Viva Non

Viva Non might be a relatively new name in the Canadian music landscape, but the man behind the moniker is not. James Hofer cut his teeth in the hardcore-punk scene, playing guitar with Burn Your World and doing lead vocals for Extract—both bands are still active, but Hofer admits he doesn’t do much in Extract when he’s on tour for Viva Non, since the yelling can be hard on his voice—while briefly dabbling with synthesizers in a solo post-punk endeavour under the Will To Power name. That primer to synth-heavy music is what led Hofer to the “collaborative solo project” of Viva Non.

“I always thought I would do something on the side, something that was less aggressive,” Hofer says over the phone from his Winnipeg homebase. “It’s also really nice being in a solo project: I can do whatever I want with this band. … I can push this as hard as I want. I don’t have to rely on anybody. That was a main reason in choosing to take this from a side project to being my main thing.”

Hofer is about to head out on tour along with friend Dylan Hunter, who will provide support on synthesizers, for the upcoming release of Viva Non’s debut album, Pure, which is due out on Aprl 15.

“I feel like I haven’t shown my true colours in a really long time,” he says. “I can show people what I’m about musically now, and it feels on par.”

Hofer took the liberty of executing a 13-month long “filtration process” that involved adjusting songs, eliminating songs and creating new ones to conceptualize his artistic vision—Hofer loves and appreciates visual art, so he created this album in the hopes of conceptualizing art in a musical sense—which he defines as a “duality between beauty and sadness.”

“I love music that has both those elements in there. That was the main starting point: simple music that explores the duality of trying to be as beautiful as possible, while still being realistic, like life isn’t always just rainbows,” he explains. “Having some kind of sadness is pretty important”

To achieve the contrast between beauty and sadness, Hofer took inspiration from fashion designers, specifically Rick Owens. His collections are more than just tangible items of clothing that can be worn on the body: they are often viewed as a purely esthetic art form. The whole album captures that minimal concept in that it is carefully pieced together to simulate an artwork.

“[The songs are] each a single-word statement. They stand on their own,” he says. “They’re not meaningless at all, and they fit with the songs perfectly. I like when titles are very clear, precise, to the point, and what more is to the point than a single word?”

Pure is like a trip back to the 1980s—minus the big hair and neon colours—when bands like New Order and Depeche Mode rocked the airwaves. (Simultaneously, it’s those bands that Hofer was influenced by in the creation of Viva Non). It’s synth-pop meets broody, romantic charm: the debut single “DFA” (which stands for “Dark Fashion/Art”) encapsulates the aforementioned arts esthetic that Hofer was trying to achieve as a whole on the album. But there’s some contrast in there, too, with tracks like “Nothing,” which is a loud banger that alludes to Hofer’s punk past, while “Internally” has a new-gaze sound to it, thanks in part to the duet with Basic Nature’s Elizabeth Burt.

Hofer acknowledges that while synth-based groups aren’t the most technical musicians out there, it was the passion bands like New Order and Depeche Mode had in their music that drove him to further pursue the Viva Non project.

“They weren’t the most talented musicians in the world, but there was so much heart in the music. And that’s what really comes across,” he explains. “I get bugged when musicians’s main schtick is how technical they are or how talented they are. It’s great when they are those things and they have a heart behind the music. But I personally think it’s the heart that matters, and that’s where I’m coming from with my music.”

Fri, Apr 15 (7 pm)
With Moon Muesem, Primose Hawkmouth
Local Omnivore, $10 - Vue Weekly

Another Westerner shaking things up is Winnipeg synth-pop artist Viva Non (aka James Hofer). The unabashed romanticist is set to release debut album Pure Friday, April 15th through Sundowning Records.Viva Non will celebrate the new release with a hometown Album Release Show on April 13th at The Handsome Daughter. Right after which Hofer and his ecelctic electronica set off to tour Canada.through to April 26th.

Pureis the debut recordfrom James Hofer as Viva Non andis filled with romantic, synth-heavy pop music.This is a modern sounding album, butit grabs its influences from 80's new wave/new romantic acts like New Order, Morrisey and OMD.Analogue synthesizers, drum programming and the dynamic voice ofproducer James Hofer are the simple elements that make up theentirety of the album.Hofer has his musical roots in hardcore punk (playing guitar in Burn Your World, vocals in Extract). In 2013, he started playing with synthesizers and released ethereal post-punk music under the moniker The Will To Power. Through gaining experience in production and changing musical styles, The Will To Power eventually evolved into his current project Viva Non and it's been a rewarding creative process for Hofer.

"I'm proud of the record in its entirety," said Hofer. "I've been playing music in different bands for a long time and I've always just released demos and shorter EPs. Working on a full length is different. It has to be cohesive, but variant enough to remain interesting throughout. I accomplished my musical/aesthetic vision for this album and it feels great!"

The lead single from Viva Non's debut albumPure is the edgy track 'DFA'. The idea for the song comes from Hofer's strong love of artthat has an edge/attitude to it: "Even if it's a pop song, I very much appreciate an intentionally provocative element. This idea plays out so well in the work of certain fashion designers. A piece of clothing can be simultaneously beautiful and edgy, I love that. 'DFA' stands for 'Dark Fashion/Art'. It is essentially a love song for this concept." Viva Non is currently finishing up the video for 'DFA' which is expected to have its premiere in early April.

VIVA NON // UPCOMING CANADIAN TOUR DATES

April 13 - Winnipeg, MB - The Handsome Daughter (Album Release Show)
April 14 - Saskatoon, SK - Vangelis Tavern
April 15 - Edmonton, AB - Local Omnivore
April 16 - Calgary, AB - The Red Room
April 21 - Toronto, ON - Smiling Buddha
April 22 - Ajax, ON - Rotilicious
April 23 - London, ON - The Foam Doam
April 26 - Peterborough, ON - The Spill - Cashbox

The dream of the 80s is alive in Winnipeg, at least it is for producer James Hofer and his new musical project, Viva Non. Hofer started out in hardcore punk bands, but his heart’s been softened by synths and silky singing à la Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

“DFA” is his new, romantic, take on a much revered/reviled genre, aimed squarely at the edgy and dark aesthetic that made synth pop so scintillating in its heyday. The title stands for “Dark Fashion/Art”, in reference to beautiful, provocative objets d’art. The song’s crystal clear production makes it shine like a polished bauble, while ragged blasts of uneven synths provide the grit and grime. Imagine the porcelain synths of Violator scratched up by Black Celebration and you’ll have a sense of Viva Non’s mode of operation.

“DFA” is take from Viva Non’s new LP, Pure, out now on Sundowning Records. - Quick Before It Melts