Listen | Albums  | Facebook  | MySpace  | Sonicbids  | GarageBand When Nick Venturella puts an album of music together he usually has an in depth story or concept that cohesively brings the album together, however, the stories and concepts of Venturella's albums are not always very well known...well, we're trying to change that.  Below are the basic stories/concepts of Nick Venturella's full-length albums.  (By the way...not only does Venturella write, record and produce all his own music, but he also concepts, designs and produces all his own album art...what fun) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Premium Blend is a fun collection of various songs from a few live performances as well as some previously unreleased songs and demos. Venturella got his start in cafes and coffeehouses, so the album title and cover artwork lends itself to Venturella’s beginnings.  The Madison, WI-based singer/songwriter has graduated to performing primarily on college campuses, which is where most of the live performances on Premium Blend were recorded. “I’ve never put out a live album before, and I just thought this would be a fun project to release for the fans who enjoy what I do.  When I’m recording my studio albums I’m in a controlled environment and get to play a bunch of instruments, but live it’s just me and my guitar and I’m in the moment allowing the songs, my experience and the crowd’s experience to be unique at that given point in time—that’s what keeps me coming back as a live performer, and hopefully keeps fans coming out to shows,” said Venturella. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SweetSonic is an upbeat folk-rock/garage/pop album that tells individual stories that are thread together by the battle of love—the good, bad, and ugly contained therein—vs. the practicalities and distractions of everyday life that can get in the way and even hinder love. All aspects of love result in a bit of craziness—a world of vulnerability and emotion, void of overly rational thought.  By the end of the album we are encouraged to be comfortable enough with our own emotions, ourselves, our love—lost, gained, and/or pursued—that we can face the realities of everyday life, in spite of sometimes wanting to stop the world from spinning.  The goal is to strike a balance between both practical and impulsive emotions without over-analyzing anything. SweetSonic marks the release of my fifth solo effort.  Like previous albums, I enjoy the challenge of realizing my vision independently, completing the album’s writing, performing, recording, producing and even the artwork on my own at my home studio. From a production standpoint I’m happy with this album because of what I was able to accomplish in spite of my limitations, which included using only 2 microphones, a digital mixer, MIDI controller, and Apple’s GarageBand music software…all recorded and mixed in the span of 2 weeks. enjoy -nick ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The concept of Linear Cycle of the Seasons...Life, Love, Relationships, and Self-Discovery over time tend to develop patterns even routines that cycle periodically, much like the seasons of the year.  As we live our lives we find ourselves striving to move forward in a linear fashion; always progressing, always learning from our experiences to become older and wiser and more mature in hopes that we may make better decisions in the future. Don't forget that the physical changes of the actual seasons of the year (if you live in a climate where the seasons do, in fact, change) become an added variable on our erratic journey through life.  The seasons tend to tickle the senses including smells, colors, weather, and the like, which conjure up physical and emotional feelings that can change our moods and attitudes. The idea of Linear Cycle of the Seasons is to examine the affect the seasons have on us, and the similarities between our human condition and the seasonal changes. My sonic goal for the album was that it play out more like an intimate collection of demos put together to create a raw, savvy, yet minimalist mixed tape.  Enjoy!  -Nick ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The story of Closure...At the initial release of Closure, like its predocessor Voices of Home, Venturella fused artwork and writing along with the music to help tell the story of the album. The album tells a story about a young man dealing with betrayal of trust in a relationship.  From track 1 to 12 the listener follows the 20-something musician on his big launch into his performing career only to hear his girlfriend has been cheating on him.  He finds out minutes before leaving on his first concert tour.  The story shows how he stands beside himself to heal. The album starts off with the song "Heavyhearted;" the main character of this story professes his love for his girlfriend before he has to leave for his concert tour.  He describes to us, the listeners, how he feels about leaving his relationship behind.  Already by track 2, "Be Leaving You," the main character's girlfriend has confessed to cheating on him, but he has to deal with everything he's feeling while on tour.  By the time you get to the song "Carry Me," track 6; you know that the main character has found strength in himself to move on.  Each track, the main character makes progress towards closure on the relationship, and that chapter of his life. At the end of the album the main character has reached closure after purposefully leaving his journal at the, now ex-girlfriend's house when he agrees to see her as he passes through her town on his concert tour. The last track, "Still," is from the girl's point of view after she reads his journal, which contains his feelings from the road.  She realizes she hurt him and still loves him. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The story of Voices of Home...Voices of Home was originally an innovative fine art experience incorporating visual, written, and musical expressions.  Written letters between the two fictional characters, Aaron and Molly, helped unfold the story's context, while artwork gave visual reference to that context, and finally the songs of Voices of Home captured the reactions and  emotions of the characters.  Nick Venturella wrote, created, performed, and produced all aspects of Voices of Home, and performed the entire story as a one-man show at the release party for the album of the same name. Voices of Home is the examination of a young man and woman in their initial stages of independence striving to find themselves, a place to call home, and the passion for living life.