Deeply inspired by the New York Sound, Venlo creates music that proves to be honest, raw and melodic, evoking the very sound of the city.

Made up of Ryan Bergman (vocals), Marcello “Chello” Iaboni (guitar), Aaron Kudla (guitar), Johnny “Hodge” Hodgkinson (bass) and Joey Rizzo (drums), the band formed through street skateboarding and high school, garnering an immediate connection with each other. 

Inspired by classic New York acts such as Lou Reed, The Ramones, Velvet Underground, and The Strokes to name a few; Venlo also recalls acts such as Iggy Pop, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, and Jesus and Mary Chain as notable influences. 

Touching upon subjects like the struggles of the working class, foolish romance, addiction, self-destructiveness and at times over the top sexuality, frontman Bergman draws lyrics mainly from his poetry. Bergman’s vocal style is punchy yet casual, as it blends with Kudla’s and Iaboni’s contrasting clean and gritty guitars. With the addition of Rizzo’s straight ahead approach and Hodge’s melodic bass work, Venlo creates a sound that is familiar yet unique. The band approaches their writing process as a collaborative effort, with each member bringing something different to the table. The result is prominent within every track, which also carries into their energetic live shows.

Venlo has released In a World of Black and White (2010), What Do You Know (2011), Forever Lost (2012), and most recently Yesterday’s News (2014).


Trying to live out my dream of becoming a DJ. The dream only starts if you actually get to work on it.

Followers of schaefer26