Hardcore, metal, ranch dressing, Coldplay and Mandy Moore?
On Nov. 7, Vaux will be headlining a show at the Cruise In, located at 1648 Abbott Rd. in Lackawanna. Along with opener Jonny Was -featuring Shane West, who starred alongside Mandy Moore in "A Walk To Remember" - the show promises to bring high energy and hard-hitting music to Buffalo's weekend nightlife.
The six members that make up Vaux got their start in guitarist Adam Tymn's Denver skate shop in 1997. Since then, they have been recording music and touring feverishly. Last April, they released their debut record on Volcom Entertainment, entitled "There Must Be Some Way To Stop Them." The record's sound incorporates many different styles from punk and metal to indie rock.
Vaux's versatile sound comes from a wide span of musical influences. Bassist Ryder Robison spoke about their influences.
"Having six guys in the band brings a lot of different influence. From Smashing Pumpkins to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath to Coldplay and Radiohead, we get influence from everything," Robison said.
"You've got to learn the rules so you can break them. Take in your surroundings and add your piece and then someone will come along and regurgitate what you did."
This year alone, Vaux will have played well over 200 shows. The band enjoys playing live music and feels that it is essential to spreading their music to fans. Obviously, Vaux enjoys their life on the road.
"When were on the road with a band we like to cause some trouble and see if we get some back."
But offstage antics don't sell records or expand fanbases.
"Probably one of our best assets is our live show. We want to put on a good show. We don't want to be just a bunch of boring jackasses on stage," said Robison.
They are certainly far from boring. Their performances are characteristically raucous. Loud and fast paced music sometimes result in out-of-control crowds. Robison described how this is not their goal.
"I would describe our live show and our music as very intense and aggressive but not in the sense that we're wanting kids to beat the s*** out of each other," he said.
The band might be familiar to some by the name of Eiffel. From their beginnings in 1997, to 2002, they made music under this name. In 2002, they learned that, not surprisingly, there was a band in France named Eiffel and they had to change the name.
Vaux is part of a growing number of bands in this musical genre that are gaining popularity and earning much more of their living from touring than mainstream radio airplay.
Robison openly discussed his disapproval of current popular music.
"It's all produced the same, it all sounds the same," Robison said. "All this pop/punk stuff, I can't handle it. There is some hope though, I hear it in some bands."
Robison and other members of the band don't even have a specific place that they call home at this time. For now, the road is home for Vaux. The band is on tour until December and then will tour again next year including, dates in Europe.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
