and ... Holland?
“I don't think there's any correlation between the two. We do well in Santa Barbara and, of course, the L.A. area, which is where we're from,” Venice guitarist-singer Michael Lennon said by phone from his Mar Vista home (“a block out of the (Venice) ZIP code, which is killing me”).
“In Holland, we had the opportunity to be on TV, and they did a documentary. We did a live acoustic show in an old church and people got to see what it really was. ...
“San Diego is the same kind of thing. We had some support from Sets 102, which is now KPRI, and that was when we had a record officially released here. We played the Belly Up and we got some exposure, so I think that's the key to our success anywhere.”
DATEBOOK
Venice
7:30 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday;
AcousticMusic San Diego, 4650 Mansfield St., Normal Heights;
$18 and $22 (Saturday is “virtually sold out”);
(619) 303-8176 or www.AcousticMusicSanDiego.com
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Venice's shows here have become so popular the gigs regularly sell out well in advance, which explains the back-to-back performances tomorrow and Saturday at AcousticMusic San Diego.
Venice is equally at home in Amsterdam, which happens to be the title of its harmony-rich new album recorded there (it's released on Universal Netherlands and available here at shows and on eBay), and in Vista. Michael Lennon's father, Ted, bought a place there when he was working in Escondido for Lawrence Welk. “Our 'Born and Raised' album was recorded there,” Lennon noted.
The Welk connection is a strong one, extending to a possible distribution deal for “Amsterdam” through the Welk Music Group-owned Vanguard Records, which also released “Born and Raised” in 1997. And Venice's Pat and Kipp (Christopher) Lennon are younger brother of the Lennon Sisters, the “Lawrence Welk Show” regulars, while Michael and Mark Lennon are their cousins. (The singers range in age from 42 to 55.)
If that sounds like a lot of Lennons, wait, there's more: the band members grew up in families of 12 and 13 children. In Venice, that community with the “small city down by the beach vibe,” of course.
“It's definitely the spirit of where we come from. We're fourth-generation, in Venice our whole lives,” Lennon said. “But we also have our own society in Venice, because there are so many Lennons around – over 300 of us.”
The Lennons grew up, of course, in musical households, which nurtured the gorgeous harmonies found on “Amsterdam,” recorded in a church. Coincidentally, the band performs in a church when it appears in Normal Heights this weekend.
“There's always the obvious comparisons to the harmony of the California-sounding groups like the Eagles and Crosby, Stills & Nash,” Lennon said. “I think our influences are a little bit more R&B. We have a little bit more of the Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone and those other influences in our music.”
Venice's roots are even more prominent in its cover-band side project, the Pine Mountain Logs, which will perform March 2 at the Belly Up. The Logs – yes, they're named after the fireplace favorites – have helped re-spark Venice's now 30-year career, which is driven by “just the music and the thankfulness that we have what we do have, as concentrated in little areas as it might be,” Lennon said.
“And really, the most rewarding thing for me is connecting with someone on a song level, when someone comes up to you and says, 'My mother died and we played your song “Family Tree” at the funeral, and it really got our whole family through a tough time.' Or, 'My sister broke up with someone.' To hear those stories and to hear that your song made that kind of impact in their life.”
Mikel Toombs is a Seattle writer.
