Know Your NYC Bands: Vivian Girls Interview
BeatCrave is extremely proud to bring you an interview with Brooklyn-based band, Vivian Girls, as a part of our new Know Your NYC Bands series. Starting out in garage punk bands in their original New Jersey homes a little over a year ago, Vivian Girls decided to try out the Brooklyn scene. Their initial attempt turned them into underground rock queens over night. After putting out a simple homemade demo on an everyday CD-R, fans couldn’t get enough of the down to earth girls playing their Shangri-La pop melodies over Jesus and Mary Chain reverb and the sweet noise combination reminiscent of The Vaselines.
Vivian Girls may be bad ass without even trying because they’ve got some simple substance in their songwriting that is undeniably infectious. Punk, post-punk, shoegaze are also all mixed in there as they’ve become experts at blurring genre lines. The fuzziness of it all has a charm to it and one can only conclude three things: Great bangs, great vocals, great sound.
For those of you in Philadelphia area, try your hardest to catch their show tomorrow night (Saturday, the 18th) at The Barbary with Fucked Up, which starts at 8:00pm. It’ll be sweet – as in any interpretation of that term you’d like. Until then, check out our exclusive interview with guitarist/vocalist, Cassie Ramone and new drummer/vocalist, Ali Koehle. We’ve also included their latest video, “Tell The World” for your viewing pleasure.
What was it like going from New Jersey to Brooklyn, where it is so heavily populated with a music scene?
Cassie: New Jersey also has a pretty solid music scene, it just has different kinds of music. For me the move was intimidating at first; I was a Pratt freshman and the Brooklyn music scene seemed impenetrable. But then I just went to a lot of Todd P shows and after a few months, I found a great community and a solid group of friends.
Ali: I’ve gone to an equal amount of shows in New Jersey and Brooklyn and still do. The scene in New Jersey is very much alive heavily populated, and has a ton of crossover.
Is a lineup change as dramatic as some fans may seem to think it is?
Cassie: It has definitely changed our band dynamic but only in a positive way.
Ali: Dramatically better.
It seems like you’ve been touring non-stop. When do you manage to write new songs?
Cassie: We try to write like one or two songs a month, sometimes more. Sometimes we write or work on songs when we’re on the road if we ever find an acoustic guitar lying around or luck out with a super long soundcheck.
Ali: We listen to demos on the road in the car and try to come up with stuff, or at the very least learn how the song goes.
There are other groups named “Vivian Girls.” Why did you choose to keep the name?
Cassie: Because it was too late to change it.
You guys are pretty bad ass. Should young teen girls be looking up to you or getting in trouble for wanting to be like you?
Cassie: Other than the fact that we have tons of tattoos and stuff, we are fairly wholesome. None of us do drugs or sleep around. We are notorious troublemakers, however, and are always scheming up a plan. When I was in high school my friends’ parents got mad at me for making them miss curfew all the time.
Ali: We may not fit into a typical image of “good girls” but we are not wild or self destructive by any means. So we certainly wouldn’t be BAD role models per se. We’re just nerds with bad tattoos who make bad jokes.
You guys made only 500 copies of your first album and unfortunately for fans, it wasn’t enough. There was little promotion for it, so what was your secret?
Cassie: I have no idea how it happened. I think it was mostly just a bunch of people casually shopping online who were like “Oh yeah, I’ll pick it up,” and then it just sold out like that.
The CD-R demo was auctioned off for a really high price on eBay. Katy, you’ve mentioned the fact that if you had any left and someone else really wanted one, all she or he had to do was MySpace you guys and ask for it in order for you to send it. Does this offer still stand?
Cassie: We pretty much threw all of those away after our first 7″ came out… Whoops.
Your sound seems to lean more towards a garage punk sound, so why do you think people often compare you to the C86 sound?
Cassie: I have no idea. I agree with you though. Maybe the listener assumes something like “pop songs + distortion + reverb = C86!!” but that’s not what we were going for at all.
Ali: The reverb and the innocence I assume.
What do you think the New York music scene has over other scenes (such as LA, Chicago, Austin)?
Cassie: Nothing. Austin and LA both have great music scenes that seem similar to the one happening in New York right now. I leave out Chicago because everyone I’m friends with who lives there tells me that all the scenes are really separated over there – like everyone has cliques and they stick with them hardcore. Everyone in New York has groups too but it’s very integrated and everyone hangs out with everyone else, which I like. Chicago still has good music though.
Quick Fire Round:
What’s your favorite place/venue to play in NY?
Cassie: Death By Audio or Silent Barn.
Where’s the best place to get hammered?
Cassie: Daddy’s is great cause it’s right near my house.
Ali: Your living room. It’s cheaper, plus you don’t have to listen to shitty music or see shitty people.
What’s your cure for a hangover?
Cassie: Drinking lots of Diet Coke.
Ali: Sleeping.
The term “hipster:” Offensive or don’t care about it?
Cassie: Don’t care about it. I think it’s a dumb term and really overused, but far from offensive.
Ali: Obnoxious and meaningless.
Tell us one thing about yourself we probably don’t already know.
Cassie: I chipped my front teeth three times and I have a Germs burn.
Ali: I’m a natural blond.
Interview Photography courtesy of Force Field
