Strix Vega
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Strix Vega

Arcata, California, United States | SELF

Arcata, California, United States | SELF
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""Wow""

Drunken [Sky]
Strix Vega
Drunken [Sky]
Self-Release

Strix Vega is a sultry blend of what alternative, blues, jazz and folk rock ’n’ roll. When describing them, “wow” is an understatement. From Arcata, Calif., the trio of Colin Begell (vocals, guitars), Brian Godwin (drums, bass) and Andy Powell (bass, keyboards) started a musical flavor of cigarette aroma and beer — drinking nights with the homeboys — that calms its listeners. Lyrically, the content are stirring. It’s dramatic (take note: not emo) touch gave a short hint of old-time grunge. Mainly blues and alternative, Strix Vega went all out with Drunken Sky in terms of music creativity through enhanced tracks by not plainly relying on guitars/drums, verse/solo type of song.

The trio played around with their skills, and the outcome was terrific (or awesome, or whichever sounds better). And just last March, Strix Vega performed in Austin’s South by Southwest Music Festival, a showcase of national talent in the indie-music industry. The band was even shocked to learn that they are invited to play there, alongside the country’s top and coolest indie rock bands. What really sets them apart from other indie bands is the honesty of their music. Technically, the music was not overdone. The music itself has grace. And did I say “wow” is an understatement?

- Trip Foz
- Zero Magzine


"Review of "Drunken Sky" in Subba Cultcha"

Strix Vega

'Drunken Sky'
www.myspace.com/strixvega

Atmospheric folk rock against a backdrop of lush lo-fi and sultry melody

California’s Strix Vega are the proficient originators of a rather impressive debut record. The interfusion of folk music and placid jazz forged around somnolent rock and roll foundations has cultivated an album they can sculpt their career with.

This half acoustic/half electric combination, immense in sound and diversity, meanders through lustrous melody, harvesting charm and gravitation, that unfolds into exquisite perennial dustings of fetching compositions. The grooves of a Neil Young influence can be found peppered here and there alongside the poetic lyrical methods generical of Dylan. Strix Vega are still equipped with enough symmetry of their own to maintain a recognizable self assurance and liberation.

They should muster a substantial army of new fans on the strength of this album. Dominancy of the world is imaginable.


By: Alan Baillie - Subba Cultcha


"Review of "Drunken Sky" in Tasty Reviews"

Strix Vega – Drunken Sky (independent)

Next time you plan to end up lying on your back on a summer's evening, a little tiddly, watching the stars twinkle and roll through your hazy vision, plan to have Strix Vega's new album with you. After about a minute of second track "Tides" has passed, the album title makes perfect sense. The guitar playing is woozy and loose, with just the right amount of bluesy embellishment. The lyrics are delivered in a soulful drawl by frontman Colin Begell who you just know has his eyes closed and his lips pressed close to the microphone grille, lost in the moment.

Before I get carried away, I should add that virtually every song on this atmospheric collection has a similarly affecting vibe, as well as the length and development of a genuine live performance. The guitars howl like subway trains bursting from tunnels, especially on the chorus of "Shady Oak" and throughout "Untitled". But there is no big-budget, professional production here. The guitar sounds like it is screaming to get out from the casing of a tiny 10 watt amplifier, while the low-slung vocals slip beneath the radar every now and again.

Highlight "Luck Runs Dry" features a wistful chorus straight out of Ian Brown's solo catalogue and a simple blues riff borrowed from either Zeppelin or Floyd. Or both. And swaying to the gorgeous, harmonica-tinged "Ms Loveless" is obligatory, at least until a pack of ghosts break into the room and 'wooh' and 'waah' the song to a close.

The "drunken" formula only fails when Strix Vega threaten to go all indie on us, as on "Amber-Eyed Girl" where the first 20 seconds is near enough lifted from the Undertones' "Teenage Kicks". Begell's heart understandably isn't in it and the whole thing disintegrates after only three minutes - a good two minutes shorter than the average for this record. "Con Man" is a little better, but its derivative structure only serves to highlight how much more interesting the slower songs are.

