Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
On Saturday, Dec. 3, at Alley Katz, local band Vega joined Baltimore natives Lake Trout for a three-hour run of winding, chiming guitars, distortion pedals and driving progressive rock that thrilled the approximately 175 fans in the audience. Theres a buzz in town about Vega, and the band members earnestly worked to live up to their burgeoning reputation. During the pre-show tuneup, one player was heard saying, Turn up the bass a bit more. And he wasnt kidding. The bass line throughout Vegas show was deep, heavy, hard and loud enough to reset your pacemaker. Vegas self-confessed Radiohead idolatry is evident in every song. However, Vega eschews much of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorkes meandering and sticks more to the song. As the warm-up for Lake Trout, Vega held the audiences attention almost completely during their hour-long set. Lake Trout opened with two songs from their 2005 release, Not You Them, the least engaging of their three studio CDs. The crowd was less than enthusiastic about the newer stuff and waited patiently for the band to revisit its more electronic roots. With a few fits and starts, the band members finally hit their stride with a rocking, almost unrecognizable update of the Rolling Stones Street Fighting Man. At this, the crowd got with it and the fun really started. Guys shut up and the girls twirled. The songs got louder, longer and more frenetic as the band kicked into its second hour and the crowd showed its avid appreciation.
- Style Weekly
Vega brought a solid set every time I saw the band in 2005. My first Vega show was in July at its Alley Katz CD release party. It was almost like the band had come onto the Richmond scene with no notice, but found a way to garner new fans at every performance. I saw that as crowds grew at each show be it at Lucky Lounge, at Vegas downtown rehearsal space for Halloween or during the most amazing set opening for Lake Trout in early December. No matter the venue or the date, Vega brought the best Richmond shows of the year - Style Weekly
*vega/ monarchy
silver jews/ animal shapes
*rah brahs/ arty o the irst art
pink razors/ fine food
*nancy and the knockers/ meow/ snake oil studios
single spies/ wide awake/ ambiguous city
strike anywhere/ two fuses
*attackula/ the drugs they give us
*silent type/ aaabbbbccc/ lime kiln - 97.3 Indie Radio
Discography
self-titled, 5-song EP
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Lending themselves to the propensity for crashing, abrasive guitars and melodically-spaced sound-scapes within the same song, Richmond-based four-piece Red Anthem is quickly becoming a household name in the underground. Led by founding members Jarrod Smith (Soma) and Nick Tharpe (Craig, Roman Empire, Descriptive Phrase), the band teamed with VCU jazz guitarists Jay Calabro (Junction) and Jack Budd (Jah Revelations) to complete the sound in late October of 2004.
In an effort to combine beat machine style drumming to Muse’s swailing anthems, the band takes a Verve-meets-The Vines approach to their music. Bringing a stadium-built sound to more intimate venues has always proven to be a daunting task, but one that Red Anthem has done with seamless integrity; forging a diverse and unique sound by its four irreplaceable members. The group’s philosophy that simplicity reigns supreme continues to shape the meandering journey of their set list. Combined with a rigorous practice schedule and ever-prolific writing style, this coda has allowed itself to continually raw and explosive performances.
Testing the line between personal and political, conformist and anti-corporate, the band’s socially-relevant lyrics strike a lasting mark with their music. Obviously a band hungry for respect in an industry plagued by shallow air-waves, Red Anthem is a band to watch in 2006.
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