The Vein

THE VEIN

www.myspace.com/thevein

Date: Nov 13, 2006

Che Pont - Drums
Aki Ehara - Bass, Percussion
Jake Lucas - Vocals
Alex Doty - Lead Guitar
Kumar Butler - Rhythm Guitar

MUEN: How did the band first form, and are you all original members?

THE VEIN: We've all known each other for a very, very long time. We've all been friends since we were around 5 or 6 years old. Aki and Kumar were in a punk band as preteens and that kind of morphed into The Vein when we were around 15 or 16 years old. Basically we're all original, born and raised in Richmond, CA. Home of the murderous thugs, ghoulish pimps, streetwalkin' freaks and thugged out locos.

MUEN: What words do you have for Jeff Martin, and a band called The Tea Party? We hear some similarities there... Are they an infuence at all? Who are some of the band-members other most influentials with regards to your music careers?

THE VEIN: Che used to listen to The Tea Party. We don't know them all that well, but they're a great band from what we've heard. Our influences include Jimi Hendrix, Lee Hazlewood, early Funkadelic, Bowie, Pink Floyd, Stevie Ray, Dylan, Steel Pulse, STP, Tower of Power, The Doors, Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake, Muse, Rage, Radiohead, Coltrane, Davis, Rufus Wainwright, Leonard Cohen, The Clash, U2, Al Green, Fiona Apple, Elvis Presley, Immortal Technique, Queen....

MUEN: What are some of the more notable accomplishments and also the most hardships the band has endured thus far?

THE VEIN: Our biggest accomplishments thus far have been us signing a record deal last Spring, the creation of our debut album that's coming out later this month and the music video we just shot for our first single "Golden Child." It was a process to get all of us down to Southern California. It took two years to convince Doty to make the move. That was the biggest hardship I guess just organizing our move here.

MUEN: Has there been any major opportunities that might have "fell thru the cracks" so to speak, like most artists have experienced at one time or another throughout their music careers?

THE VEIN: Not really. We've capitalized on most so far I guess.

MUEN: How does the writing process work for The Vein? Who is the main lyric writer?

THE VEIN: Songs typically begin with a chord progression and are developed from there. The music gets composed by Aki, Doty or Kumar and Jake writes the lyrics and comes up with a melody. It's not always like that, but on Monsters and Men that's how the process usually worked.


MUEN: How many albums have you recorded, prior to "Monsters And Men?" And where did you record Monsters And Men?

THE VEIN: We had a couple EPs before M and M, but those were very minor. This is our first big release. It was entirely recorded in our house. We set up a studio in Aki's room, used Nuendo and an Aardvark Q10 and went to work. It was a pretty amazing process actually.

MUEN: What brand of percussion does Che Pont use and favor?

THE VEIN: Pearl kit, Evans heads. Che also uses Zildian and Sabian symbols. Che and Aki also used bongos, congas and African djembes on the record.

MUEN: What instruments are played by The Vein that differ from the mainstream?

THE VEIN: Bongos, e-bow, djembes, maracas.

MUEN: What do you enjoy most, recording or performing live? And why is this?

THE VEIN: It's hard to say, but I guess we're a live band more than anything. The experiences of recording and playing live are incredibly different, but if we had to pick one playing live would be the most enjoyable.

MUEN: Where are some of the most likely venues where one could see and hear The Vein live? Where is your favorite one to perform at, and why is that?

THE VEIN: No pay to play. Anywhere else.

MUEN: How often does the band tour, and what regions would that include? Do you ever tour outside of California? Or if not, do you have any plans or desires to do so?

THE VEIN: First nationwide tour will be happening in 2007. Worldwide will follow.

MUEN: Where do you get the artwork for The Vein with regards to album covers, posters, etc.?

THE VEIN: Label head Jhonn Alvarado used to be a graphic designer. He comes up w/ the majority of the artwork.

MUEN: What inspired you to re-record "Summertime?"

THE VEIN: We love Gershwin, great songwriter.

MUEN: If you could choose any year in music, what year would it be?

THE VEIN: 2006. Watch out for The Vein.

MUEN: Any other last words or news you'd like to share?

THE VEIN: Monsters And Men is due out very soon, go to rebelutionrecords.com and thevein.net for the details. Also look for us on iTunes in December. We want to thank MUEN for doing the service they do!

www.myspace.com/thevein
www.thevein.net

Interview by G. Cataline G.Cataline www.MUENmagazine.net www.MUENmagazine.com



Circuit City Coupon
Circuit City Coupon
- Muen Magazine

West County Times (Richmond, CA)
March 2, 2007
Section: News
Edition: FINAL
Page: a4

Rock band returns to serenade its alma mater, help homeless
Chris Treadway
Times Staff Writer

A Los Angeles-based band whose members originally hail from Richmond is concluding a benefit tour of West County high schools this week with a performance today at El Cerrito High School.

The members of the Vein, a quintet of 2002 El Cerrito High graduates, return to their alma mater to play in the quad area from 10:55 to 11:35 a.m.

The group has been together for six years and recently signed a record deal. The members say they have a wide range of influences, from Bob Dylan to other classic and more contemporary rock acts.

The local appearances, which included performances Thursday at Pinole Valley and Berkeley high schools, are intended to promote the work of the Bay Area Rescue Mission in Richmond and raise students' awareness about homelessness in the Bay Area.

The rescue mission's business manager will speak to students during the performance, and proceeds from albums sold during the appearances will be donated to the rescue mission.

The show in Pinole, held for students with perfect attendance, was well-received, said band manager Joe Flannery.

Vocalist Jake Lucas will be interviewed on school district radio station KECG, which is based at El Cerrito High, before the show. The other members of the band are Che Pont, drums; Aki Ehara, bass; Alex Doty, guitar; and Kumar Butler, guitar.

The group is based in Southern California because all of its members went to school there after graduating from El Cerrito High. The band has signed with independent label Rebelution Records and will tour in the summer, Flannery said.

Anyone interested in hearing the Vein's music can go online to www.thevein.net and click on the link to the group's MySpace page.

- West County Times