The Vivs

In which we revisit four of our favorite Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret" artists.



BY FRED MILLS



At BLURT we remain staunch independent music fans. Just under three years ago we unveiled the BLURT/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret" program to spotlight up-and-coming and under-the-radar indie artists, subsequently profiling 17 worthy bands from all across the U.S. (and even a couple from overseas). Among the acts that knocked our socks off were Chicago's Handcuffs, Boston's Vivs, Austin's Wiretree, and D.C.'s The Public Good; you can click on the links to read the original interviews. Meanwhile, our Best Kept Secret program is ongoing - we'll have our newest pick announced in a few weeks - but since all four of those groups recently issued new records, we thought it would be a golden opportunity to check back in with them and see how their careers have been going. Without further delay, then, let us reintroduce you to...
THE VIVS, Boston MA (Karen Harris, guitar/vocals; Terri Brosius, vocals/keyboards; Mat Magee, guitars; Pete Sutton, bass; Nathan Logus, drums) New record: Why So Dark? Visit the Vivs at their Facebook page.



BLURT: Since you appeared in BLURT, how has your life changed - lucrative endorsement deals, paparazzi stalking you, groupies mobbing you after gigs, etc.?

KAREN HARRIS: The groupies: uncontrollable. Of course....

We've received so much attention and general excellent awesomeness and feedback from the Blurt Best Kept Secret. Practically speaking, your review provided the most specific and right-on description in terms of defining our music, which we have a hard time doing in an "elevator-pitch" sort of way. I think we may be a strange amalgam: of new and old, obscure and not, girl and boy, happy and tortured - and consequently, seems we're not so easy to define genre-wise. Your equation of influences and way of describing the band has been instrumental. Seriously.



Briefly outline some of the things - artistic, personal or otherwise - you've been up to since we ran our BKS feature on you. Any milestones that we should know about?

We've been chugging along steadily since the debut of Mouth to Mouth in late 2009. We got a new bass player - the awesome Pete Sutton (ex-Trona), who also sings, so now we have three-part harmonies! We also got a new drummer, Brett Campbell (from Seks Bomba - also a session guy with Marc Ribot, etc.), who played on the new EP Why So Dark?, and he was awesome. I think he got frustrated with our home-spun way of doing things (he was used to making a lot of money and touring a lot, for example, which is tough with kids and day jobs), and awesome though he was, it made sense to part ways. We now have Nathan Logus. He's perfect - he's played with Baby Ray, John Powhida, Pete Weiss, etc.

After the last CD (which was also so nicely written about in The Boston Globe, Cape Cod Times, and elsewhere!), we proceeded to have another prolific period, wrote a ton of new stuff over the last year and a half (each new song I love more than the last; I love that trajectory) and played a handful of shows around Boston. Reconnected with Bill Goffrier from Big Dipper and Carrie from The Breeders/Ed's Redeeming Qualities last December to play a great benefit show at The Regent Theater here in Arlington - it raised lots of money for The Children's Room, a place for grieving kids.
THE VIVS, Boston MA (Karen Harris, guitar/vocals; Terri Brosius, vocals/keyboards; Mat Magee, guitars; Pete Sutton, bass; Nathan Logus, drums) New record: Why So Dark? Visit the Vivs at their Facebook page.



BLURT: Since you appeared in BLURT, how has your life changed - lucrative endorsement deals, paparazzi stalking you, groupies mobbing you after gigs, etc.?

KAREN HARRIS: The groupies: uncontrollable. Of course....

We've received so much attention and general excellent awesomeness and feedback from the Blurt Best Kept Secret. Practically speaking, your review provided the most specific and right-on description in terms of defining our music, which we have a hard time doing in an "elevator-pitch" sort of way. I think we may be a strange amalgam: of new and old, obscure and not, girl and boy, happy and tortured - and consequently, seems we're not so easy to define genre-wise. Your equation of influences and way of describing the band has been instrumental. Seriously.



Briefly outline some of the things - artistic, personal or otherwise - you've been up to since we ran our BKS feature on you. Any milestones that we should know about?

