Vidi Vitties
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~ V I D I _V I T T I E S~
Vidi Vitties performing at Bates Motel, during SXSW 1998, Austin, TX
Splendid E-Zine
Vidi Vitties are one of many great groups that seem to be appearing on Mother
West these days. Their self-titled debut, along with their presence in the
film Polyp And Corbin Take Over, show a highly individualistic band willing
to be funny, psychedelic and political, as evidenced through the lovely education-system-sucks-song,
"Soap And Water".
For me, the humorous songs are most wonderful, especially "Hello Mosquito"
("Another mosquito's life is gone/Such is the scale of things/No one
went to jail for it"). While some bands settle for raising just a smile,
Vidi Vitties take this and most of the songs through Grateful Dead territory,
and, if you're a bit like me, the lazy swirls of the guitars will have you
pondering these silly rants far more than you'll want to admit. ...an exciting
new band with a great sound that displays earnest affection for both past
and present-day pop.
-Theodore Defosse
Vividzine
If I hadn't put this on the turntable myself, I might have thought that this
was a long-lost Pixies b-side (Surfer Rosa era), but both "Sophie's Choice"
and "Last Week's Recording" are traditionally poppier (especially
"Last Week's Recording") than what the Pixies ever did. I
don't know, there's just something Pixies-like to 'em. I haven't been
listening to anything but this and a few mix tapes I made a long time ago.
Nothing has been thrilling me lately, so hopefully the Vidi Vitties
will put some more stuff out.
- shane
Tailspins
This 4-piece from Austin continue to hold high that city's reputation for
uncompromising and indefinable rock with their second 7". They make higher
concept guitar (or as they say "guit/art") rock that sounds jingle/jangle
in some places and psychedelic in others. "Shuck and Jive" has a
slight tex-mex instrumental feel to it and just when you think it's going
to end, a lone guitar creeps back in accompanied by the most honest male singing
voice I've heard in awhile. "Hello Mosquito" is a strange requiem
for a dead insect, melancholy (love that slide guitar) and extremely psychedelic
with some layered female vocals. Four songs total, this record was the bright
spot on an otherwise bleak record reviewing day.
- Dave Bellard
bryan nelson (our recording engineer) at sweatbox studios, austin, tx.
Go Metric
More indie pop magic from Peek-a-Boo. I am assuming that the A-side is not
based on the Meryl Streep flick of the same name. I am not a big fan of Ms.
Streep's work and will simply accept the song as the fine pice of work that
it is. The flipside is also a winner... reminiscent of The Spinanes, Shrimpboat,
or Unrest (with some surf mixed in too).
86 Pounds of Punk
The Vidi Vitties performed their playful reverbed-out songs for us as we danced
and shouted in clumsy euphoria.
Splendid E-Zine
Craving guitars in small doses? You'll thrill to Vidi Vitties, whose minimal
guitar sound is infinitely variable... quirky rock with deceptively simple
melodies.
-gz
Acid Attack
4 piece unit from Austin Texas have their own unique brand of "collage,
or is it art, or is it psych rock", a mixture of everything and anything,
you get a mix of male and female vocals, U2-like guitar one minute, Zappa-style
breaks the next, with a more indie style pop base on other tracks. Tracks
of note are "Foley's", one of the more (non)mainstream tracks that
may (or may not) get some play. "Soap and Water", a sort of post
revolution pop national anthem, "Sophie's Choice", a barn dance
favorite, and "Macromedia, Pharmaco and You". Vidi Vitties have
an abilty to make avant-garde-pop for the masses, okay for those who are open
enough to give them a go!
Ink Nineteen
Art rock with some early New Wave influences (Talking Heads and Television,
for example) with no distortion and guitars going from indie-scratch to sometimes
quite pretty.
-Brian Kruger
l to r: jennifer saez, ryan weston, bryan nelson, corbin
supak, mark dickey
at flamingo cantina boy's bathroom, austin, tx.
photo by Amy Bowman
