Venice is Sinking never sinks

Sheila and I with Venice is Sinking

Amnesty International finished off their human rights film festival on Tuesday with a generous helping of Venice is Sinking. Ever since February, I've been dying to see them again, and this was truly the perfect opportunity. Unlike at the 40 Watt, we were in close quarters with the band in Cine's lab which was an entirely different type of experience. Because the room was so small, sweet music engulfed the audience, filling everyone with a sense of other worldliness. Karolyn Troupe's ethereal voice blended beautifully with Daniel Lawson's softer, deeper tone to create an almost unearthly sound. I felt as though I had been transported, like I was drifting over flowered fields, carried by a warm and gentle breeze.

Unfortunately, it seems that I will forever be followed by faulty show equipment. This time, Daniel's microphone was a bit too quiet, causing some of his singing to pass away unheard as the drums, guitars, and violas played. However, since he began to sing significantly louder in the later songs, this quickly ceased to be an issue. Also, although being so close to the band meant that the instrumental music was quite loud, they still maintained a sound level fit for humans as all well-practiced bands do. This was quite a feat, in fact, because they used at least nine different instruments throughout their performance. Very impressive.

Once again, I must commend the band for its ability to relate to its fans and its knack for showing a more humorous side. Karolyn, in particular, provides that ever so important fan to band connection. When I initially walked into the room, she smiled at me and exclaimed, 'It's the glow stick girls!" I wore a glow stick the very first time I saw them perform, and apparently it stuck. It's always so lovely to be remembered! Then, during the show, she and drummer Lucas Jenson had a rather hilarious, good-natured fight about the pronunciation of their latest CD AZAR. After that, while Amnesty chose winners for a few free givaways between songs, the band members piped in with amusing little exclamations of excitement over each of the prizes. Best of all, after the show the band agreed to take pictures with my friend Sheila and I which was a funny fiasco in and of itself because the man they asked to take the picture had clearly never used a camera before.

As everyone began to leave at the end of the show, the keyboardist spontaneously decided to play some covers of songs, making even the journey home a pleasant one. All in all, I'm incredibly glad I took time out of my Tuesday night studying to go see them. It was an absolutely wonderful show!