Venus In Furs

"Venus in Furs are a rock and roll band from the flyover wastelands of the Upper Midwest (Fargo, ND is their home). Their first full-length album, "Nitemaremuzik," is scheduled for a summer 2006 release, preceded by the EP "Back Page News." Both the EP and the album were recorded by indie rock legend Steve Albini, a longtime supporter of the band.
ViF knew that playing every hole in the ground in their region would get them nowhere, though they played them anyway. For wider scale exposure they turned, as many bands do, to the internet, charting singles on rollingstone.com's alternative top 25 (alongside the likes of Beck and Courtney Love) and experimental top 10 (ahead of Brian Wilson), along with more than 8,000 downloads on the original MP3.com before that website went under. More uniquely, they turned to pirate radio, becoming the first band ever to broadcast live on the air at the late New Rock 94.5, the farthest-reaching pirate radio station in North America during its day (the station shut down indefinitely in 2005 after more than a ten year run). Frequent live performances on the station and circulation of exclusive recordings for pirate stations have made the band a national favorite in the underground radio scene.

ViF's members are:

Adam Bursack, whose dark vocals and literate lyrics recall post-punk poets like Ian Curtis, PJ Harvey, and Nick Cave along with avant-garde minded rock vocalists such as Mike Patton, Frank Black, and Peter Murphy. Adam has sung guest vocals with Solace For Now (a band featuring members of Saliva and Earshot). His lyrics for several songs on "Nitemaremuzik" ("Year of the Monkey," "Bring Out Your Dead") have revealed a politically-charged side of the band that was previously unseen.

Diminiutive drum virtuoso Tessa Breitbach (formerly of Delta Nyn), who may look like a girl who could inspire 1,000 Cure songs but hits as hard as Dave Grohl with the soul of Keith Moon. Tessa has the highest speed on record for a female drummer at the Vans Warped Tour's World's Fastest Drummer competition (757 strokes per minute), and has been written about in Drum! magazine.

Joe Schneider, a jazz-trained lead guitarist and occasional keyboardist. Though he has played with jazz and blues greats like Blues Brothers/James Brown Band trombonist Tom "Bones" Malone, Joe's grungy noise poetry is pure rock and roll.

Corey Cook, whose mathematically-precise rhythm guitar playing and eccentric demeanor led him to be dubbed "Rain Man" by Steve Albini. Corey's roots are squarely in punk rock, and his boundless energy on stage makes him virtually a second frontman. In September of 2005 Corey became a controversial figure on Green Day fan sites when he made his way onto the stage at the XCell Energy Center and smashed Mike Dirnt's bass in front of 16,000 people.

Aaron Berge (formerly of I Shot Ronald Reagan), a bassist with an ear for a sick, sleazy groove that Rick James or Duff McKagan would envy. His slutty-hot basslines might be art imitating life; Aaron composes music for porn films on the side.

Venus in Furs have opened for nationally touring acts including Wesley Willis (RIP), Solace For Now (featuring members of Saliva and Earshot), Scum of the Earth, and Mommy and Daddy. They recently opened on several dates of Get Set Go's most recent tour."

-Bio by J. K. Barristow, pirate radio broadcaster and author/critic

"Fargo Moorhead's answer to The Cure, The Birthday Party, Foetus, and Bauhaus. Intricate, ornate guitar stylings layered upon visceral grooves (and) primal drumming. . . insanely melodic. . ."

-Bryan Grob, The High Plains Reader

"A seering blend of of guitar solos, complex drumming, melodic vocals, and dark lyrics that maintains a sense of punk rawness. . . An ear-pleasing mix of rock and alternative sounds that will make you want to groove and sing along. . ."

-Amy Davidson, The High Plains Reader

"I hope to hear more seriously good shit from Venus in Furs. . ."

-Justin Goldberg, CEO of Indie911.com, ex-Sony Music A&R