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Grrr…argh….technical difficulties.
mp3s do not compute!
No fear, the blog will blog on.
I first heard Venice is Sinking at AthFest 2007 and I knew I had found my instrumental pop fix.
Have a listen through Youtube here and read on as Daniel Lawson from ViS tells you about this song, inspired by a local neighborhood no less!
• What inspired the lyrics to the song? (Personal experience or observation?)
This song is pretty personal. The lyrics are about a very specific party at our old practice space during which I lost the keys to my apartment because of an ex-girlfriend and some kudzu. Later that evening she and I broke into my apartment together. The next morning was filled with confusion, regret and a rented metal detector. I never did find my keys.
• Why title the song ‘Pulaski Heights’? (Does it have anything to do with the Athens neighborhood?)
The title has everything to do with that neighborhood! We used to practice at the house that sits right next to the rail road tracks on Pulaski Street. I used to live around the corner on Barrow Street and I think all of us have pretty nice memories of that part of town, drinking mimosas in the afternoon and hitting golf balls at the passing trains. It’s probably my favorite neighborhood in Athens because of those memories and the diversity that exists there. Where else in town will you find an upholstery shop next to an architect’s office - next to a former linseed oil refinery - next to a yoga studio - next to a train depot - next to a Volkswagen mechanic with houses and apartments scattered inbetween? The zoning must be insane over there.
• Who is the song directed to? Who is the “you” in the chorus?
The same girl that I broke into my house with that night. I used to live with her in an old house in Pulaski Heights.
• How did “no one noticed, but no one looked away”?
I think it happens all of the time. People are drawn to things that maybe they don’t feel like they should be and sometimes they pretend not to notice something that is extremely obvious. That might not make any sense. I don’t know…that line has a specific meaning to me (that’s honestly a little boring), but hopefully people can interpret it in a different and more interesting way for themselves.
• Could you describe how you decided on the melody for the song? I’m particularly interested to know what’s behind the lengthy music intervals and the harmonizing near the end.
A lot of our songs have a similar structure with instrumental breaks between the verses instead of a more traditional chorus. I guess we just like to leave room for the instrumental melodies to take hold, but I don’t think it was a conscious decision with this one. This song pretty much wrote itself one day at practice, coming together faster than probably any other song that we’ve written.
• Why the inclusion of a string instrument?
It’s just one of the many perks that come with having a full time violist in the band.
• What was the concept behind the music video? (Why is Karolyn the only one stuck in a TV?)
The video was directed by our friends Chris Poules and Tim Hayden of Wow! Bang! Science! Productions. I can’t really remember, but I want to say the TV stuff was all their idea. I think Lucas wanted to be cutting some wood with a skil saw, so he should probably get the credit for that. The video was a lot of fun to make, but I’m pretty sure Chris and Tim felt kind of rushed. I think it was shot in maybe two days and the final scenes were filmed at the new bus station on the edge of downtown before the city finished construction.
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