In a funny way, these minor exceptions prove the rule - Strix Vega are a fine "drunken" blues-rock band who know their strengths and have succeeded in charming the US West Coast with their raw and wistful take on a tired genre. Remember to pack their album for festival season - you never know when you'll need it.
http://www.myspace.com/strixvega.

-Chris McCague - Tasty Reviews


"Review of "Drunken Sky" in Arcata Eye"

"Drunken Sky. Melodic, expansive, gorgeous, intoxicating...It'll either get you over a broken heart or make you wish you had one. I would hire them to write the soundtrack to my life if I could afford them."

-Jennifer Savage: Arcata Eye Scene Editor/KSLG DJ - Arcata Eye


"Review of "Drunken Sky" in North Coast Journal"

"...Drunken Sky, a cool, somewhat melancholy collection of a dozen songs they pigeonhole as 'post folk/alt. rock.' The overall feel is of a rainy afternoon in Humboldt, staring out the window, sipping a beer or maybe a glass of whiskey, wishing the sun will come out, knowing it probably won't."

-Bob Doran: The North Coast Journal - North Coast Journal


"DRUNKEN SKY Radio Hot Sheet"

Strix Vega's Debut Album, "Drunken Sky" is currently in, or has been in rotation on the following radio stations across the U.S. and in Canada as of November 14, 2007:

BearCast Cincinatti OH
CHMR St. Johns NF
CHYZ Ste-Foy QB
CKDU Halifax NS
CLC Grayslake IL
CSCR Scarborough ON
KALA Davenport IA
KAMP Tucson AZ
KANM College Station TX
KAOS Olympia WA
KAUR Sioux Falls SD
KBBI Homer AK
KBSU Boise ID
KCAC East Camden AR
KCRH Hayward CA
KCSC Chico CA
KCSS Turlock CA
KDHX St. Louis MO
KDNK Carbondale CO
KDWG Dillon MT
KEOL La Grande OR
KEUL Girdwood AK
KFAI Minneapolis MN
KGAR Lemoore CA
KGNU Boulder CO
KGRG Auburn WA
KGUR San Luis Obispo CA
KHNS Haines AK
KJAK Flagstaff AZ
KKSM San Marcos CA
KLCR Dubuque IA
KLPI Ruston LA
KMHC Gresham OR
KMNR Rolla MO
KMSA Grand Junction CO
KMSU Mankato MN
KNSU Thibodaux LA
KNWD Natchitoches LA
KOPN Columbia MO
KOTO Telluride CO
KPUR Forest Grove OR
KRFC Fort Collins CO
KRNL Mt. Vernon IA
KRSC Claremore OK
KRVS Lafayette LA
KSAU Nacogdoches TX
KSHU Huntsville TX
KSLG Ferndale CA
KSLU - 2 Hammond LA
KSMC Moraga CA
KSMR Winona MN
KSPU Seattle WA
KSRQ Theif River Falls MN
KSSU Sacramento CA
KSUB Seattle WA
KSVR Mt. Vernon WA
KTRL Stephenville TX
KTSW San Marcos TX
KUAC Fairbanks AK
KUIW San Antonio TX
KUMD Duluth MN
KUMM Morris MN
KUNI Cedar Falls IA
KURA Ouray CO
KUWS Superior WI
KVDU Denver CO
KVNF Paonia CO
KWAR Waverly IA
KWCW Walla Walla WA
KWUR St. Louis MO
KXZY Stillwater OK
KZUU Pullman WA
Lasell Newton MA
M3 Radio New York NY
SCADRadio Savannah GA
TIR Fullerton CA
WAQU Grand Rapids MI
WARC Meadville PA
WASU Boone NC
WBIM Bridgewater MA
WBKE North Manchester IN
WBUL Tampa FL
WBWC Berea OH
WCBE Columbus OH
WCCM Randolph NJ
WCCX Waukesha WI
WCDB Albany NY
WCHC Worcester MA
WCLH Wilkes-Barre PA
WCSR Milwaukee WI
WCVF Fredonia NY
WCWP Brookville NY
WDCR Hanover NH
WDPS Dayton OH
WDUB Granville OH
WECS Willimantic CT
WERU East Orland ME
WFCS New Britain CT
WFDQ Teaneck NJ
WFHU Henderson TN
WFNY Farmingdale NY
WFWM Frostburg MD
WGBK Glenview IL
WGDR Plainfield VT
WGLS Glassboro NJ
WGMU Fairfax VA
WGRE Greencastle IN
WHRV Norfolk VA
WHSN Bangor ME
WIDB Carbondale IL
WIDR Kalamazoo MI
WIIT Chicago IL
WIPZ Kenosha WI
WIRE Norman OK
WIUX Bloomington IN
WIXQ Millersville PA
WKKL West Barnstable MA
WKNH Keene NH
WKWZ Syosset NY
WLJS Jacksonville AL
WLOY Baltimore MD
WLUR Lexington VA
WMCO New Concord OH
WMCR Westminster MD
WMHB Waterville ME
WMSE Milwaukee WI
WMTU Houghton MI
WMUC College Park MD
WMUR Milwaukee WI
WNCW Spindale NC
WNYU fm New York NY
WONC Naperville IL
WPMD Norwalk CA
WPPJ Pittsburgh PA
WPRK Winter Park FL
WPSC Wayne NJ
WPUB New York NY
WQAQ Hamden CT
WQHS Philadelphia PA
WRBC Lewiston ME
WRDP Chicago IL
WRFR Rockland ME
WRFT Ambler PA
WRGW Washington DC
WRKC Wilkes-Barre PA
WRSE Elmhurst IL
WRUV Burlington VT
WRUW Cleveland OH
WSBF Clemson SC
WSCW Worcester MA
WSFX Nanticoke PA
WSIA Staten Island NY
WSIN New Haven CT
WSKB Westfield MA
WSPN Saratoga Springs NY
WSRI Eau Claire WI
WSVA New York NY
WSYC Shippensburg PA
WTTU Cookeville TN
WUIC Chicago IL
WUMF Farmington ME
WUMM Machias ME
WUPJ Johnstown PA
WUPX Marquette MI
WUSC Columbia SC
WUSM Hattiesburg MS
WUVT Blacksburg VA
WVAU Washington DC
WVBU Lewisburg PA
WVCW Richmond VA
WVKC Galesburg IL
WVMM Grantham PA
WVOF Fairfield CT
WVOU Collegeville PA
WVRU Radford VA
WVYC York PA
WWHR Bowling Green KY
WWSP Stevens Point WI
WWUH West Hartford CT
WWVU Morgantown WV
WXIN Providence RI
WXOU Rochester MI
WXPN Philadelphia PA
WXSU Salisbury MD
WXUT Toledo OH
WYBF Radnor PA
WZLY Wellesley MA - Tinderbox Music


