VIVIAN GIRLS PLAY SNEAKY DEES (431 COLLEGE) AUG 6 WITH CRYSTAL STILTS, TEENANGER, THE PINK NOISE. 9PM. $8.
Brooklyn-area trio Vivian Girls have been on an upswing for some months now, perhaps attributable to an array of singles with low print runs, as well as timely opening slots for the likes of TV on the Radio, Jay Reatard and King Khan. The likeliest reason for interest in the band is their sound: a megacity-style amalgam of garage-rock stomp and haunting, atmospheric spook-rock. It could also be the fact that there are two other groups named Vivian Girls, and people get confused. With a re-release of their self-titled debut LP on In The Red, a summer tour and an appearance providing backup vocals on Fucked Up’s upcoming Chemistry of Common Life LP for Matador, the Girls’ profile is set to rise like yeast. I spoke with guitarist/singer Cassie Ramone about confusion, their sound and much, much more.
Is it A PAIN TO share your name with other bands?
We don’t feel particularly threatened by the other Vivian Girls. When we first started out we felt a little weirder about it, because we had to pick a name really quickly to put on a flyer for our first show. [We realized] after the fact that there were other bands with the name. I thought Hawaii would be a good band name for us, but it would be impossible to Google!
Do you enjoy touring? Are there any cities on your “no go” list?
We love touring. It’s such a blast getting to hang out with your friends in every city, and we love playing shows, so getting to play a show every night is awesome. We would probably tour anywhere, as long as there was no risk of us getting some weird disease from drinking the water.
What is the dynamic between the three of you? Is there a band dad, OR a band ODB? Is there a band Sting?
Our dynamic is based around bad jokes and having fun, but still taking care of business and being as active as possible. [Bassist Kickball] Katy’s definitely the dad — she takes care of most of the business and keeps everyone informed about what’s going on. Although none of us get nearly as unruly as Ol’ Dirty, I would guess that I’d probably be band ODB just because I’m really good at getting myself into strange and crazy situations. We just got a new drummer, our friend Ali, and hopefully she’ll be able to fill Sting’s shoes in our band.
How did the sound you cultivate come about?
We were recording with Mike and Craig from Hunchback, a great Brooklyn/New Jersey band, and when the time came to record backup vocals they suggested putting on a sound effect that was similar to the reverb we use today. Then our friend told us we sounded kind of like Black Tambourine, so we checked them out and loved them — we took a lot of cues from their sound and made it our own.
Your music has a tinge of melancholy. Are you goth?
[Laughing.] No! I think I just let my romantic relationships get to me too much, so I always end up writing a million sad songs about them.