LUCIDMEDIA

New Direction, New Album, New Moustache: Vanna’s New Path for 2009

Written by Rachel Rain Packota Monday, 01 June 2009 08:38

"Shawn's totally serious about his moustache," confides Chris Preece, vocalist for Boston-based hardcore act Vanna, ratting out his bassist's somewhat bizarre hobby.

"He waxes it, and curls it. It's like his baby,” says fellow band member, Nick Lambert, guitarist, leaning in to add his own juicy tidbit to the gossip. “Epitaph actually politely asked us to shave for the last promo photo we did... Shawn was really bent out of shape about it"

"He has products for it, not just wax, like generic hair wax... he has moustache wax, [and] a moustache comb, it's like, maybe an inch wide," adds Lambert holding out two fingers to indicate the miniscule size of said-grooming implement.

Preece howls with laughter as I glance across the room where our subject of gossip, Shawn Marquis, lurks by the refreshment table with the lanky frontman of Oh, Sleeper, another supporting act on the tour. Quite evident above Marquis' upper lip is the mustachio of our discussion: golden, waxed, and curled 'just so' as one might imagine the facial hair of a spoofed Italian barber to appear.

"If he doesn't have his 'Moustache Session' every couple of days - to take care of it, comb it out - he starts acting all ornery", claims Preece, rolling his eyes good-naturedly as Lambert chuckles fondly. Well, I believe him.

It's very easy to be drawn into the charms of Vanna. Preece, Lambert, and Marquis - along with Evan Pharmakis on guitar and Chris Campbell on drums, are currently promoting their second full-length album with Epitaph, A New Hope. It is clear, however, that they are still somewhat flabbergasted by their sudden turn from indie hardcore act to official roster band. It was only a fluke of Internet self-promotion, but it's taken them all the way from Massachusetts' obscurity to an opening slot for big-leaguers The Human Abstract.

"It's exciting!" gushes Preece. He wasn't even in the band when the record label came knocking, but he still knew his future band members. "Epitaph originally contacted [Vanna] back in '05, they had a couple songs up on PureVolume... it was on the front page... Epitaph saw it and contacted the band, and by February they were recording the EP.”

That was 2005's The Search Party Never Came and since then, there have been two member changes and with each has come the challenge of re-integrating new skills and sounds.

Campbell, the current drummer, transferred from New Hampshire's The Jonah Veil to Vanna in 2008. It turned out to be uncanny timing for both groups. "We were on tour, and our original drummer was just not feeling it," remembers Lambert. "Chris [Campbell]'s band, Jonah Veil weren't playing shows anymore, [so] it literally couldn't have worked out any better.

“We approached Chris [about drumming for us] and we practiced a few times and hit it off,” he continues. “Then we started doing the demo for A New Hope soon after that."

Preece, however, was very nearly selected as Vanna's original singer. "I met the dudes through a mutual friend who was going to college in Boston,” he says. “[When they were forming,] they originally talked to me about joining but I couldn't move then, I was still living in Texas."

When creative juices stalled in the studio during The Search Party... sessions, Vanna started looking around for some fresh blood and fresh ideas, and recalled their chemistry with Preece a couple years earlier.

"I came into the band about February of '06 and I came in and did some test tracks with them,” explains Preece. “I officially joined the band, like, a month after the EP was finished but Chris [only] joined about a year and a half ago."

This meant Campbell had very limited time to develop a sound with Vanna before committing tracks to tape, notes Lambert: "The whole process was really quick: he joined, I think in February [2008], and we were doing demos in March, and then we were in California recording it in July."

With the Vanna boys discussing all the line-up changes and the "quick-turn" need to adjust to said-changes, it's not surprising that - even with all the "right" elements of a Hardcore album present - they are still finding their footing as a notable band.

Steve Evetts, for example, who was producer for A New Hope, is best known for his work with pop bands like Story Of The Year and Every Time I Die. Meanwhile Curses, Vanna's 2007 release, was monitored by Matt Bayles, who generally works with heavier acts like Mastodon and Norma Jean. It was obvious to question the basis for which this change in sound and production occurred: Band influence, or Producer influence? The answer, it would seem, is a little of both.

"Curses was a much darker album than A New Hope,” remarks Preece. “When we started writing the songs for A New Hope, we realized it was taking on a different feel. It was much more positive so we said, 'go ahead and go with the popier side of things.'

"Steve [Evetts] was really strong with that, and that was definitely a selling point for Steve to work with us," adds Preece.

Lambert sees the shift in sound as picking up favoured ideas that were lost along the way: "We wanted to make sure we had all sorts of elements,” he explains, “stuff that we originally loved about the band, when we were really young as a band, stuff that got stripped down on Cursed. [This time,] the drums were the blood of the recording. The final product that we got this time around was something we're really, really proud of."

Meanwhile, Preece views the change as a tool for creative exploration to excite new and old fans. "We had to step it up, because we've been on tour for three-and-a-half years and there are so many bands out there, and some of them are really f***ing good,” he says. “In order to make it, in order to stick out and be relevant, everybody has to step it up right now."

It's promising to know that whatever glitches seem to be snared in the Vanna hem, they are likely only temporary. Changes have come so quickly in their camp, so 2009 may be a year of catch-up and adjustment. With time will come experience, however, and from experience will come synchronization of individual inspirations.

As for Lambert, he is well aware that their journey as a band has only just begun. "It's been a gradual build [gaining attention], so we're proud of our fan-base, because those kids are really, really dedicated to us," he smiles noting the instant circle pit that formed during their early 8 pm set, a rarity amongst the all-ages crowd.

"We're the opening band on the tour, but right off the bat... [the fans] were ready to go. That was a proud moment."