Dance Till You’re Dead… Or Heads Will Roll

In addition to, as a rebuttal to, or in opposition to, Andee’s Pushing and Shoving, I would like to state my claim.  Non-dancers suck just as much as violent dancers do.  Although pushers and shovers do inflict pain, bruises and much emotional distress, the non-dancers inflict a different kind of pain all their own, the pain of being boring.

It hurts me to see hipsters at a show, which would normally evoke bumping and grinding, conforming to the “hipsters rule guide”.  That is attempting to look cool and not care about anything even the music they like.  “Oh Ill just lean against this wall here, in my absurdly tight jeans and tattered shirt, and stare blankly at the stage as if I am thinking about something Sartre said once.”  Don’t get me wrong I have those jeans and that shirt but when the music moves me, THE MUSIC MOVES ME.

I am not afraid to bounce, shimmy and shake. In fact sometimes I literally can’t control my body.  Passion Pit makes me dance like I’m possessed. Be possessed people!

There are shows like, Matt and Kim and Passion Pit, where people do dance.  But I have been to shows that were painfully undanced, the poor band, standing there under the lights trying to rock out, only to see a crowd of people just standing.  DANCE god damn it!

There was lots of head bopping at Lemonheads, and toe tapping at Vampire Weekend, even whole body swaying at Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s but that is not good enough!  I want the whole enchilada minus the punching, pushing, biting, and chokeholds please.

So, next time you go to a show that is dance worthy, please for me, for the band, for your own health, DANCE!

Diary of A Band. Odessa Stair.

Diary of A Band. Odessa Stair.

Odessa Stair consists of three men: Dan plays bass and has lived off of Ramen noodles and day-old pretzels for the past two months; Pat drums like a mutant, and he drinks like one, too; and then there’s me, Steve. I play guitar, sing, and am currently selling my possessions for a living.

As a member of Odessa Stair, I am privy to a lot of fringe benefits, like being in the best fucking band in the world. We will rip your goddamn hair out and you will beg for an encore. Put us up against any band and we will tear them to shreds. We write songs that sound like Herman’s Hermits on PCP. You know that whole thing about the dinosaurs being wiped out by a big-ass meteorite? Yeah, that was us.

If there’s something that I’ve learned since I started this band, it’s that bravado keeps you interested. With that last paragraph in mind, let’s look at some facts: As I write this, Odessa Stair’s only show was at some bar in the ‘burbs, and we often outnumbered the audience at the open mics we’ve played at. The band has only been around for 11 months, and the current line-up’s been around for three. We have a few poorly recorded songs on our MySpace and Facebook profiles. My guitar is a knock-off Flying-V from a company called “Rhapsoby” (not Rhapsody, but Rhapsoby) and my rinky-dink amp is on loan from my bassist’s girlfriend. We don’t have any mode of automotive transportation, and even if we did, Dan and I wouldn’t be able to drive it for various legal reasons. And Pat doesn’t have legs, or arms.

This evidence clearly supports the “Odessa Stair is just another “shitty band” theory. But none of these sobering realities damage the faith I have in Odessa Stair, my bandmates, and myself. I am fully convinced that we’re writing the best songs being written and playing them better than anyone else could. That’s how every band worth their salt should feel. Why bother starting a band if you’re not going to at least try to be the best?

And now, thanks to the fine people at Hipsters Drop Pants For Food, I get to blow smoke up your ass every week in this band diary! Read it, enjoy it, and if you don’t want the articles to consist of “I haven’t eaten in three days,” come to our shows, buy our crap, and send us money.

~Steve

Diary of A Band. The John Salamone Band.

Diary of a Band. The John Salamone Band.

The end and the beginning, maybe an odd way to start off but I need to take you a little bit into the past.  It’s a story of another band, which helped to bring me to where I am today, a little band named “The Red King.”

We were moderately successful a little while back.  We had a publishing deal with Sony, were about to sign a record deal, and then we broke up.  Not to mention we were a week from going to Toronto to record an album.   I won’t bore you with all the dirty details it happened let’s move on.  It did lead to a four-year hiatus, a time where I refused to deal with other musicians. It was just my guitar, bass, keyboard, and I.  Well let’s just say that can get quite boring.  So when my friend, John Salamone, asked if I wanted to play bass in his new project it took me about a day to say, ”Why the hell not.”

So that end led to this beginning, a new band just starting to get its feet wet.  Well we’ve all been here before so not completely new.  We are rebooting, starting over, looking to write some new songs and make some new stories.  You, dear reader, are going to get to live it right along with me.

beard

Launch Party Pics!

Launch Party Pics!

These are photos from our launch party at Kung Fu Necktie, with Victor Victor Band and Saudi Arabia. If you have some pics to share send them our way or upload them to the site.

(Click on image to see full pic.)

Be a Good Citizen and Vote

Pushing and Shoving

Why You All up in my Grill?