"Strix Vega - Tides"

Thursday, January 31, 2008
Strix Vega – Tides

A lone garage style guitar starts this slow tune on one string. As the rest of the band joins in, I feel like I’m standing right in the middle of the garage as the poet intones that he is “watching the bay as it recedes and feeling the void that it leaves. Eyeing the ridge of happiness and watching the truth undress.” I love the fact that these guys have the confidence to put their wonderful melodies to tape without feeling the need to overproduce and add unnecessary sheen. They are able to maintain this lively garage feel throughout, especially on the shoutouts Mrs Loveless & Thousand Mile Summer. The Thousand Miles opens itself up to interpretation, and I feel it is a story of a married couple, Mr & Mrs Fletcher, who have recently split up from a long marriage, and are looking out at their future and wondering why. Mr Fletcher is out in the desert contemplating, while Mrs Fletcher is on an Alaskan cruise. “Will we all go up in flames from a proverb of random blame?” The music matches the intensity of the emotions. Excellent.

-Eartaste.com - Eartaste


"ESTRANGED MEADOW Radio Hot Sheet"

Estranged Meadow Radio Hot Sheet

Strix Vega’s sophomore release, Estranged Meadow, has received airplay on the following radio stations as of June 8, 2009:

BearCast – Cincinnati, OH
CFRE – Mississauga, ON, Canada
CHMR – St. Johns, NF, Canada
CHRW – London, ON, Canada
CILU – Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
CJSR – Edmonton, AB, Canada
CJUM – Winnipeg, MAN, Canada
KALA – Davenport, IA
KANM – College Station, TX
KAOS – Olympia, WA
KAUR – Sioux Falls, SD
KBBI – Homer, AK
KBSU – Boise, ID
KCAC – East Camden, AR
KCRH – Hayward, CA
KCSS – Turlock, CA
KDHX – St. Louis, MO
KDIC – Grinnell, IA
KDNK – Carbondale, CO
KDWG – Dillon, MT
KEOL – La Grande, OR
KEPC – Colorado Spring, CO
KEUL – Girdwood, AK
KFAI – Minneapolis, MN
KFJC – Los Altos Hill, CA
KGAR – Lemoore, CA
KHNS – Haines, AK
KHOL – Jackson, WY
KHSU – Arcata, CA
KIDE – Hoopa, CA
KJACK – Flagstaff, AZ
KKSM – San Marcos, CA
KLPI – Ruston, LA
KLSU – Baton Rouge, LA
KMHC – Gresham, OR
KMSA – Grand Junction, CO
KMSU – Mankato, MN
KNSU – Thibodaux, LA
KNWD – Natchitoches, LA
KOTO – Telluride, CO
KPSU – Portland, OR
KQAL – Winona, MN
KRNU – Lincoln, NE
KRSC – Claremore, OK
KRUA – Anchorage, AK
KRUI – Iowa City, IA
KRVS – Lafayette, LA
KSAU – Nacodoches, TX
KSCL – Shreveport, LA
KSCU – Santa Clara, CA
KSHU – Huntsville, TX
KSJD – Mancos, CO
KSLU -2 – Hammond, LA
KSSU – Sacramento, CA
KSYM – San Antonio, TX
KTRL – Stephenville, TX
KTSW – San Marcos, TX
KTUH – Honolulu, HI
KUGS – Bellingham, WA
KUIW – San Antonio, TX
KUMD – Duluth, MN
