speed of dark

Sean Atkins (front) with The Lost Sea

In May 2007 I posted a mix of songs (The Sea and the Sand), one of which was "Warmer Weather" by a young man named Sean Atkins, performing as I Am the Lost Sea. I said in that post that this demo song showed promise.

In the 14 months between then and now, there has been more stormy weather than smooth sailing on the lost sea. Atkins wanted to put a band together and get signed to a label, but band members seemed to depart almost as quickly as he found them. A devastating personal loss plunged him into despair for months.

But that spark of promise and Atkins' perseverance are starting to pay off. There is a band now , simply The Lost Sea, and their first EP, Empty Swings on Atomic Family Records, has recently become available on iTunes. They have been playing dates in the Pittsburgh area and have several appearances scheduled this month.

Atkins writes all the songs and plays acoustic and sings. The band members are Andrew Cuneo on lead guitar (replacing Luke Bartolomeo who played on the EP but left due to health problems), Frank Schlatterer on drums (replacing interim drummer Chris Weaver), Andrew Belsick on bass, and Becki Gallagher singing harmonies as well as playing piano and organ.

All five songs on the EP, including the reworked "Warmer Weather," are the reflections of a sweet soul, with a resemblance to David Bazan with less angst and even less of his biting cynicism. The additional accompaniment and the blend of Becki's voice with Sean's have added a lot of depth to Atkins' gentle melodies. The title song and "Phone Calls" are especially nice. The group are planning to make another CD soon.

The Lost Sea: Empty Swings from Empty Swings EP (2008)

MySpace | Website | Label: Atomic Family Records
Buy: The Lost Sea's MySpace, iTunes