Valrosa

The first thing you think of when you hear the band Valrosa is energy, pure and simple. This band is full of it and they spread it around to anyone within listening distance. That same energy packs a punch and doesn't let you come up for air. Most bands tend to feed off a live audience's vibe during a show to drive their performance but with Valrosa it's the exact opposite. From the first chord to the last their energy on stage infects the crowd wether it be 5 or 500 that you can't help but feed off it. If you can't get up and moving during a Valrosa show then you can't have a pulse and if you didn't their live show would jump start you back to life.

Their songs are a mixture of all the band members various influences yet they mold their sound to be their own while still hooking you with memorable hooks and choruses. Their songs represent something that lacks in many original acts today which is song structure. The mistakes made by many local artists are not repeated with Valrosa. The utilization of dual vocal parts between lead vocalist Matt's gritty hard edge style and drummer/vocalist Cam's smooth melodic sound creates a dynamic so many bands lack, without sounding like a rip-off of Linkin Park. The rhythm section of Ian (bass) and Cam (drums) is solid and maintains a sustainable beat and groove you can't help feeling down to your core. The guitar of Chris is so manic on stage your muscles ache just watching him yet he fits like a glove within the final mix. They understand the need for hooks and changes that a listener can follow without turning it into a regurgitated pop song.

Their most commercial song "Wait" is indicative of what Valrosa is all about. The song begins with clean vocals and guitar and kicks into a groove that not only moves you but bashes you in the head at the same time. The chorus is memorable, catchy and stills holds it's hard edge sound. The solo is simple yet compliments the songs in many ways like early Rolling Stones with Brian Jones. "You and Me" lead off with a great hook riff that carries you through to laid back verses with a hook laden chorus. Finally "Dead and Gone" is a straight forward "kick you in the face" song that never lets up, with a perfect balance of edgy and melodic dual vocals.


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RJ ("Mindshaker")
Mindshaker Meltdown
http://www.myspace.com/mindshakermeltdown
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Host/Producer/Owner - Mindsaker Meltdown

Valrosa Releases First Album

A year and half being spent on an album might seem like the kind of duration reserved for perfectionist, national big-name acts, but those artists probably don’t have to tour extensively to raise the cheddar for the studio time, let alone put each individual CD case together.

Buried, the five-song inaugural release from the Lexington’s going -for-broke, balls-to-the-wall shredders Valrosa, has been in the works since the original members of the band first started penning songs and has seen band mates come and go, each leaving an impression on the tracks before another came and put a different twist on the work.

The current lineup, which includes two of the founding members, guitarist Chris Goff and vocalist Matt Manis, as well as bassist Ian Goff and drummer Cam Jayne, has been playing together since October of last year. But the crew has known each other from being affiliated with other bands and playing in the A1A Concert Hall and the now defunct Short Street Lounge.

With a true DIY mentality, Valrosa has put together Buried after beginning recording at Red House Records in Georgetown, Ky., in August and touring profusely to fund it, sometimes playing as many as eight shows a month locally and also in Cincinnati and Louisville.


“We’ve traveled a lot and really taken the hard road getting this album together. Obviously, we’ve incurred all the expenses. We did the printing our selves, we cut the album art ourselves, put the CD cases together. Down to the finest detail, we’ve done every aspect of this CD,” Ian Goff said “We’ve spent so many hours not even playing music. It’s a second job, if you have a real job.”

The time and efforts spent on Buried were not in vain. The members wanted to make sure they were turning in a finely crafted representation of their music, and music from Lexington, given their music can be heard in areas like Nashville, Atlanta and Indianapolis, as well as Louisville and Cincinnati.

“We just wanted to make sure we’re not putting out something we didn’t think would sound good and expect somebody to spend $5 on something we just threw together,” Matt said

“When people put stuff out there, you’ve got to realize that there are people out there from other places that will listen to that and go, ‘Well, if that’s what’s going on in Lexington, I don’t know about Lexington.”

The songs on Buried have undergone drastic changes since their inception. The opening track, “Dirt” which is receiving some airplay on Z Rock 103, was written by one of the original guitarists for the band and, from the time when it was written to where it wound up in the studio, sound like two different songs. As in the case with many of Valrosa’s songs, given there has been ten different members, and personalities and influences, that have put their mark on the music.

This fusion of styles is one of the hallmarks of the band, with each member bringing something fresh and inventive to the table. They don’t have a single song in their repertoire that is solely the work of one musician.

“We all just write separate stuff on our own and bring it in for everyone to hear,” Chris said. “I’ll write a basic riff and the Jhonen will come in and throw in his grunge personality on it. Everyone brings in their own little style. It’s a basic idea, and we just play with it, mold it, until we get something we like.”


Following this weekend’s Concert at A1A, Valrosa will embark on a sporadic, extensive nine-week tour that will wrap through Indiana, Ohio and Georgia, as well as a show at the Kentucky Theater as part of their Midnight Music series.

“This will probably be the largest self-promoted stretch we’ve done,” Ian Goff said. “four guys one pickup truck and a trailer. it’s the Lack of Luxury Tour.”

Valrosa will play their album release show this Saturday, March 31st, at the A1A Concert Hall in Main Street Live.

















- W Weekly

The next band to step into The Hard Place is Lexington’s own Valrosa. Although only formed in early 2006, Lithium sounds like they’ve been together for years. The band sent me their 2007 EP “Buried”, and it is from this that I wrote my review. The opening track “Dirt” reminded me of “Got the Life” by Korn with its driving “disco” drumbeat and crunching guitars. The vocal melody in the verses ride the music perfectly and the harder sound of the vocal in the choruses are just how it should be. Next up was the band latest single “Wait” With it’s acoustic driven intro and verse, they deceive the listener into thinking that it’s just another radio ballad, and when the band kick in, the riffs start slamming and just keep coming. The chorus is extremely catchy and the band could very easily have a hit song on their hands. Track 3 “Dead and Gone” I found the band back into full on rockin’ mode with and opening riff that is pure power. The guys in Valrosa have a real knack for writing very “hooky” choruses and “Dead and Gone” is no exception. The wah-wah comes out in full force on this one, really putting the solo in the place it needs to be and driving the song to that next level. For the next song “Little Lies” the band brings the funk into their game with some super clean poppin’ bass that’s always percolating just underneath the stabbing verse guitars. Add in the insistent beat of the chorus and another tasty wah-wah infused guitar solo, and Lithium have another possible hit in the making! Track 5 on the “Buried” EP, “You and Me”, keeps the energy up, starting with a short drum solo before kickin’ out the jams. The only problem I had with the song was that it was too short! The riffs were sweet and the band never let up till the song slammed to a halt, ending the CD.

Valrosa is a local band that shouldn’t be local for very long . With more hooks than you can count, they make every song a head bobbing delight. After getting their CD, I can definitely say that I can’t wait to see them live, some quick tour dates are: 4/13 at the Kentucky Theater, 4/21 at A1A Concert Hall in Lexington. After those dates, the band takes of to Indiana and Georgia and won’t be back around till the summer, so check ‘em out while you can! You can learn more about Valrosa by firing up the old computer and heading over to http://myspace.com/valrosamusic.












- Music Entertainment News