Atlantis
(by The Siege of Tyre)
The Leaf Shack near 5th St. / Garfield St.
Alt-Rock band from Sunnyslope performing in a historic home from 1910 in the original heart of Roosevelt Row
The Leaf Shack near 5th St. / Garfield St.
Alt-Rock band from Sunnyslope performing in a historic home from 1910 in the original heart of Roosevelt Row
In the northeast corner of Downtown Phoenix, between Roosevelt & Garfield, and 6th & 4th Sts., are two blocks of mostly preserved homes from neighborhood that grew up in this area between 1900-1930. Now it’s part of the “Evans-Churchill Historic District” which has built a reputation as a young, urban, creative-adjacent residential area with apartments, restaurants, bars, and shops which are all equally overpriced (the added value comes from the charm of being able to say that an item was purchased, or an experience took place, in Downtown Phoenix). The neighborhood’s clout grew up around a few tattoo parlors, artist studios, and other boutique businesses operating out of the historic homes on these two small blocks. At the time they were surrounded by vacant lots or empty storefronts, which became the nexus of the development of Roosevelt Row and the First Friday tradition that has exploded in popularity post-COVID. Now they are surrounded by massive apartment complexes with desert oases built upon their rooftops. But the old neighborhood persists in gasps and sputters. This recording comes from a performance at a bar-cum-music venue in one of these preserved homes. The band is made of multiple former operatic baritones with PhDs. in Classical Studies. Their name refers to the ancient city of Tyre, now in Lebanon, which was a major city of the ancient Phoenician civilization along the Southeastern mediterranean coast. The city used to sit on an island, utterly immune from invasion thanks to the crashing waves, but Alexander of Macedon created a bridge by filling in the channel between the city and the mainland, laid siege to the city, and destroyed it. Tyre was rebuilt and still thrives today, but on the mainland. The island where the city once stood is still there, but it’s now part of a peninsula. The modern city side-by-side with its own ancient history, much like Phoenix. When interviewed, members of the band reported that the song’s lyrics are on the subject of urban decay and renewal. Sunnyslope, where they all live, is the neighborhood on the southern side of North Mountain. It began in 1911 as a sort of health-spa-getaway, where people would come hoping to recover from tuberculosis. It was annexed into Phoenix in 1959.
(Some of the information in these liner notes is fictional, presented here in the attempt of satire)
(Some of the information in these liner notes is fictional, presented here in the attempt of satire)
LYRICS
“This little ditty is about that feeling you get when everything in your life just seems perfect and you want to freeze the world on its axis and enjoy all of it, as it is now in this moment, forever, but you know you can’t because time keeps marching on, and, with time, everything necessarily changes.”
From the promontory
I sing this song to thee
As the waves crash o’er ye
You’re swallowed in the sea
Don’t weep, dear beloved
These, the words I hear
As you hold me closely
And whisper through the tears
Atlantis, forever will I be
Loyal to your body
That gave birth for me
Loyal to your body
Swallowed in the sea
Shifting like a moondance
Shadows in the sand
As your fingers tighten
Time slips through your hand
Don’t weep dear beloved
These, the words I hear
As you hold me closely
And whisper through the years
Atlantis, forever will I be
Loyal to your body
That gave birth for me
Loyal to your body
Swallowed in the sea
From the promontory
I sing this song to thee
As the waves crash o’er ye
You’re swallowed in the sea
Don’t weep, dear beloved
These, the words I hear
As you hold me closely
And whisper through the tears
Atlantis, forever will I be
Loyal to your body
That gave birth for me
Loyal to your body
Swallowed in the sea
Shifting like a moondance
Shadows in the sand
As your fingers tighten
Time slips through your hand
Don’t weep dear beloved
These, the words I hear
As you hold me closely
And whisper through the years
Atlantis, forever will I be
Loyal to your body
That gave birth for me
Loyal to your body
Swallowed in the sea
© 2025 Malno Music