Built for the Sea

In 2006, Lia dragged Daniel to a post-apocalyptic party in a bayside warehouse. People kept warm alongside a stack of burning palettes. Lia sang and played a weathered piano by candle light while Daniel lightly tapped his foot. Foreshadowing? They had to run to escape the cops. Nearly a decade later, the two are re-launching a project they've both loved & missed: Built for the Sea ... with a renovation of sorts. Some History: Lia Rose (Or, The Whale / Minipop) formed Built for the Sea in 2005. Daniel McKenzie (The Rum Diary / Shuteye Unison / Identical Homes) joined in 2006 as bassist, along with Jon Latimer (guitar) & Justin Silva (drums) [later with Eric Kuhn as drummer]. Initially an indie-rock band, Built for the Sea was most active from 2006 until 2009 and shared the stage with the likes of The Helio Sequence, Maria Taylor, Willy Mason, Facing New York among others; BFTS performed at the SXSW festival (2007 & 2008), Noise Pop ('07, '08 & '09) as well as one tour in Europe (2009). In their hometown of San Francisco, they performed regularly and played live in-studio on Live105's Radio Soundcheck. Shortly before calling it quits, Built for the Sea was named one of San Francisco's most likely bands to breakthrough by Live105 Music Director and DJ, Aaron Axelsen. And yet, they did not breakthrough. Instead, they broke up. Each band member went on to focus on their own various music projects and the collaboration that was knows as Built for the Sea was no longer. But wait. Fast forward to 2014. Lia and Daniel meet again to collaborate, but this time with an eye focused on creating a deeper and more atmospheric soundscape. Their art has evolved - this is the first time Lia Rose is blending her fiercely honest songwriting & hypnotic vocals with the ambient electronic sounds of Daniel McKenzie. And they've recruited long-time friend, collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Jake Krohn (The Action Design / The Rum Diary) for live shows & have the occasional guest collaborator. 2015 sees Built for the Sea signing with Tom Morello’s new label: Firebrand Records, releasing a new EP, and performing live once again.