We've been chugging along steadily since the debut of Mouth to Mouth in late 2009. We got a new bass player - the awesome Pete Sutton (ex-Trona), who also sings, so now we have three-part harmonies! We also got a new drummer, Brett Campbell (from Seks Bomba - also a session guy with Marc Ribot, etc.), who played on the new EP Why So Dark?, and he was awesome. I think he got frustrated with our home-sp - Blurt Magazine

In which we revisit four of our favorite Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret" artists.



BY FRED MILLS



At BLURT we remain staunch independent music fans. Just under three years ago we unveiled the BLURT/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret" program to spotlight up-and-coming and under-the-radar indie artists, subsequently profiling 17 worthy bands from all across the U.S. (and even a couple from overseas). Among the acts that knocked our socks off were Chicago's Handcuffs, Boston's Vivs, Austin's Wiretree, and D.C.'s The Public Good; you can click on the links to read the original interviews. Meanwhile, our Best Kept Secret program is ongoing - we'll have our newest pick announced in a few weeks - but since all four of those groups recently issued new records, we thought it would be a golden opportunity to check back in with them and see how their careers have been going. Without further delay, then, let us reintroduce you to...
THE VIVS, Boston MA (Karen Harris, guitar/vocals; Terri Brosius, vocals/keyboards; Mat Magee, guitars; Pete Sutton, bass; Nathan Logus, drums) New record: Why So Dark? Visit the Vivs at their Facebook page.



BLURT: Since you appeared in BLURT, how has your life changed - lucrative endorsement deals, paparazzi stalking you, groupies mobbing you after gigs, etc.?

KAREN HARRIS: The groupies: uncontrollable. Of course....

We've received so much attention and general excellent awesomeness and feedback from the Blurt Best Kept Secret. Practically speaking, your review provided the most specific and right-on description in terms of defining our music, which we have a hard time doing in an "elevator-pitch" sort of way. I think we may be a strange amalgam: of new and old, obscure and not, girl and boy, happy and tortured - and consequently, seems we're not so easy to define genre-wise. Your equation of influences and way of describing the band has been instrumental. Seriously.



Briefly outline some of the things - artistic, personal or otherwise - you've been up to since we ran our BKS feature on you. Any milestones that we should know about?

We've been chugging along steadily since the debut of Mouth to Mouth in late 2009. We got a new bass player - the awesome Pete Sutton (ex-Trona), who also sings, so now we have three-part harmonies! We also got a new drummer, Brett Campbell (from Seks Bomba - also a session guy with Marc Ribot, etc.), who played on the new EP Why So Dark?, and he was awesome. I think he got frustrated with our home-spun way of doing things (he was used to making a lot of money and touring a lot, for example, which is tough with kids and day jobs), and awesome though he was, it made sense to part ways. We now have Nathan Logus. He's perfect - he's played with Baby Ray, John Powhida, Pete Weiss, etc.

After the last CD (which was also so nicely written about in The Boston Globe, Cape Cod Times, and elsewhere!), we proceeded to have another prolific period, wrote a ton of new stuff over the last year and a half (each new song I love more than the last; I love that trajectory) and played a handful of shows around Boston. Reconnected with Bill Goffrier from Big Dipper and Carrie from The Breeders/Ed's Redeeming Qualities last December to play a great benefit show at The Regent Theater here in Arlington - it raised lots of money for The Children's Room, a place for grieving kids.
THE VIVS, Boston MA (Karen Harris, guitar/vocals; Terri Brosius, vocals/keyboards; Mat Magee, guitars; Pete Sutton, bass; Nathan Logus, drums) New record: Why So Dark? Visit the Vivs at their Facebook page.



BLURT: Since you appeared in BLURT, how has your life changed - lucrative endorsement deals, paparazzi stalking you, groupies mobbing you after gigs, etc.?

KAREN HARRIS: The groupies: uncontrollable. Of course....

We've received so much attention and general excellent awesomeness and feedback from the Blurt Best Kept Secret. Practically speaking, your review provided the most specific and right-on description in terms of defining our music, which we have a hard time doing in an "elevator-pitch" sort of way. I think we may be a strange amalgam: of new and old, obscure and not, girl and boy, happy and tortured - and consequently, seems we're not so easy to define genre-wise. Your equation of influences and way of describing the band has been instrumental. Seriously.



