THE WORLD'S BEST COVER BAND WITH INTERNATIONAL FAME IN GLOBAL PROPORTIONS

Prepare yourselves, if you can, for cover songs performed with such energy and attitude, with voices so pure and performances so transcendent, that you might just find yourself, against your better judgment, dancing so hard that your legs snap off, leaving your torso flopping helplessly -- yet happily -- into a musical oblivion. Such is the power of The Pine Mountain Logs.

For these are no ordinary covers. Surprises lurk around every corner. The Police's "Message in a Bottle" might unexpectedly turn into the theme from "Gilligan's Island." The chorus to Neil Diamond’s "Sweet Caroline" could transition into the chorus to Guns N Roses, "Sweet Child O’ Mine" creating something all-together different, but still infectiously sing-along-able! Any song could end with the 70s tag "Solid Gold" -- and often does.

Because this is not your average cover band. The Pine Mountain Logs are the insidious alter egos of the popular Southern California band Venice. Praised for their pitch-perfect harmonies and stunning live shows by superstars like David Crosby, who calls them "the best vocal group in the country and one of the best bands I have ever heard," and Jackson Browne, who calls them "quintessentially Californian," Venice has cultivated quite the reputation, both domestically and internationally, for their brilliant musicianship, remarkable vocal stylings, and lyrics that are intelligent and often laced with wit.

But when these talented singers and musicians morph into the Pine Mountain Logs, brothers Mark Lennon (vocals) and Michael Lennon (guitars), and their cousin Kipp Lennon (vocals), along with Mark Harris (bass), Dann Gillen (drums) and Troy Dexter (keys and guitar), take the opportunity to really cut loose, have fun, and create the biggest communal party in town.

The Logs' repertoire of high energy classics range from Alanis to Zeppelin and literally the Jackson Five, The Who, TLC, Duran Duran, Doobie Brothers, REM, and Earth Wind & Fire, in between.  All are reinterpreted with that Logs touch, clever transitions and unexpected medleys show off a wicked sense of humor. Songs you love! Songs you hate!! Mumbled lyrics!!!

Check out a headlining show in the Los Angeles / San Diego area, and dance to the entire history of pop music packed into one sweaty evening. Then you too can tell all your friends, “I sawed The Logs!”

After the world was turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic, most people’s perspective on life and what’s important really changed. 

Although it felt like the world had stopped spinning, at times, it was during these days, months, and years of uncertainty that many of Venice’s “Stained Glass” songs were conceived. Each member of Venice was quietly and privately cataloguing their artistic interpretation of this new reality and uncertainty by recording or writing down little snippets of ideas, like guitar riffs, melodies, or lyrics…all of these came about while looking at life through a new lens.

“Once it was safe for us to gather, we brought the band back together to begin working through the collection of ideas we had stored away during our individual isolations”, says the album’s producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist, Michael Lennon. “We set up a simple multi-track studio on my back patio in Los Angeles, California”. Surrounded by colorful hanging Tahitian pareos to brighten the room and block the direct sunlight, the band gathered in a circle, facing each other. The backyard's screened patio allowed for an open, outdoor feel with Venice Beach breezes, and provided shelter from any unwelcomed weather. “There was an openness and freedom that we felt by being outdoors and not being confined to the traditional, stuffy, windowless studio environment”, says Pat Lennon, Venice’s guitarist and vocalist, and cousin to Michael.

“Although I knew we’d later be replacing many of the tracks we recorded on the patio, I wanted to be able to capture the individual tracks because there’s always a magic that happens during those first takes of any song or groove or even a vocal performance”, says Michael. 

“And thank god we did”, adds Michael’s brother and one of the band’s co-lead vocalists, Marky Lennon, “on songs like ‘Odds & Ends’, or ‘Set My Course’, the final lead vocal was recorded on the back porch with a Shure sm58 microphone, an inexpensive mic we use for live shows. Those early takes on a handful of the new songs had a clarity, a rawness and honesty that we couldn’t top.” Michael leans back in, “I’ve come to realize that ‘performance’ is 90% of a lead vocal, not the microphone or preamps you’re running through. Of course, having all those things combined is the goal, but performance is king.”

“Performance on the instrumental side was just as important”, adds Kipp Lennon, brother of Pat and cousin of Michael & Marky, and the band's other co-lead vocalist. “For instance, most of Mark Harris’ bass tracks were from the original back porch recordings…magical stuff was happening…so we left it alone and turned it up.”

They set up the writing circle using an electronic drum kit, small tube amps, direct acoustic guitars and bass and the sm58 stage microphones for vocals.  This small and simple setup allowed the band to work on ideas at low-volume levels by using headphones or low-level playback through studio monitors without bothering the neighbors with live drums. “Lunches made by Michael’s wife, Danielle, and visits from their dog Sachi, kept us grounded and let us stay in the creative bubble without leaving that space”, says bassist, Mark Harris.  Michael and drummer, Andre Kemp, who co-produced Stained Glass, would later re-record the drum tracks with real drums in a friend’s studio. 

“The beauty of this approach on Stained Glass was that one person’s idea would be presented to the other 5 musicians and each guy added a different color to that idea”, says Michael. “Whether it was an unexpected drum beat, or a moving guitar line, those simple ideas turned into pieces of art, colored by the different musical and lyrical contributions. That only happens when you are working that idea out, together, and playing as one unit”.

That was the main inspiration for the album title; like a kaleidoscope, each guy's experience and taste in music was bringing a different color to the songs, but together their contributions made one piece of art, one song. Michael concludes, “if you zoom out, each song becomes its own color and all those songs or colors come together to form one big piece of art, one big piece of ‘Stained Glass’”.