For anyone who’s just moved to New York in the last decade, you likely aren’t as familiar the what post emo even means. Emo surely rings a bell, but it’s likely not a compliment in your musical lexicon, maybe Taking Back Sunday is a bit dated and sappy at this point so I understand, but it’s the post emo sound, birthed right here in New York that native New Yorker’s understand as the dynamic breadth of aggressive poly-rhythmic drums, epic/ambient guitars, lush instrumentation, complete with deeply personal musings of it’s respective vocalist. I’m talking about As Tall As Lions, Brand New, Robbers, Gabriel The Marine, and Envy On The Coast, bands that were literally a flash on the national radar and an entire scene before current day Baby’s All Right/National Sawdust Williamsburg–As many of the aforementioned bands are no longer around except for Brand New.
Luckily, music is forever, and the mercurial sound of the post emo band has seen life all over the east coast since the early-mid aughts, bands like Circa Survive from Philly, The Dear Hunter, of Providence Rhode Island, all come from this east coast scene, sharing it’s predominately safe space for men to showcase their vulnerable sides, in many ways defying the tough guy sentiments of east coast hardcore scenes.
Enter Vinny Vegas, a band that’s been at it for a decade, even spanning across state lines, that are finally releasing another record in their long history of pushing forward the post emo, experimental, and post rock sound. I guess that’s the thing, while the bands I mentioned above have graciously caught deals, gained opportunities, and bonafide label attention, there have been bands like Vinny Vegas there all along pushing musical boundaries without major support aside from a loyal fanbase, they could be one of the last few bands on my personal radar from that era that’s still DIY and just as busy now as they have been since they launched onto the scene.
So if you’re into that east coast indie band sound and want a dose of that authentic uplifting rawness, you NEED to see Vinny Vegas live! Singer/songwriter Scott Siskind has got that voice that cuts right to the bone, a touch of Incubus and Panic At The Disco!, while their lush roller coaster paean writing brings a nice refreshing DIY feel into today’s tumultuous times.
Out now with their new record Clear The Walls, Vinny Vegas provide a great example that the independent artist can survive the times, and that the walls we create are meant to be toppled, if not by persistence, than by sheer will-power a band and its members can create with music for the joy and meaning it brings to people. Vinny Vegas is on tour now, you can see them this Saturday live from Pianos.