Briefly outline some of the things - artistic, personal or otherwise - you've been up to since we ran our BKS feature on you. Any milestones that we should know about?

We've been chugging along steadily since the debut of Mouth to Mouth in late 2009. We got a new bass player - the awesome Pete Sutton (ex-Trona), who also sings, so now we have three-part harmonies! We also got a new drummer, Brett Campbell (from Seks Bomba - also a session guy with Marc Ribot, etc.), who played on the new EP Why So Dark?, and he was awesome. I think he got frustrated with our home-sp - Blurt Magazine

I am simply blown away... an extremely accomplished piece of mature pop artistry which ought to lift Karen Harris and company into the ranks of the Purest of Pop Purveyors. Residing there already are local talents like Aimee Mann and Merrie Amsterburg, but Edith rocks harder than either of them do... The pleasure rivals that of my personal savior Richard Thompson. This is high praise. �

Bow Dubrow (WMBR, Noise, Kimchee Records) - Bob Dubrow

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2009/09/25/singer_songwriter_from_edith_finds_a_new_desire_to_create____and_a_new_band/?s_campaign=8315 - The Boston Globe

...front-woman Karen Harris vamps and chants as if she’s stepped back into the salad days of the New York punk scene [with a] free-form, rough-hewn sound that perfectly frames [her] gritty delivery. �

— Billboard Magazine - Billboard Magazine

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2009/09/21/the_vivs_mouth_to_mouth/ - The Boston Globe

January 1, 2010

http://wap.boston.com/art/24/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2010/01/01/inspirations_from_the_local_beat/?single=1 - The Boston Globe

January 1, 2010

http://wap.boston.com/art/24/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2010/01/01/inspirations_from_the_local_beat/?single=1 - The Boston Globe

#6, right after Bob Dylan; above Pearl Jam!

- Cape Cod Times

#6, right after Bob Dylan; above Pearl Jam!

- Cape Cod Times

The other thing about this band is that Harris has the lyrics, and I would advise you to acquire the album and study them (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thevivs), ‘cos they’re printed in a CD insert — kind of old school, y’know? Based on the crowd reaction, the big songs would seem to be the openers on the CD, “Waking Up” and “Eiffel Tower,” but take it from me, the best songs are “Falling off the Wagon” and “Take it on the Chin.”

-esquivalience.com
- esquivalience.com

By Fred Mills

The BLURT staff put our heads (and ears) together and we have the latest (October 2009) pick for our Blurt/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret": it's Boston rockers The Vivs.

Featuring a lineup comprising assorted veterans of the Boss-town scene - several of the players gained regional fame in the ‘90s with Tribe, while early this century the Vivs initially came together under the moniker Edith - the group has a tough-as-nails sound that tilts towards distaff powerpop (think Patti Smith meets Bettie Serveert) while deploying stealth hooks a la classic postpunk outfits of the early ‘80s.

The lineup:

Karen Harris- Guitar/Vox
Terri Brosius- Keys/Vox
Matt Magee- Guitar
Jim Collins- Bass
Scott Rogers- Drums

On Sept. 22 they issued their debut album Mouth to Mouth, which they proudly describe as frontloaded with "songs you want to play loud" - indeed, that pretty much nails it, from the anthemic grandeur of "Falling off the Wagon (Onto You)" and the strummy, Beatlesque psych of "Waking Up" to the soaring girlgroup-styled pop of "Eiffel Tower" and the sassy, swaggering "Better Now." Throughout, frontwoman Karen Harris and keyboardist Terri Brosius serve up what they call "yin/yang vocals" and that's an apt description as well ‘cos there's a whole lotta chemistry going on here. Fun fact for all you Boston scenewatchers: producing and guesting on guitar on Mouth to Mouth are Eric Brosius from Tribe and David Minehan from the late, great Neighborhoods.

We'll have an interview with the band posted to the site shortly. Check out the band's MySpace page for song samples, tour dates and more. And congratulations to The Vivs. They're one of the good ‘uns, trust us.