KUMM – Morris, MN
KUNI – Cedar Falls, IA
KURA – Ouray, CO
KUWS – Superior, WI
KVNF – Paonia, Co
KWAR – Waverly, IA
KWCR – Ogden, UT
KWLC – Decorah, IA
KWTS – Canyon, TX
KWVA – Eugene, OR
KZMU – Moab, UT
M3 Radio – New York, NY
Montco – Blue Bell, PA
NVWR – Reno, NV
RLC – Piscataway, NJ
SCAD – Atlanta, GA
URH – Hilo, HI
WARC – Meadville, PA
WBGU – Bowling Green, OH
WBKE – North Manchester, IN
WBNY – Buffalo, NY
WBUL – Tampa, FL
WBWC – Berea, OH
WCCM – Randolph, NJ
WCDB – Albany, NY
WCFM – Williamstown, MA
WCNI – New London, CT
WCRD – Muncie, IN
WCSB – Cleveland, OH
WCVM – Morrisville, NY
WCWM – Williamsburg, VA
WCWP – Brookville, NY
WCYT – Ft. Wayne, IN
WDPS – Dayton, OH
WDWN – Auburn, NY
WECS – Willimantic, CT
WEGL – Auburn, AL
WEOS – Geneva, NY
WERU – East Orland, ME
WFCF – Saint Augustine, FL
WFCS – New Britain, CT
WFDU – Teaneck, NJ
WFWM – Frostburg, MD
WGBK – Glenview, IL
WGDR – Plainfield, VT
WGLS – Glassboro, NJ
WGTB – Washington, DC
WHFR – Dearborn, MI
WHSN – Bangor, ME
WHUS – Storrs, CT
WICB – Ithaca, NY
WIDB – Carbondale, IL
WIDR – Kalamazoo, MI
WIIT – Chicago, IL
WIPZ – Kenosha, WI
KITR – Rochester, NY
WKKL – West Barnstable, MA
WLCA – Godfrey, IL
WLJS – Jacksonville, AL
WLTL – La Grange, IL
WLUR – Lexington, VA
WLUW – Chicago, IL
WLVR – Bethlehem, PA
WMCO – New Concord, OH
WMCR – Monmouth, IL
WMHB – Waterville, ME
WMLN – Milton, MA
WMPG – Portland, ME
WMTS – Mufreesboro, TN
WMTU – Houghton, MI
WMUC – College Park, MD
WMUH – Allentown, PA
WMVL – Purchase, NY
WMXM – Lake Forest, IL
WNCW – Spindale, NC
WNMC – Traverse City, MI
WNSU – Fort Lauderdale, FL
WOBC – Oberlin, OH
WONC – Naperville, IL
WOSP – Jacksonville, FL
WOUB – Athens, OH
WOWL – Boca Raton, FL
WPNR – Utica, NY
WPPJ – Pittsburgh, PA
WPRK – Winter Park, FL
WPSC – Wayne, NJ
WPTS – Pittsburgh, PA
WRDP – Chicago, IL
WRFL – Lexington, KY
WRFW – River Falls, WI
WRGP – Miami, FL
WRGW – Washington, DC
WRHU – Hempstead, NY
WRKC – Wilkes-Barre, PA
WRNC – Ashland, WI
WRPI – Troy, NY
WRSE – Elmhurst, IL
WRST – Oshkosh, WI
WRTC – Hartford, CT
WRUR – Rochester, NY
WSBF – Clemson, SC
WSCW – Worcester, MA
WSFX – Nanticoke, PA
WSIA – Staten Island, NY
WSUP – Platteville, WI
WSYC – Shippensburg, PA
WTCC – Springfield, MA
WTSR – Ewing, NJ
WTTU – Cookeville, TN
WUDR – Dayton, OH
WUIC – Chicago, IL
WUMM – Machias, ME
WUPX – Marquette, MI
WUSB – Stony Brook, NY
WUSC – Columbia, SC
WUSM – Hattiesburg, MS
WUVT – Blacksburg, VA
WVKC – Galesburg, IL
WVOF – Fairfield, CT
WVUR – Valparaiso, IN
WVVS – Valdosta, GA
WWHR – Bowling Green, KY
WWPV – Colchester, VT
WWSU – Dayton, OH
WXAC – Reading, PA
WXCU – Columbus, OH
WXIN – Providence, RI
WZBC – Chestnut Hill, MA
XTSR – Towson, MD - Tinderbox Music


