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Back when we were closeted gay teens in the suburbs of Chicago we took an unusual interest in
Sassy magazine. (Keith still has all his old issues from high school!) Our fave section was, without a
doubt, "What Now," edited by Christina Kelly, now editor-in-chief of YM. Each month Ms. Kelly would
rant and rave on a variety of topics, from celebs to zines, and always included the "Cute Band Alert."
When we saw the electro pop trio Venue put on a great show recently in Chicago we knew it was time to revive the "CBA". These talented musicians not only look like models, but they sing about them too. One of their new songs refers, rather explicitly, to Kate Moss. After their set was over, we ran backstage, got 20 autographed copies of their new CD Caught on Film and asked the members of Venue (Brian Hanna on bass, Chris May on vocals and Eric Wilzbacher on synths) all about the style and substance of their "laptop rock". Click here to sample Venue’s CD, Caught on Film.
Hey guys! We love your music! It reminds us of dancing at Chicago's Medusa's to Ministry and Nizter Ebb back in the day. How did Venue get started? Explain what "laptop rock" is.
We wanted to create dancefloor pop with substance, a response to the mind numbing, faceless techno dominating the clubs. I love to dance and the monotonous drone was killing me! "Laptop rock" suits us because we're essentially a laptop act performing rock songs. "Industrialelectrosynthrock" was my second choice, a little much to handle.
We saw that you recently won the 2003 Diesel U:Music award! Congrats! How did you score that prestigious win and what perks came with it?
We won by submitting an mp3 of "Suckers". Diesel hooked it up, gave us a shiny award, a single release with Moonshine and, yes, free jeans.
We love multi-tasking! Tell us about your art collective Synesthesia.
We're a group of visual and performing artists who throw events across the country. Right now we're working on a follow-up to Synth City and a short avant-garde feature/Venue music video.
We love your song "Moving to NY". Any plans to join us in the Big Apple sometime soon?
We’re in Chicago for the next 6 months; come next summer, who knows. "Moving to NY" works on multiple levels, though. On one, it's a response to all the people we knew who were moving to NY at the time. It seemed like such an empowering thing to say for some people. On another level, it's props to the rebirth of the NY scene.
When you're not creating some of the coolest electro beats in Chicago, where can we find you boyz chillin'?
In Chicago most of our time is spent in our West Loop loft. It's our studio/live/work/party space. Why leave home? When we do get out we'll hit Mondays at Spoon, Tuesdays at InnJoy, Fridays at Nude and catch some shows at the Empty Bottle. I guess we're out more than I thought…
What inspires you?
Running a weekly club night, spending long nights in locations unknown, fashionistas and Al Jorgenson’s hats.
Hey Mr. DJ, what other music are you lovin' right now?
The new Ghostly comp. 'Idol Tryouts', LCD Soundsystem, Ulrich Schnauss, and Fischerspooner’s remix for Kylie is gorgeous.
What would be your ultimate fantasy gig for Venue?
Performing on a Carnival Cruise line. We’re all about starting a love train, then busting into a
group limbo…
08/2003 |
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