Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"The Very Foundation's music is memorable -- fluid one moment, intensely erratic the next and raw around the edges throughout." - Billings Gazette
". . . a musical orgasm. Always challenging and musically intense, The Very Foundation come through with an eclectic brand of rock that rivals that even of "Sandinista"-era Clash."- NeuFutur
" . . . sounds smattered together to form an art-rock goulash . . . stewed to perfection." - Slug Magazine
" . . . raw in the right places." - AK Ink
" . . . interesting arrangements and atmospheres . . . " - The Daily Copper
" . . . a breakthrough band." - The New Republic
" . . . premium musicians and a memorable set of songwriting ability." - Sctas
" . . . interesting and fluid . . . I look forward to see what the next release brings." - San Diego Punk
"Every track is an experience of bliss . . ." - Crooked Camera
" . . . in your face verses and catchy chourses." - The HV Scene
" . . . the creative spirit is a buoy in a sea of mediocre Pac NW rock." - Three Imaginary Girls
"TVF is both accessible and quirky, full of energy, and totally about some rockin' and rollin'. It's this kind of creativity that warrants keeping a close eye . . . " - FishComCollective
"Praise for something new, inventive and a push forward . . .artsy, indie style . . . with a frantic sound." - Rock Stars For Hire
- Various News Outlets
"The Very Foundation do a lot of interesting things on their short, sweet little EP The Final Moments of Paola Mori, including but not limited to, surfy, almost tribal sounding percussion sections, and ominous fuzzy background noises. They're a rock band with clear creative ability, and the future looks bright." - The Portland Mercury
"TVF plays solid pop-rock, takes it to punky edges and occasionally steps into art-rock recollections. Through all stages, the band is impressively solid and confident. Minus lead guitarist Ryan Dicker, the remaining trio is working on a full-length follow-up to The Final Moments of Paola Mori, which everybody who cares about good Portland music should be anticipating." - Willamette Week
"One of the crucial elements of rock 'n' roll, though little discussed for its importance, is surprise. The Very Foundation put surprise to work - the band's songs take careening turns and still wend their way back to the melody. The band has a constant energy that spans all of its experiments in rock song structure." - The Oregonian
"There's a lot to be said for witnessing a propulsive band in a small venue. Will the windows steam up? Will elbows be exchanged? The Very Foundation creates the urgency and leaves the rest up to you." - The Oregonian
"Something about this EP just gets me going from the moment it comes on. Very gritty edges rub against some melodies that wouldn't be out of place on an early Gary Numan record—these kids have some kind of Tubeway Army style going on. At the same time, there's a quality that sounds like right now, but in the sense that you're walking backwards and looking at the past, like that sound you hear when you listen to The Stills. These guys seem to have a little bit of fun when they rock out; no apologies, just shake your head and turn those guitars up. It's when they hit the more dynamic parts of each song that you realize how good the song is. Looking beyond the chorus, you see the trees."
- The Big Takeover
"They are definitely exploring an interesting genre of music. With this concoction the listener is left . . . wondering what this strange new music actually is. It can't necessarily be quantified as of yet (case studies are still being carried out)." - South of Mainstream
"The Final Moments of Paola Mori exemplifies all of the amplifonic Lo-Fi love a listener of college rock could hope to embrace. Guitars, bass, drums; yes…. growling high-strung vocals; yes…. great songs; yes!" - Two Louies
"A huge evolutionary step forward from the legions of emo/punk/nu-rock pretenders hawking their wares across America, they're rocking and arty in just the right amounts." - Splendidezine.com
"Good things, I predict, will happen for The Very Foundation if this EP is just the beginning of what they are capable of."
- Music Liberation Project
" . . . in a word, a very ambitious initial EP" - Indiepop.com
- Various
Discography
Small Reserves (2005)
MusicfestNW 2003 Compilation (2003)
The Final Moments of Paola Mori (2003)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
"The Very Foundation's music is memorable -- fluid one moment, intensely erratic the next and raw around the edges throughout." - Billings Gazette
" . . . the creative spirit is a buoy in a sea of mediocre Pac NW rock." - Three Imaginary Girls
" . . . no apologies, just shake your head and turn those guitars up. It's when they hit the more dynamic parts of each song that you realize how good the song is." - The Big Takeover
The Very Foundation began in 2001 when singer/guitarist Michael Lewis, after emerging from a year-long period of writing and demo recording in his Portland apartment, asked a group of musician friends to transform the collection of lo-fi tapes into a functioning band. Over the next year and a half, while gigging and enduring a daunting turn over of personnel that eventually found only Michael and innovative drummer Bevan remaining from the original five-piece line-up, The Very Foundation utilized the recording/production skills of Patrick Kearns (Blue Skies For Black Hearts, The Nice Boys) to turn a planned demo recording into a bold new EP. The Final Moments of Paola Mori was released in 2003 to wide praise among the indie rock scene. It featured propulsive rhythms, vocal harmonies, oblique-yet-intelligent lyrics, and a spirit of experimental adventure that set it apart from other bands on the Portland scene. Subsequent to the release, The Very Foundation, now a lean trio that also featured the distinct bass style of St. Thomas, toured the West Coast in a classic “get in the van” approach.
In the fall of 2005 The Very Foundation released its second CD, Small Reserves, to growing critical acclaim. This album was also recorded/produced with Patrick Kearns, and finds the band expanding its unique post-prog sound into new lyrical territory, political commentary, sonic experimentalism, and flat out rock. In the studio and on the stage, the trio eschews the retro-rock movement of recent years, and restlessly looks to the future for inspiration, all the while understanding the beauty of a frenetic, exciting live rock show. Look for The Very Foundation as they continue to tour throughout 2006, and begin recording their next album in 2007.
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