Vertigo

Cole: Blue Cats faves should find new fans at Sundown
By JER COLE
May 11, 2007

Climbing the ladder of notoriety out of Morristown, local band Vertigo has built a stronghold in Knoxville, where it the group frequents the venue of Blue Cats. Thursday, the band looks to take the next step by opening for the Gin Blossoms at Sundown in the City before an audience of larger numbers than the band has previously played to. The band members hope the event will familiarize new fans with old material.
Vertigo released its first album, "And Miles to Go Before We Sleep," to impressive local sales. The debut, now more than a year old, continues to do well locally while the band prepares new material. With no studio date set for recording a sophomore effort, Vertigo continues to push its inaugural release as the focus of its set lists and the subject matter for its new video.
The group's first video attempt was recorded at Studio RB in Charlotte, N.C. The video for "These Adult Bones" depicts frontwoman Lindsey Stamey in an introspective battle while driving and strolling through the woods. The video is available for viewing at the band's Myspace Web site, www.myspace.com/listentovertigo. The band hopes to unveil a second video from "And Miles to Go Before We Sleep" sometime this summer.
"Basically, a video is like the ultimate press kit," says Stamey. "It shows how you look, how you sound, your image, everything a label or a booking agent would need to know about a band. That's kind of why we wanted it. It's so much greater than what we could have ever hoped for in a video. Plus, there are people not from around here who never get to see us live. They never get to know what we're like, so it's amazing to have that for the fans to be able to see who we are now after they've heard us for a while. So we're hoping to spread it all over the Internet. Hopefully, it will help us out quite a bit."
After seizing the opportunity to expand its base out of Morristown with appearances at Blue Cats, Vertigo owes its Sundown invitation to the stage presence demonstrated at the venue.
"Someone found us at our Blue Cats show and thought we were the right match for the band," Stamey says. "I think when we found out, we were all a little surprised. I don't get nervous, and I'm nervous for this show. It's a good chance for lots of our underage fans to get to see us. A lot of people don't go to bars." - Knoxville News Sentinel

With their mix of big rock sound, head-banging drumbeats, and singer Lindsey Stamey’s strong, haunting vocal style, this band sounds more like they should be up in the music business hierarchy with the likes of more widely known bands like Evanescence and A Perfect Circle. - Shout! Magazine, http://a-pathetic.net/shout/reviews.php,

SIGN THIS BAND

Modern rock bands talk of the necessity of creating the proverbial regional buzz. In this age of DIY, they know that they must create their own noise if they are going to receive any of the benefits of label attention, be it indie or major. Knoxville, Tennessee's Vertigo, led by front-woman Lindsey Stamey, has spent the past two years exhaustively gigging, recording, and promoting. Music fans throughout the Southeast have recently had no choice but to become familiar with the dark, moody, and explosive sounds of Vertigo. Much has been made of modern rock's tendency to spawn bands that merely imitate what is popular at the moment. Vertigo stands in sharp contrast to this trend, as they avoid the formulaic songwriting often associated with rock bands. Guitarist Joel Rudnick has observed that the band "writes off the cuff and without too much pretense...we're not too worried about trends and the like." Download.com 's Scott Bilby describes the resulting sound of Vertigo's new recording, ...And Miles to Go Before We Sleep, as "metal-inspired music which blends math rock's complexity and the power of punk, yet also retains a heartbreaking sensuality." Vertigo came together through a linking of different people with whom they had all played before. With Rudnick on guitar, Justin Stamey on drums, and Shawn Parella on bass, Lindsey Stamey heads a group that is inspired, rather than deterred, by its differences in musical taste. Rudnick explains: "I think that the variety of influences within the band provides an interesting dynamic to our writing style. If we all liked the same thing, I think it would be pretty boring."
The band has developed a compelling live show, one that is fueled by Lindsey's unpredictable and highly impassioned performance. Her voice has often been described as ethereal, while her lyrics from songs such as "These Adult Bones" are both revealing and alarmingly vague: "Here's to the illusion/ A mighty here here for the confusion/ Look what has been accomplished/ These bruises are black/ These scratches are red." It takes a certain level of confidence for a band to attempt to thoroughly saturate a region as geographically and culturally broad and diverse as the Southeast; the members of Vertigo appear to be up to the task. They have gained a reputation as one of the region's hardest-working bands, willing to play smaller venues in cities so that they can eventually move on to the larger ones. This strategy has worked in their hometown of Knoxville, where they are now consistently selling out some of the more popular and spacious venues.
Armed with there own experimental sound, an intriguing live show, and the ever-appealing Lindsey Stamey at the helm, Vertigo desire to communicate their music to increasingly larger audiences. Recent reactions from audiences and critics alike certainly point in that direction.