"Strix Vega: The anti-rockstar rockstars"

Strix Vega: The anti-rockstar rockstars

Meghan Vogel For The Times-Standard Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008

Nope.
You're not going to find over-inflated egos. Nor will you find surly attitudes, drinking problems, groupies, tattoos, drug references, ironic hipsterism or any of the other normal paraphernalia usually associated with the rockstar gestalt.

What you will find are a couple of down-to-earth, self-described 'socially awkward' fellas with a penchant for kicking out heart-wrenching, atmospheric tunes. Layered and lush, moody and melodic, Strix Vega's star is quickly rising -- despite the band's most humble intentions.

"We do like to hide behind the music quite a bit," said Andy Powell, the band's bassist and pianist. "We don't like playing in bright lights, we don't like talking about ourselves too often, and we kind of like not being musical celebrities."

During a recent interview at the Jambalaya in Arcata, where the band will be playing its first show of 2008 on Valentine's Day, Powell and singer/guitarist Colin Begell are the epitome of modest. Having just gotten off work, Powell apologizes for still wearing a tie. Begell talks about his mom's job. Both take playful jabs at drummer Chris Jaster for not showing up, saying he probably wanted to "spend some quality time with his girlfriend." And both seem to want to talk more about their upcoming show's co-band, San Francisco's Or, the Whale, than Strix Vega.

More than an hour into the interview, it casually slips out, as if it were an afterthought, that they'll be playing at the country's premiere indie-music showcase, Austin's South by Southwest Music Festival in March.

In a recent MySpace bulletin, Strix Vega wrote: "We are still a bit in shock that we've been asked to play on a great showcase with some amazing bands from all over the country."

Before the band gets swooped up at SXSW to explode on the national scene, be sure to catch them locally. That way 20 years from now, you can say you saw 'em way back when. And just like the band's often heartbreaking lyrics, tonight's Valentine's Day show is geared toward the sort of person who'd put on Strix Vega's debut CD, "Drunken Sky," post-wine-soaked-midnight to listen to the traumatic song "Ms. Loveless" on repeat.

In typical Strix Vega fashion, the only band photo in the CD shows the members sitting while playing, backs turned to the camera.

