Built for the Sea

By Jackie Miehls

Photo by Remco van der Heide

After trying the speed-dating/musical chairs game for a few years (i.e., “play a few shows with me and let’s see if it works”), the search has finally ended for singer/songwriter Lia Rose. Excited about the talented group of musicians she has found to complete the lineup of her band Built for the Sea, Rose has also found a family of collaborators to join her in the songwriting process.

“When you meet someone and talk about playing music together, it’s kind of like a romantic relationship – you just have to jump right in and say, ‘OK, let’s do this until it doesn’t work,’” explains Rose. Though often unfruitful and full of dead ends, this search did lead to an almost year long stint with San Francisco dream-pop band Minipop in 2004 and 2005. “I was really honest from the beginning,” says Rose, “like ‘I really want to do my own stuff, but I want to play with you as well.’ We took off so fast – right away we were playing such cool shows and I was meeting so many people and having such a good time that my own project was put on hold.” Parting amicably, Rose continued looking for compatible musical foils to complete her songs. “I didn’t want someone to commit unless I knew they were going to love the music and be fulfilled. I also didn’t want them to feel like they were walking on egg shells around me but could contribute to this in their own way,” she says. After several misses, Rose came around full-circle, discovering one missing piece in another former Minipop member, drummer Eric Kuhn (also of Silian Rail).

“I ran into [Kuhn] on the streets of Santa Cruz,” says Rose. “He was totally leading the craziness of pots and pans and big tubs with this amazingly orchestrated drumming. I think at that point I made a note that I needed to play music with this kind of guy.”

Rounding out Rose on vocals and keys (and the occasional guitar) are guitarist Jon Latimer (The Aimless Never Miss) and bassist Daniel McKenzie (Shuteye Unison), who themselves have been friends with one other for nearly a decade, and collaborated musically in a number of different projects together. “We just knew immediately that this was going to be the long haul – just the way the music fit together,” says Rose. “The four we have now share this really special connection and everyone feels like a family now. We finally found it.”

With this lineup in place, the band’s songwriting and recording process has become more of a collective effort. “We wait until we are all together in the same room before we work on the music,” Rose says. “We’re pushing a lot harder. The songs have to be different structures now.”

Inciting comparisons to Mazzy Star and The Cranberries, Built for the Sea’s sound can be described as dreamy indie pop music with Rose’s beautiful, haunting vocals at the forefront, backed by melodic instrumentals. The band’s passionate and lush live performances can captivate an audience, which has resulted in a loyal local fan base.

Built for the Sea has been just as supportive of the local community as it has been of the band, making a case for reciprocity and the importance of friends. “It’s not just about making money and promoting your own band – it’s about community,” says Rose. “Make friends – make real friends – and actually go out there and support other bands.” Working with the Rose Hill Collective, a group of bands in the Bay Area that includes LoveLikeFire, Poor Bailey and Audrye Sessions, Built for the Sea have done just that, joining forces with their peers to help promote each other and support the Bay Area music scene as a whole.

While it can get a little tricky managing a group whose members all belong to other active bands, Built for the Sea is planning a European tour this fall and currently working on its second album, due later this year. “The next album is going to be much more intentional and congruent,” says Rose. “It’s an incredible experience to work with such accomplished musicians that, in their own right, have totally found their freedom and just know what they’re doing.”

www.builtforthesea.com