So I realize that it’s taboo to complain about people pushing and shoving on the floor when you’re at a show. It’s like you’re just supposed to be a badass and pretend that it is not irritating as all hell. But, the truth is, a whole hell of a lot more goes on than a little pushing and shoving. In fact, I was once bitten on the arm by a young hipster-ette about half my age and twice my size. I’m not talking about a little nibble. It was an all out Jaws bite. It involved teeth marks, blood, and bruising that lasted weeks. I have been kicked in the head, spit on, punched, been put in a head-lock, taken numerous blows to the ribs and had chunks of hair pulled from my scalp. On the flip side, I once had a girl’s boyfriend ask me to stop dancing into his lovely lady because she was known to bruise easily (wah.)

So, I think it’s time to admit that we have a situation. Maybe some guidelines are necessary to help us know how much brutality is acceptable when losing ourselves to the music.

** Side note: These rules do not apply to death rock or hardcore. You’re on your own with that. Be prepared to take a couple punches straight to the face.

1.Getting to the Front.

I propose that it is always okay to push to the front, as long as nobody is stopping you. If someone is just giving you evil looks, or calling you a bitch, I say just keep on shoving. However, if someone decides they have some balls and want to guard their territory with a little shove back, good for them. Move to another area to fight for prime real estate.

2.Dancing or Whatever You Call That.

Bumping into people while dancing is okay. If you’re not okay with a few bruises go to the opera. Stepping on people when they are down, and using their face as boot cleaners, not okay. This one seems pretty obvious people.

Also, if some one in the crowd looks scared for their life, have the decency to let them get out safely before returning to your spastic interpretive dance.

3.“Hey, Down in Front!”

This one goes out to all you tall guys out there. Why must you always take residence directly in front of poor little 5-foot-3-inch me? You’re tall! You can see over me! If you’re acrophobic standing on the ground, move to the back please.

4.Hitting the Bottle

If you don’t know where your pants are, all of a sudden love everyone around you, and lost count of how many Pabsts you’ve pounded, go home! We’re all too busy worrying about when you’re going to hurl on us to enjoy the music.

5.Shower Before You Go Out

(This one might be too much to ask. I’ll move on.)

6.Crowd Surfing

It’s fun. Do it. But, there is no need to lose all control of your limbs. It’s a rush and all, but it’s not heroin. Use your muscles and stop kicking me in the nose.

Also, its a shame I even have to mention this, but a girl should be able to crowd surf with out having to worry that you’ll rip her new push-up-bra to shreds. Hands off guys! Your here for the music, not the tits.

I think that about covers the big ones. Just add a little thought and care to your pushing and shoving and we will have a happier, healthier crowd.

,

Muchos Gracias

Friends and Family,

We can’t thank you enough for coming out to support us at our show last night!  We hope you all had a fun night. We certainly did!

We would like to thank Josh and Bob from Saudi Arabia for being awesome in general and more specifically for cooperating with us and playing such a great show!  We would also like to thank Jamie and Danielle Victor for supporting us so much that they were willing to spend their anniversary with us and, for bringing sexy back, I mean rock n’ roll… well both really.  And thanks to both bands for rocking out like no one else! We love your amazing music!

We would lastly like to thank Steve Davis for capturing images! Taking pictures of drunken people all night and holding a camera while people party, sucks! We love you too. THANKS.

Much love,

Nataly and Andee

Party

Our job rocks, and it’s thanks to you. Tonight was the launch party for this little Web site of ours, and it was a rocking good one. Victor Victor Band and Saudi Arabia brought their A-game and christened us into the scene.

Saudi Arabia snapped a slightly apprehensive crowd to attention and stunned them into submission. They played all my favorites from their two CD’s, 200,000 and PG-13, plus a punked out cover of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” by The Beatles.

Victor Victor Band followed with an outrageously energized set. They took the stage and grabbed the crowd and shook them to the very last note. I know you are probably saying, “Enough with the Victor Victor Band love-fest already.” But, shit they are good!

Thank you to everyone who turned out, your support is priceless!  We will have photos from the show up soon. Please post your pictures and let us know what you thought of our party.

Much love,

Andee and Nataly

Victor Victor Band Brings Good Rock Back to Philly.

Good blues-rock is not dead. In fact, some of the best of its kind is coming from our very own City of Brotherly Love at this very moment. Who are these soulful masters of instruments that keep the legend alive? Well, they happen to be a graphic designer, Jamie Victor, and his lovely accountant wife, Danielle Victor, from the Northeast. Now I realize that the thought of an average Joe, and his Joesette, rocking out in their basement may conjure images of airport-karaoke-type music, but I assure you the aptly named Victor Victor Band has something really special. The type of music they put out requires a shit-ton of soul, and these two have it.

The sound is big drums and big guitar. It’s rock-n-roll. No silly labels, no trendy experiments, just straight up rock-n-roll. Jamie’s lyrics are love, sex, pain and fear. Add to that a cornucopia of pedals and distortion, some sick natural-born-talent, and a pinch of salt, and there you have it.

To listen to Jamie is to know that he was born with music pulsing through his veins. It’s natural for him, and he makes you feel it. Danielle is another story all together. These days she knocks out a beat with one hand, while playing the bass line on keyboards with the other. I have even witnessed her shaking the maracas while performing this trick.