- Blurt Magazine

By Fred Mills. The BLURT staff put our heads - and ears - together and we have the latest pick for our Blurt/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret": it's Boston area quintet The Vivs. True to the hometown tradition, the two-gal/three-guy combo is steeped in rock ‘n' roll classicism: one hears clear echoes of distaff-tilting power pop a la Holly & The Italians, Blondie, Bettie Serveert and fellow Beantowners Throwing Muses and Juliana Hatfield, but there's an additional, enticing, litany of influences brewing too, ranging from the angular punk of Television to the brainy sonic extrapolations of Yo La Tengo to the vintage garage and pop of the British Invasion.



The Vivs initially appeared on the scene in the late ‘90s operating under the name Edith and recording the 2000 album Outfit. No long afterwards, however, the group went into hibernation as family matters (see below) beckoned. When the decision was made to resume operations, they decided to make the name switch and start completely anew. The lineup consists of: Karen Harris - Guitar/Vox; Terri Brosius - Keys/Vox; Matt Magee - Guitar; Jim Collins - Bass; Scott Rogers - Drums.



The resulting Mouth To Mouth (Let's Records), recorded with local music legends Eric Brosius (Tribe) and David Minehan (The Neighborhoods), was issued in September to much local acclaim, and all predictors are that with a little push and a little luck The Vivs could become one of this year's under-the-radar breakouts on the national scene.



It's not hard to hear why, based on the recorded evidence. "Waking Up" has a Beatlesque quality; if Patti Smith had teamed up with George Harrison, it might sound like this. "Eiffel Tower" is full of desire and longing and wanderlust and boasts one of the best femme-pop hooks since the heyday of early ‘80s New Wave. Trainspotters will geek out over the rock-cult namechecks dotting the anthemic "Take It On the Chin" ("Tom Verlaine singing ‘See No Evil''; "Jonathan Richman lives on the... astral plane"; etc.). And "(You Should Have Seen) The Other Guy" - currently featured on the BLURT music player elsewhere on this page - has, amid its buoyant hooks and soaring Harris/Brosius harmonies, a twinned grace and drama that's impossible not to fall for. Sings Harris, in a voice that's defiant yet vulnerable:



If you think I look bad,
you should have seen the other guy.
You think this is so sad,
but you can't remember why.
I have a gnawing feeling
this is not the way to go.
Which tangle of voices do I listen to?
I don't know.



It's an utterly inspiring moment, and as a music fan I'll confess I'm having a hard time getting this and the rest of the tunes out of my head. Mouth To Mouth has both an immediacy and a sleeper-like quality, and I'd urge anyone with even a passing interest in the artists and styles I've been describing give the band a listen. They're among the good guys, trust us on that.



You can investigate further at their MySpace and Facebook pages. Meanwhile, Harris and Magee agreed to sit for the proverbial BLURT grilling session...



***



BLURT: What were some early musical inspirations? When and how did Edith come together?



Karen: Mission of Burma, Scrawl, The Feelies, The Kinks, The Pixies, Neil Young, Marianne Faithfull, Sandy Denny, Graham Parker.



Matt: Most of us were in a band called Edith before, at some time or another. Terri was in the Boston band Tribe back in the ‘90s, and guest starred in Edith. Now she's all the way in.



Edith released Outfit in 2000 but then went on what your bio calls "breeding hiatus." Was it strictly due to the personal things being tended to, or was there a conscious feeling of having done all you could do as Edith at that point?



Karen: For me, it was both. My daughter was born in 2001, my son in 2003. Music climbed not just into the backseat, but the wayback. Then, as my kids - and Terri's; her daughter's the same age - got around to needing me less, I turned one day to the guitar, like "oh yeah-you. I like you." Especially after I had a couple mini-crises; songwriting's very handy, then. So, I nose-dived back in- 4 songs, then 6, then 10. And The Vivs happened.



Matt: For my part, it was during Outfit that my breeding hiatus got started. And it wasn't so much a need to end doing Edith as it was a need to focus on doing some other things: be married, buy a place, have kids, work a lot.



Why come back under a new name if the band had most of the same members as before?



Matt: I think having Terri full-time in the band really does change what the band is, the way the music sounds, the dynamic between the members. So it feels appropriate to me that we have a new name.



Karen: Yup. Vivs. Vivir. Or a coupla girls.



Tell me a little about the album. I'm also curious to know how Karen and Terri work together as vocalists. And what did Eric Brosius and David Minehan bring to the table?