-Matthew Kayser
- www.wearethemagazine.com

http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=127547998

Vertigo Keeps 'Coming And Going'
May 5, 2009
Story by: Caitlin Balch

Sexy pop newcomers Vertigo have a busy summer ahead of them. Even though the quartet has been playing together since 2001, the Knoxville natives have hidden themselves under indie radar until now. Their sophomore album, The Coming And The Going, will be released via Koch Distribution July 28, and the band recently scored a slot at this summer's Bonnaroo Festival in their home state. Vertigo's first album, And Miles To Go Before We Sleep, was self-released in 2006, and the band supported it with an eight-month tour. "We were so excited to be actually doing this for a living," says lead singer Lindsay Stamey of that era."We just want to be gypsies and tour all the time."

The band, who is currently out on tour, has been peddling their sensual brand of crossover hard rock ever since. "We fit in with both the mainstream and indie acts in our local area and when we go to other places, too," says Stamey. "Some areas take us better than others, but at least they're being entertained." A difficult feat to accomplish, the mass appeal of Vertigo’s somber melodies has paid off as their fan base seems to blossom overnight. As a group that cites influences like the Cure and A Perfect Circle, but has been compared to artists such as Evanescence, the band is an act to judge by its live show as much as by a studio album. Their recklessly emotional live performances are "less physically intense, but we've slammed into each other before."

The only way to find out for yourself is to check out Vertigo during one of the road warriors' many spring and summer shows. Not only will the band be playing Bonnaroo this year, but other festivals like Nashville's Localpalooza and Cleveland's North Coast Music Festival, as well as many stand-alone dates.


- cmj.com

from: http://www.trynewmusic.de/vertigo.html

5 Questions with Joel Rudnick from Vertigo (08.05.2006)
Trynewmusic.de: Why should your music be checked out? What distiguishes you
from other bands out there?
Joel: First off, we don't try to emulate other bands or fit into any current style or
"flavor of the month." We feel that what makes all the bands we like and respect
great is their originality and willingness to explore unchartered territory. That
being said, we do get comparisons to certain bands that have female lead vocals.
This is funny, because we don't listen to said bands or appear to have similar
influences. However, I think this is to be expected, as there are only so many of
them out there. But, overall we simply create from what we feel, regardless of
influence or what others think or compare us to.
Trynewmusic.de: Which experience has musically influenced you the most and
why?
Joel: As a band, finding a common ground of communication between one another
musically. Once you are able to do this, the process of creation is effortless.
Trynewmusic.de: Would you please describe you and your music in 5 words.
Joel: Dark, Complex, Sexual, Affecting, Dramatic
Trynewmusic.de: What's your plan for the future?
Joel: To expand our own musical vocabulary, reach more people, and visit new
places.
Trynewmusic.de: Which 5 albums would you use as the melody of your own
personal soundstrack of life?
Joel:
Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon
Autechre- Tri Repetae
Sunny Day Real Estate- Diary
Radiohead- OK Computer
Fiona Apple- When The Pawn....
http://www.soundofvertigo.com
http://www.trynewmusic.de - www.trynewmusic.de

Bethany Tomkins: Rising Stars of Sundown: Vertigo

No Fear of Heights: Vertigo prepares for Market Square.



Vertigo has some tricks up their sleeves. Not at all quick to reveal them, they fold them out one by one, song by song, as evident on their debut CD, "And Miles To Go Before We Sleep." A savvy band based out of Morristown, they've already got one music video under their belt, and are working on songs for a second album. I recently spoke with their guitarist Joel Rudnick on what makes Vertigo tick.

