NTMA Award Winners for Best Rock Song & Best Live Performance

Carbon City Lights is a heartfelt indie rock band known for emotionally driven songwriting, soaring vocals, an epic atmospheric sound, and authentic live performances rooted in warmth, honesty, and connection.

Carbon City Lights is an indie rock band from San Luis Obispo, CA, carving out a sound that blends atmospheric guitars, emotionally driven songwriting, and a bold, rock-forward cello. Frontman Michael Venia brings powerful vocals and a soaring falsetto that earned him a spot on Season 21 of NBC's The Voice. His writing leans into vulnerability, exploring themes of life, loss, love, and finding light in difficult seasons. Their single “Sky Blue” has amassed around half a million streams, and the band has won three New Times Music Awards: Best Alt-Rock Song and Best Live Performance in 2024, and Best Rock Song for “Water On My Tongue” in 2026.

Carbon City Lights is an indie rock band from California's Central Coast, carving out a sound that blends atmospheric guitars, emotionally driven songwriting, and a bold, rock-forward cello. Fronted by singer-songwriter Michael Venia, the band moves between energetic alt-rock anthems and intimate, reflective moments with warmth and authenticity at the center of it all.

Michael brings powerful vocals and a soaring falsetto that earned him a spot on Season 21 of NBC's The Voice. His songs are rooted in honesty and connection, often reflecting on life, love, loss, and finding light in difficult seasons. Beyond the music itself, the band is known for the genuine warmth and kindness they bring to live performances and the community around them.

Their award-winning single “Sky Blue” has amassed around half a million streams, helping earn the band New Times Music Awards for Best Alt-Rock Song and Best Live Performance in 2024. In 2026, their new song “Water On My Tongue” won Best Rock Song. They've also shared stages with nationally recognized artists including Brett Dennen and Birdtalker.

Michael's musical journey began in Saudi Arabia with an accordion before quickly turning into a love for guitar, songwriting, and recording. Growing up, he listened to one English radio station and spent countless hours jamming to bands like Pearl Jam. At the time, western music wasn't allowed to be performed publicly, so he and his friends found private places to play, slowly cultivating their own underground scene. Their passion for music eventually caught the attention of Christiane Amanpour, who came to Michael's childhood home to feature a CNN story about the western music scene in the Middle East.

Michael is no stranger to love and loss. He lost both of his parents and later experienced the heartbreak of losing his son at birth. Through every chapter, music has remained a powerful force for coping and healing.

At its core, Carbon City Lights is about creating music that helps people feel connected — to themselves and to each other.