And that strangely catchy name, Strix Vega? Well, it has something to do with owls and perhaps a star. Or maybe it all has to do with a girl...

"Love it or hate it, we're playing on Valentine's Day," Powell said. "If you show up by yourself crying, you'll get a discount. But if you show up as part of a couple you'll have to pay full price. So, if you're low-down and single, come on down to the Jambalaya and drown in each other's misery."

The evening promises to not only be perfect for the lovelorn, but also for fans of folk-tinged alt-rock -- even if you are part of a couple. A seven-piece alt-country ensemble, Or, the Whale received rave reviews from Strix Vega. It's hard enough working out the logistics of touring with a three-member band, they said, let alone a seven-member band.

"It's amazing that they're able to survive," Begell said. "And they play a perfect show."

"They're super dialed in," Powell echoed while recounting the show Strix Vega played with Or, the Whale at The Pearl in Eureka last year. "You can hear every note."

No strangers to the gritty highs and lows of touring, Strix Vega has done about half a dozen West Coast tours.

"Touring is a good reality check because you realize how many bands are out there," Powell said. "You definitely re-evaluate yourself after you've played a gig for just three people. It's not glorious. It's dirty and filthy. But it's fun."

"There's zero privacy. You eat worse, you sleep worse, you drink more and you lose money usually," Begell said. "But it's also satisfying to leave on tour as a band because there's no preconceived notions about what you sound like when people hear your stuff for the first time."

"You get people's raw reactions by having the music speak for itself," finished Powell.

While getting out of the often myopic world of Humboldt has its benefits, the band usually finds itself playing the same type of venues -- bars.

"We realized that you have to play in bars when you're first starting out as a band, and we always seem to get mixed reviews in bars," Powell said. "Our music is hard to categorize, since we're not punk and we're not drink-your-face-off. It's hard to pander to the bar scene and there's pressure to try and rock more. When you're playing in bars, you're pushed to get louder, and we've definitely stepped it up a bit. The last time we played at Muddy's the cops were called, and it was like, 'Yes! We're a real band!'"

"We're more in tune with putting on a show now," Begell said. "You can't just stand there and play and stare listlessly down at the ground."

With a single strand of lights to illuminate the stage, the band usually starts a set out acoustically, building up to a crescendo of plush electronic sound. Rather than hard rocking or metal thrashing, Strix Vega steps it up by adding layer upon layer of driving melody.

"There's not necessarily a mosh pit, but you also can't just sit in your chair and smoke a corncob pipe," Powell said. "It's about a soundscape so people can get involved in the experience."

Begell said the band aims mroe for "a feeling" than anything else.

"Some songs are very acoustic, some very subtle, some very folky and some very low key, and admittedly there's also somewhat of a pop aspect to it," he said. "But we tend to get louder when we're focusing on dynamics."

"We're post-alt-pre-rock," said a tounge-in-cheek Powell. "But we started out as bad folky."

Begell said it's been a slow learning curve for Strix Vega, but they're finally feeling like they've hit a groove. The current incarnation of the band, with Jaster on drums and percussion, has only been around since last fall. Ironically enough, the former drummer, Chris Godwin, with whom the band recorded its first CD, now plays with local thunder gods Dragged by Horses, which are guaranteed to make your ears bleed. Begell and Powell began collaborating about five years ago in a band called The Crums. While Begell writes about 90 percent of Strix Vega's music, there's an organic give-and-take in how the songs are definitely crafted.

"Whenever we practice and are playing music together we aren't afraid to critique ourselves or each other," Powell said. "I understand that when Colin says, 'I think the piano's too busy' or 'that bass part sounds horrible,' he's interested in the overall sound of the song. We're working toward the same goal fortunately, and everything else just seems to fall by the wayside."

It also helps both band members spent their formative years listening to the same styles of music.

"We both started on folk rock, classic rock," Begell said, recalling how he grew up listening to his dad's Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen albums.

Now he's partial to Blonde Redhead, Air (except their latest), Explosions of the Sky and Gillian Welch.

"I like people who push the envelope, who can take something and reinvent it," he said.