K - Blurt Magazine (Feature/Interview)

By Fred Mills. The BLURT staff put our heads - and ears - together and we have the latest pick for our Blurt/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret": it's Boston area quintet The Vivs. True to the hometown tradition, the two-gal/three-guy combo is steeped in rock ‘n' roll classicism: one hears clear echoes of distaff-tilting power pop a la Holly & The Italians, Blondie, Bettie Serveert and fellow Beantowners Throwing Muses and Juliana Hatfield, but there's an additional, enticing, litany of influences brewing too, ranging from the angular punk of Television to the brainy sonic extrapolations of Yo La Tengo to the vintage garage and pop of the British Invasion.



The Vivs initially appeared on the scene in the late ‘90s operating under the name Edith and recording the 2000 album Outfit. No long afterwards, however, the group went into hibernation as family matters (see below) beckoned. When the decision was made to resume operations, they decided to make the name switch and start completely anew. The lineup consists of: Karen Harris - Guitar/Vox; Terri Brosius - Keys/Vox; Matt Magee - Guitar; Jim Collins - Bass; Scott Rogers - Drums.



The resulting Mouth To Mouth (Let's Records), recorded with local music legends Eric Brosius (Tribe) and David Minehan (The Neighborhoods), was issued in September to much local acclaim, and all predictors are that with a little push and a little luck The Vivs could become one of this year's under-the-radar breakouts on the national scene.



It's not hard to hear why, based on the recorded evidence. "Waking Up" has a Beatlesque quality; if Patti Smith had teamed up with George Harrison, it might sound like this. "Eiffel Tower" is full of desire and longing and wanderlust and boasts one of the best femme-pop hooks since the heyday of early ‘80s New Wave. Trainspotters will geek out over the rock-cult namechecks dotting the anthemic "Take It On the Chin" ("Tom Verlaine singing ‘See No Evil''; "Jonathan Richman lives on the... astral plane"; etc.). And "(You Should Have Seen) The Other Guy" - currently featured on the BLURT music player elsewhere on this page - has, amid its buoyant hooks and soaring Harris/Brosius harmonies, a twinned grace and drama that's impossible not to fall for. Sings Harris, in a voice that's defiant yet vulnerable:



If you think I look bad,
you should have seen the other guy.
You think this is so sad,
but you can't remember why.
I have a gnawing feeling
this is not the way to go.
Which tangle of voices do I listen to?
I don't know.



It's an utterly inspiring moment, and as a music fan I'll confess I'm having a hard time getting this and the rest of the tunes out of my head. Mouth To Mouth has both an immediacy and a sleeper-like quality, and I'd urge anyone with even a passing interest in the artists and styles I've been describing give the band a listen. They're among the good guys, trust us on that.



You can investigate further at their MySpace and Facebook pages. Meanwhile, Harris and Magee agreed to sit for the proverbial BLURT grilling session...



***



BLURT: What were some early musical inspirations? When and how did Edith come together?



Karen: Mission of Burma, Scrawl, The Feelies, The Kinks, The Pixies, Neil Young, Marianne Faithfull, Sandy Denny, Graham Parker.



Matt: Most of us were in a band called Edith before, at some time or another. Terri was in the Boston band Tribe back in the ‘90s, and guest starred in Edith. Now she's all the way in.



Edith released Outfit in 2000 but then went on what your bio calls "breeding hiatus." Was it strictly due to the personal things being tended to, or was there a conscious feeling of having done all you could do as Edith at that point?



Karen: For me, it was both. My daughter was born in 2001, my son in 2003. Music climbed not just into the backseat, but the wayback. Then, as my kids - and Terri's; her daughter's the same age - got around to needing me less, I turned one day to the guitar, like "oh yeah-you. I like you." Especially after I had a couple mini-crises; songwriting's very handy, then. So, I nose-dived back in- 4 songs, then 6, then 10. And The Vivs happened.



Matt: For my part, it was during Outfit that my breeding hiatus got started. And it wasn't so much a need to end doing Edith as it was a need to focus on doing some other things: be married, buy a place, have kids, work a lot.



Why come back under a new name if the band had most of the same members as before?