As with any band, the methods of songwriting begin with an idea, shared with others, that becomes the meat of something much greater. As those ideas near completion, the band works to build on the original idea, adding layers and textures to all of it. "We jam it out and find out exactly what direction it takes, and whether or not we want to alter that direction," Joel explains. "Sometimes it will be done fairly quickly, other times it may take a few practices to get something close to what we're satisfied with."

Recording in a studio seems to sway a band to focus more on their down-pat sound, without variation, or conversely, pushes them to explore even further, with the incentive that studiotime is magic - you only get it for a short while, then you move on to production and release. Joel says, "We basically went into an intensive writing process in which we ended up with about 25 or 30 songs we had to sort through to decide what made the cut and what didn't." Working together for the past few years, Vertigo has culminated a way to sense what works for them, not just what they think people want to hear. Drawing influences from bands like A Perfect Circle and The Cure, they avoid having a label like "metal" or "shoegazing" applied to their style. "We have a difficult time comparing ourselves to other bands," Joel says, adding, "honestly, I couldn't tell you someone I listen to who I think we sound like."

If Vertigo was a color, it'd be a soft green-blue - a color you can almost feel, something cool to a hot temper, of screaming insecurity being quelled by a small hope that something good will come out of it all. Lead singer Lindsey Stamey has a way of singing that lets you know she really means it - no sap, no sugar - with all of her heart. The percussion from a fellow Stamey (her brother, Justin), and bassist Shawn Parella combine to serve as the backbone of the Vertigo sound. They've got something very special, and aren't quick to give it away to the first responder. When I asked about record label shopping, Joel shared a little inside info with me. "We've had some interest from some pretty formidable companies, but we're trying to be smart.. it's a very ruthless business."

Some might say it's good luck, but it seems more apt to put it down to simply being rewarded for their hard work and dedication to their art; either way, this relatively young alt-rock foursome is set to open this Thursday's Sundown In the City. For a free preview of what Vertigo has to offer, check out their MySpace. Included in the on-page media player is a new song, "The Coming and The Going," which was recorded in Joel's South Knox basement studio, as well as the band's music video for "These Adult Bones." Check it out!


- Knoxville 520.com

If a girl wants to be heard above a testosterone-driven rock onslaught, she's gotta have pipes. And when it comes to rustproof titanium vocal equipment, Vertigo frontwoman Lindsey STamey can belt it out with the best of them- and she does, with the borderline-spooky conviction of a born-again church choir and the innocence of a knee-socked schoolgirl. - The Metro Pulse- Feb. 16 2006

Vertigo is an up-and-coming alternative and experimental rock band
from Knoxville,TN. The album is completely amazing with everything a
band needs to succeed on a sophomore album. "The Coming And The Going"
definitely stands tall and is by-far not a sophomoric flop. They
succeed in making it on this album due to the fact it is has fast
paced songs and perfectly interlaced slow songs. The tracks that
definitely stick to me as hits right off the bat(mind you this album
is 14 tracks of pure lyrical genius): Typical, The Anchors In My
Shoes,and Techne. The band definitely needs to be signed on a major
label so they can be touring constantly and show the world what great
music they have to showcase. This Cd is for fans of 10 Years, A Skylit
Drive, and Lacuna Coil. Check out more about this band @
www.myspace.com/listentovertigo


Thanks
John "J.R." Rankin - John "J.R." Rankin

Vertigo
In concert, Vertigo's nightingale front woman Lindsey Stamey is a veritable dervish of restive emotional and creative energies; her disarmingly open stage presence and sweet-but-powerful delivery are worth the modest admission price to this Blue Cats performance all by themselves. But Vertigo is more than just a one-woman show. The four-piece Morristown outfit incorporates swirling guitar textures and flavorings of classic rock, ambient and electronic music in forging something that's familiar, and yet still somehow wholly their own. And if you haven't already, check out the band's fine self-released debut CD, ...And Miles to go before we sleep, available only at the finest record stores near you
www.metropulse.com - Metro Pulse