"I've always been stuck in jazz and classic rock," Powell said." I always loved music and I had this little record player in high school that I couldn't wait to get home to, to put on "Dark Side of the Moon." I would listen to Pink Floyd on vinyl, playing "The Wall" nonstop.

"You lived in a shell, man," Begell ribbed Powell. "No more Pink Floyd."

An EP, tentatively titled "Estranged Meadow," is in the works. It'll go back to Strix Vega's folk-fueled roots, and according to Begell, will be a "swan song to our more mellow, eerie stuff."

"After that we're going to give up the mellow folk for a while to focus on other things," he said. "It'll still be slow and in an alternative vein, but it's more fun on the road when you're playing high-energy, louder sets."

Perhaps the goodbye-to-mellow EP is a premonition, as it seems the band will soon be forced to hit the road. Having recently been picked up by a college rock-front booking agency based in Nashville, which is currently repping for the band in France, 'Drunken Sky' is in rotation on more than 180 CMJ radio stations across the U.S. and Canada.

"Our success just started snowballing," Powell said. "We're making the College Music Journal national charts, and we're now represented by an international booking agency, which is weird because we're in Humboldt County. We're also getting emails from all over the country, which is also just weird."

Despite the newfound notoriety, the sights for the band remain characteristically modest.

"We had no idea people would ever listen to our music other than our friends," Begell said. "I'd just like to be able to look back in 20 years, put on a single, sit back, and say, 'Yeah, we did something.'" - The Times-Standard, Feb. 14, 2008


"Review of "Drunken Sky" in Indie Music Stop"


Artist: Strix Vega
Title: Drunken Sky
Website:
http://www.myspace.com/strixvega
Style: Rock/Folk Rock
By Staff Writer L. Anne Carrington

Arcata, CA's Strix Vega is a three-piece band that was formed in 2004 and has kept on playing ever since.

They're a band that can adapt to the type of audience they play; in a smaller setting, it is an acoustic atmosphere. At larger venues, be prepared for a louder, more energetic electrical sound. Either way, this band does not disappoint.

Drunken Sky is a breath of fresh air in a music world populated by pop, bubble gum rap and emo rock. From the first listen, it's anything but dull music, yet it is well executed.

The influences are those of Neil Young; Gillian Welch; Grant Lee Buffalo; Pink Floyd; The Shins; The Doors; Herbie Hancock; The Cannonball Adderly Quintet (1969); Max Roach; and Philly Joe Jones.

Whether one listens to Drunken Sky for the first time or the fifth, the aforementioned influences can easily be picked up, whether it would be the opening tune, "Midnight," or other outstanding songs such as "Luck Runs Dry," and the title track, "Drunken Sky."

It's just an amazing album; one of those the listener can really get into. Melancholy melodies and sultry rhythms create their wonderfully unique sound.

Each track is creative and tells a story; Drunken Sky is one of those albums that exhibit what music has been missing for many years. It provokes thoughts of an era when artists actually cared enough about their music to put thought into their albums and even experiment every once in a while. Pick it up; it is not a set of works that should be missed.

- L. Anne Carrington


Discography

"Estranged Meadow" released March 7, 2009.

"Drunken Sky" released April 29, 2006.

Debuted at #319 on the CMJ National Charts.

Both albums currently in rotation on over 180 radio stations across the U.S. and in Canada.

For a list of radio stations that have "Drunken Sky" and "Estranged Meadow" in rotation please look in "Press" section.

Photos

Bio

A Trio with a large sound and versatility, Strix Vega has toured throughout the U.S. in support of their debut album, "Drunken Sky", and "Estranged Meadow" released in March of 2009, making appearances at outdoor music festivals and during SXSW in Austin, TX in 2008 and 2009.

Strix Vega's long-awaited sophomore release of "Estranged Meadow" was released on March 7th, 2009 and was followed by a Western U.S. tour taking them back to Austin during SXSW '09.

Strix Vega has had the honor of sharing the stage and promoting shows with such notable national and international acts such as: Greg Ginn & The Taylor Texas Corrugators; Vetiver; Hello Stranger; The Spores; and Magnolia Electric Co.

For college booking please contact:
DreamScapers
Brian Waymire
brian@seethemusic.net
(615) 866-0836