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art-punk extremists - Boston band V;
Susan Anway, Matt Burns, Gary Gogel, Joe Cuneo, George Petcoff. V; at rehearsal space, Harley-Davidson shop, Boston. Photo by Mark Alice Durant
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V; you're a weapon
NEW V; CD aYou're A Weapon sstreet date: April 15 2007 Check it out on iTunes, Napster, and most other emusic stores. To get a taste of V; mayhem, listen and buy music here.
Band docs ***** Official docs for the band V; - a post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, USA comprising guitarists Gary Gogel and George Petcoff, drummer Matt Burns, bassist Joe Cuneo and vocalist Susan Anway. Active on the East Coast music scene from 1979-1982, V; decided in 2006 to collect some of their original work on two emusic albums in 2007, and on performance clips featuring a NYC club gig (video), radio interviews, & some raw and rare live cuts. You're A Weapon is the first of the series, featuring 9 songs, and a short end clip of fans at a concert. Early on V;'s 1926 scored an indie hit, with Ich Liebe, Need, and Wardrobes in Hell/You're A Weapon gaining more airplay on commercial rock and punk/metal stations across the US. 1926 was later recorded by Matador artist Thalia Zedek. The V; original, sung by Susan Anway, is here. Anway later recorded two CD albums and two singles in the 90's with Stephin Merritt and Magnetic Fields on Merge, PopUp and Harriett Records. Anway's rendition of of Merritt's 100,000 Fireflies is arguably one of that group's best-known releases. Gogel went on to form the Boston band Nightland. Burns currently plays skins for Boston's The Coffin Lids. The original V; gigged with neo-punk, no wave and experimental groups, like: Boston's Mission of Burma, NYC's Circus Mort, New Order, The Members, Stiv Bators, The Slits, Fred Frith, Martin Atkins (of PiL), at venues including Max's Kansas City, Studio 54, Hurrah's, Boston's Paradise Theater and the infamous Underground. Press *****
"Don't know anything about this particular band, but based on the strength of this single, we can be sure we'll be hearing more soon. It's great...It's hard to aptly convey just what V;'s up to, but you're highly advised to check this one out." Byron Coley, New York Rocker "...because I believe miracles can happen twice, I intend to try them again. Especially since V;, who have an abrasive art-punk single out, are also on the bill." Robert Christgau, Village Voice "V;...play every type of music imaginable, but seem best at straightforward fast and loud punk. They're new, they play a lot, and they have an excellent demo..." Slash Magazine "...Don't Let the Bastards...is a quick, quirky carnival reggae tune that has a great vocal-stutter hook. An accelerating eight note guitar figure starts Wardrobes in Hell, Gogel's agitated ode to travelling wardrobes and self-abuse. With this single, V; should earn the respect they deserve." Tristram Lozaw, Boston Rock Magazine Press/cont'd *****
"Like all compilations, they have their spotty moments as well as their spark of genius...(and) nevertheless yield their own disturbing rewards...Honorable mention to art-punk extremists V;..." David Fricke, Melody Maker - review of Propeller compilation "...V; contributes the most scabrous cuts on the tape. In the Suburbs of the City of Pain, I suppose, explains the band's view of the world, but I like Ich Liebe better because it's a bizarre mix of English and German over screaking, grinding attack. Doug Simmons, Boston Phoenix "...It's finally out! An irresistible cassette sitting on a delectable rack of ribs...the surprise of the tape is V;, a band whose live performances have often been both flauntingly irrepressible and mildly irritating. In the Suburbs of the City of Pain shows them at their best: grinding and twitching round a ska beat, using it to challenge rather than mask. Probably more inviting than even they intended." Michael Hafitz, Boston Rock Magazine Live Press ***** "V; - known mostly for their iconoclastic tendencies while their imaginative approach is all too often ignored, put on a show of their lives. Crisp, original, powerful...you could tell the audience was genuinely impressed." Tristram Lozaw, Take It! Magazine "I used to be extremely disturbed by V;. Either they've improved or I've improved. Anyhow, look for first class rhythmic stuff out of them...I've already raved about...V;...but they deserve more. So go see 'em, okay?" Mike Dreese, Boston Rock Magazine "...Boston band V; opened with a clatter. They utilized surprising bursts of guitar and a crude, distortion-riddled, thick art-punk sound...an obsessive song, driven by an appropriate refrain of I got the need, climaxed in cacophonous glory." Jim Sullivan, Boston Globe
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V; listen loud, listen long
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