VIOLET VECTOR AND THE LOVELY LOVELIES
Chapel Hill, NC
photo: David Winton 2007
Bio:
Created in the Sandoz lab under the direction of Dr. Albert
Hoffman, Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies were the result
of an experiment that went very, very right. The details are
hazy, but what we *do* know is that it involved members of
the Shangri-Las, and romantic interludes with various bands
that would later surface on the Nuggets compilation. The Zombies
were playing on the Hi-Fi at the time.
After an idyllic, technicolor youth, spent picnicking in parks,
riding their matching white bicycles around the countryside,
and groundbreaking archaeology work, another mysterious occurrence
sadly scattered them to various corners of the globe. The
only reported connection that occurred during this dark period
seems to have been a dream had by all five members, simultaneously.
In it, Serge Gainsbourg appeared, waving a kaleidoscope. He
told them that the sum of their parts was greater than five,
and that they simply must reunite. Various ley line readings
suggested that the Chapel Hill/Carrboro region of North Carolina
would be ideal.
Amanda was the first to know what to do. The idea came to
her while she was playing in a Kinks cover band that made
frequent visits to Donovan's ashram. She thought, "What
if I reconnected with the Sandoz 5, equipped them with lashings
of knee socks, copious amounts of velvet, and a smattering
of ruffles, then set out on a quest to find the ultimate sunshine
pop song?" The five were reunited immediately, and the
task was assumed.
The expedition was ultimately abandoned, however. It seemed
as though the ultimate pop song had not yet been written.
After a few false starts, they had an epiphany while attending
a secret Raincoats concert held on Sleater-Kinney's lawn.
With marching orders in hand, the reenergized Violet Vector
and the Lovely Lovelies set out to finally WRITE that perfect
sunshine pop song.
To make matters even more perfect, an unearthed will revealed
that Syd Barrett's estate had bequeathed to them a magic combo
organ, complete with rainbow lights, along with a set of equally
intriguing hand bells. A cryptic note was attached offering
no explanation beyond the fact that they would "know
what had to be done" with these treasures.
With each attempt to write their penultimate song, they get
closer to their goal, and their bond grows stronger. No obstacle
can get in their way, though a few bands have tried. As usual,
what those challenges actually were are unclear, but for now
let's just say that offers made to the Pipettes for an ultimate
bar fight have, as of this writing, gone unanswered, even
granting them Dressy Bessy as backup.
Update:
+ EP 1 to be released: March 25, 2008
Band members:
Karen Blanco - organ
Amanda Brooks - guitar, vox
Doug Edmunds - drums, the egg
Cathleen Keyser - bells, glockenspiel,
rattlesnakes, triangle
Alex Maiolo - bass
Releases:
EP 1- HFQ004
Reviews:
"What started as a download
from some music blog first became a persistent earworm, then
turned into a reason for me to commandeer my friends' computers
and force them to visit the band's MySpace page to hear the
track, and finally became the song that most defined my sorta-absurd,
not-as-fun-as-this-song-might-indicate year…[“Can
You Dig It?”] has a girly-girl singer and a loping beat
and judiciously employed cowbells and a chorus of ebullient
voices shouting "yeah!" as if that syllable is the
most wonderful one in the world's entire lexicon and a breakdown
that sounds like fireworks. Yes, fireworks. Maybe that was
a side effect of the whole "falling-in-love-with-it"
thing, but I swear to God I saw them on first listen, and
I still do on the hundredth.”
- Idolator.com [“Can
You Dig It?” named #1 on Idolator’s Top 40 Songs
of 2007]
"You gotta love Violet Vector & the Lovely Lovelies.
You just have to…”Can You Dig It" sounds
like “Pink Hearts Yellow Moons”-era Dressy Bessy
with just a tiny touch more psychedelia and just a dash more
Go-Go's. Boiled down to its most simple elements, it's delightfully
catchy girl pop — like a non-gimmicky Pipettes.”
- youaintnopiccasso.com
"It's not often that you can aptly describe a band as
both retro and refreshing, but we'll make an exception for
this Chapel Hill outfit. Reminiscent of Nikki and the Corvettes,
they also reminded me of everything I love about rock'n' roll…Adorable
as well as exceedingly tight onstage, Violet Vector and Lovely
Lovelies may be the best new band of 2007." - retrolofi.com
"Here in Athens, we pride ourselves on growing our own
talent, and we've got most of the bases covered. Dirt metal?
Got it. Psychedelic rock? Yup. World folk? That too. But we've
been in drastically short supply of sweet, girly pop for years.
North Carolina's Violet Vector & the Lovely Lovelies,
thankfully, swings through Popfest to help us out. The Chapel
Hill band's sound evokes mod haircuts and knee-high boots…and
offer a smattering of keen organ sounds and handclaps aplenty.
Yes."
- Flagpole
"[‘Can You Dig It’ will] turn whatever room
you're in into an ad hoc cheerleading practice."
- maura.com
Booking/Contact:
lovelylovelies [at] gmail [dot] com
Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies
PO Box 441
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Band Website:
myspace.com/violetvectorandthelovelylovelies
LISTEN:
+
tracks from forthcoming EP 1