In 2005, as a joke, they decided to dress up as a rock band for a Halloween party they were throwing. Danielle had never played an instrument, couldn’t read music and wasn’t particularly interested in either. However, they both agreed that a drum kit was needed to complete the look. One Craigslist ad and $100 later, and Danielle had her costume accessories.

“We literally had to look at the Guitar Center catalog to figure out how to set it up,” laughs Jamie. “Then I just plugged the guitar in and started playing. Right away she just starts playing the drums like she had always done it, hitting the cymbals and everything. I couldn’t believe it!”

From there, they never turned back. They started playing shows at local music havens like The Fire, Tritone, and JC Dobbs. They quickly earned a name for themselves among other bands and those in the industry. Propelled by word-of-mouth and their own ferocious dedication they started to build a following. Before they knew it, they were receiving accolades from the press, booking tons of shows, were voted Philadelphia Style magazine’s 2008 Best Unsigned Band, and had their first album, Chatterbox, under their belt.

Without a doubt, Chatterbox is one of the best unsigned albums I’ve heard in years. The 13-track album is a dichotomy. It’s a driving-in-your-car-blaring-loud-as-hell rock CD, gently sprinkled with sound bites of the duo’s bickering while recording (hence the name of the album.) It works to reminds you of just how unlikely these two music stars are.

But as great as Chatterbox is, the real “gift” is seeing them perform live. Their chemistry is undeniable. The way that Danielle stares seductively at Jamie as she knocks on those drums is enough to make this hardened reporter blush. Jamie’s expressions alone are enough to draw a crowd. The man plays the guitar like he is birthing every note, every lyric. He scrunches his face, he wiggles his tongue, he gets on his knees and thrusts around the floor. With the energy, noise and enthusiasm these two produce, you would think they are The Who, playing Madison Square Garden in ’79. They maintain this energy and excitement through every show, regardless of how many they’ve played that month. They’ve never been known to take a day off.

If you’ve read anything about Victor Victor Band before, you’ve probably heard them being compared to The White Stripes. Yes it’s true, if you really dig, there is a similar sound, but mostly the comparison refers to the fact that both bands are coed rock duos with mad talent. Victor Victor Band’s guitar and lyrics scream Jimi Hendrix. Trust me, I don’t dispense that lightly.

Jamie recalls how he fell in love with rock. “When I was 13 years old I found one of my dad’s tapes. It said ‘Jimi Hendrix Concerts.’ I’ll never forget I sat by myself in my rec room and I just put the tape on. I had never heard any Hendrix before. The minute I put it on, I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ I was just obsessed,” he says.

“That’s how he is about anything that he is interested in,” says Danielle. “He just completely obsesses.”

It’s obvious this statement is true about Danielle as well.

“I am very goal oriented,” explains Danielle. “I’m not just doing it because it’s fun. I want there to be an end goal. So, we need to work really hard and get where we want as fast as we can. There’s still a lot we want to do.”

This is exactly why Victor Victor Band will continue to flourish. Nothing they do is ever half-assed, and they won’t give up the good fight until they’ve had the last word.

All photos by Steve Davis

VictorVictorBand.com

Victor Victor Band Shows

Hipsters Eat for Free Launch Party w/Saudi Arabia @ Kung Fu Necktie - 8 p.m.

10.9 World Cafe Live w/Downtown Harvest & Prowler -8 p.m.

10. 23 The Cherrywood w/TBA - 9 p.m.

10.30 Mischief Night @ The Fire w/ Sound of Urchin / Surgeon / Big Terrible- 9 p.m.

11.27 Black Friday at The Fire w/TBA- 9 p.m.

Mission Creep

Play this while reading to enhance pleasure.

Banned Books Mission Creep

You have probably never heard of banned books.  I hadn’t either until running into singer, Zane Kanevsky, while promoting my very own launch party.  I handed him a flyer.

“I’m in a band,” he spurted out. “We’ll play for free.”

I thought to myself, yeah sure you are. Who isn’t in a band? I gave him my business card and walked away.  Then, one jobless morning I got tired of blankly staring at my wall and decided to check them out. I am so glad I did.

banned books has existed barely a full year, although you would never know by the tight sound of their first album, Mission Creep.  A fresh album created by self-proclaimed, “immature white kids playing loud music.”

These three white boys, Ben Crouse, Matthew Dermond and Zane Kanevsky from South Jersey, have created a unique sound via synthesizers, drums, guitars, bass, vocals and other various and unidentifiable sounds.  They might be just kids, but their album reflects musical maturity.

Mission Creep, measuring in at a short 8 tracks, leaves you feeling full.  Reminiscent of a variety of sounds from Danny Elfman, to thumping camp songs you sang when you were ten, Mission Creep has it all.  Melodic yet dissonant, the songs on the album are only enhanced by, Kanevsky and Dermond’s chameleon like vocals.  At times they conjure Jack White, other times the little boy from The Shinning (red rum.)

Each and every track has its own appeal.  Some catchier than others like, “Supernatural Mongoloid.” Others are more sinister, as in “Trophy Wife Sings the Devil’s Fanfare.” But all are well executed and injected with unadulterated rock-n-roll. Banned books has created an album that you can sing along to, rock out to, scream to, push to and skip to.  Awesome!

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