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Emo-Punk. Tuneful, melodic, with deep lyrics, but
with incredible energy, angst, bombast, and youthful
swagger is how Pete Nordstrom, co-owner of Loveless
Records, describes the unique sound of his latest
find, Vendetta Red.
John Richards (co-owner of Loveless) discovered
the band by way of a glorified demo called 'Blackout
Analysis'. Around the same time Pete's band, Tuffy,
played a show with them at the Crocodile Café in Downtown
Seattle Washington, USA. Nordstrom was immediately impressed
with VR's high-energy show and got a hold of the demo.
It would take another live show (10 months ago) for
Pete and John to declare the band label mates to Loveless.
Despite a few line-up changes, the core of Vendetta
Red has been together for 3 years: Zach Davidson on
vocals, lyrics, and acoustic guitar; Erik Chapman on
guitar, keyboards, and vocals; and Joseph Childress
on drums, keyboards and vocals. To complete the lineup
and add the final touch, guitarist Justin Cronk and
bass player and keyboardist Michael Vermillion were
recruited.
With the band fully in tact and signed to Loveless,
Vendetta Red began work on their 1st effort, White Knuckled
Substance. Although many of the members are Bakersfield,
California transplants, they consider themselves a Seattle
band and have been embraced by the Northwest, "If it
weren't for Seattle, this band would not exist. We've
been playing out in Seattle long enough now that I can
confidently say that we define this city in the same
way that it defines us, and we're proud to be a part
of this musical community," says Childress.
Vendetta Red is only the 8th band to sign with this
relatively new label. Their maiden, full length CD is
the most anticipated indie release to come out of the
Northwest since the "Grunge" explosion of the early
90's, and for good reason. This band is very original,
both in style and sound. By capturing fans with their
energetic live performances and constant touring, they
have already established themselves as a force to be
reckoned with in the alternative music scene. The opening
track on White Knuckled Substance, 'Caught You Like
a Cold', opens with a stylish bass lick and distorted
guitars. The track has an infectious and hard-edged
groove with a melodic and soft interval in between the
chorus. This style prevails through out most of the
recording: introspective lyrics mixed with a hardcore
attitude and harmonious breaks. The 1st single will
be the song 'Shatterday' (which is already receiving
airplay). It is an excellent choice to introduce this
band to the unsuspecting masses, for it encompasses
all the elements of their distinct sound. Another favorite
is the cut 'All Cried Out'; a straight-ahead Rock and
Roll song with playful and catchy drumming, coupled
with a fuzz box guitar affect, which has a Glam Rock-like
resonance with a screaming 21st century twist. One more
track the band has been advised to push is the haunting
song dealing with child abuse, 'Stay Home'. With such
pensive and frank lyrics, it becomes apparent just how
intense and pissed off Zach is as he exorcises his demons
during the writing process.
When asked about the writing process: "One of the members
will bring a blueprint or format to rehearsal, and we
will just go through it over and over until each one
of us finds the perfect thing to play. And sometime
before we perform or record, Zach will soak himself
in gasoline, stand eight to ten feet from a lit candle,
carve stick figure demons in his wall, and write lyrics,"
explains Joseph.
As far as influences go, Childress said, "From what
I understand from talking to people about our music,
including the homies at our label, we sound nothing
like any of the bands we really love. I suppose if I
list them, one would be able to recognize subtle similarities.
Here goes: Radiohead, Far, Deftones, X-Ignota, Motley
Crue, Travis, Sunnyday Real Estate, Screeching Weasel,
Blur, The Refused, Bjork, F.Y.P. Jawbreaker, Jawbox,
Weezer (except the new album), Tori Amos, Grimple, Green
Day, Black Flag, Joan Jett, Minor Threat, Jets To Brazil,
Pat Benatar, Burning Airlines, Fugazi, etc."
Vendetta Red just signed with EPIC, "To what we are
told is a very big deal. Every label wanted them and
they choose Epic. We really had nothing to do with any
of it until it came time to transfer our rights to these
songs. There is a nice chance at big money if the record
sells with Epic. We'll see....", said Pete Nordstrom
about the deal.
With an energetic lead vocalist in the sexy, swaggering
Zach Davidson, and the solid rhythm section, along with
the high energy guitar work, Vendetta Red are ready
and willing to take their sound all over America and
beyond. In the words of the bands frontman, "I think
we definitely put every last drop of sweat and energy
that we've got into everything we do. I suppose there
is also a great deal of angst coming from us, however
passé it may be, we just can't collectively let go of
people fucking us over in the past. We are youthful-
we still like to get fucked up and break shit as often
as possible. Smoking drugs and slamming tussin in the
name of art has kind of been our mantra for a few years
now. Musically, we just do whatever comes naturally.
If that prizes us with the term 'emo-punk' then that's
fine, but it's all rock and roll to us."
Tony Engelhart for Crud Magazine© 2002
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