Matt: I think having Terri full-time in the band really does change what the band is, the way the music sounds, the dynamic between the members. So it feels appropriate to me that we have a new name.



Karen: Yup. Vivs. Vivir. Or a coupla girls.



Tell me a little about the album. I'm also curious to know how Karen and Terri work together as vocalists. And what did Eric Brosius and David Minehan bring to the table?



K - Blurt Magazine (Feature/Interview)

AUGUSTA, GA - Formed from the remains of Boston-based band Edith, the five person band simply called the Vivs release their debut album "Mouth to Mouth." Full of jangly guitar and thought-provoking female vocals, the Vivs sound a little like early New York punk (the cover of the album looks very similar to "Marquee Moon" by Television) with an early-90’s alternative bend to their sound.

Keeping a Breeders-esque alternative feel but reducing it to baser Blondie-style New York punk, the Vivs are low-key yet emotionally driven indie rock. “(You Should Have Seen) The Other Guy” has a catchy, melodic, college rock beat with clangy, out-front guitar work. Lead singer Karen Harris channels a retro '80s vocal style that works wonderfully with the pop hooks of the song. Moody, dark, yet at other times very light with some excellent musicianship, the Vivs bring to mind bands like the Pixies. Warbling guitar work defines the Vivs, backing up the standalone vocals.

Other tracks like “Better Now” channel country music, filtering it with the rock ‘n’ roll soaked, dingy nightclub sensation. It carries an alt-country sound, blending it with the signature husky enticing voice of Harris. The kind of straight-out, no-holds-barred rock ‘n’ roll that sounds best in an ill-lit bar down a bad street. Really gritty, old school-inspired street-smart rock.

“Falling off the Wagon” starts off with a strong backbeat and immediately delivers with those Marianne Faithfull-style vocals. Once again, this song pushes the hard-driving sound right in the listener’s face, forcing them to pay attention to the chops and guitar licks. Even when their tunes drop out into soft singing, the Vivs build an anticipation that keeps toes tapping and heads nodding.

More than just a bar band, the Vivs herald back to a time when rock was defining itself. Often described as a post-punk band, the Vivs display all the musical skill of the early-New York punk scene but mixed with a very up-to-date alternative sound, creating some strong hooks and sing-along songs that remain long after the CD has stopped spinning.
- Metro Spirit, Augusta, GA

AUGUSTA, GA - Formed from the remains of Boston-based band Edith, the five person band simply called the Vivs release their debut album "Mouth to Mouth." Full of jangly guitar and thought-provoking female vocals, the Vivs sound a little like early New York punk (the cover of the album looks very similar to "Marquee Moon" by Television) with an early-90’s alternative bend to their sound.

Keeping a Breeders-esque alternative feel but reducing it to baser Blondie-style New York punk, the Vivs are low-key yet emotionally driven indie rock. “(You Should Have Seen) The Other Guy” has a catchy, melodic, college rock beat with clangy, out-front guitar work. Lead singer Karen Harris channels a retro '80s vocal style that works wonderfully with the pop hooks of the song. Moody, dark, yet at other times very light with some excellent musicianship, the Vivs bring to mind bands like the Pixies. Warbling guitar work defines the Vivs, backing up the standalone vocals.

Other tracks like “Better Now” channel country music, filtering it with the rock ‘n’ roll soaked, dingy nightclub sensation. It carries an alt-country sound, blending it with the signature husky enticing voice of Harris. The kind of straight-out, no-holds-barred rock ‘n’ roll that sounds best in an ill-lit bar down a bad street. Really gritty, old school-inspired street-smart rock.

“Falling off the Wagon” starts off with a strong backbeat and immediately delivers with those Marianne Faithfull-style vocals. Once again, this song pushes the hard-driving sound right in the listener’s face, forcing them to pay attention to the chops and guitar licks. Even when their tunes drop out into soft singing, the Vivs build an anticipation that keeps toes tapping and heads nodding.

More than just a bar band, the Vivs herald back to a time when rock was defining itself. Often described as a post-punk band, the Vivs display all the musical skill of the early-New York punk scene but mixed with a very up-to-date alternative sound, creating some strong hooks and sing-along songs that remain long after the CD has stopped spinning.
- Metro Spirit, Augusta, GA