On this St. Valentine's Day, CD-R #5 is curated by friend Erica Shultz who is the vocalist for the Southern California band VRIL. I played with VRIL a handful of times with what seemed like a different lineup every show. VRIL had a very intense delivery every show, but for whatever reason they didn't land with me the first few times I saw them. The energy was there, but it was a bit of a shotgun blast, hitting me in different degrees throughout their set. It wasn't until they locked in the lineup after Erica took over vocals and Daniel Torres on bass that the shotgun blast turned into a megaton shotblast with blunt force, almost like walking into a snowstorm of volume and distortion. Erica's vocals finally brought this band together, cutting through the loudness of the instruments with a laser-beam consistency, really making the band that much more intense and ferocious. The first time I talked to Erica was after one of VRIL's sets, and we conversed about the weird world of graphic design jobs and related on being in the corporate realm by day and screaming your head off in the sweaty DIY spaces by night. It was nice to meet someone who was also trying to find the balance of "career life" and being a member of the creative world of punk/DIY ethos, music, and art. It's a weird place to be, but it's reassuring to know others who have a foot in both worlds, trying to figure it out as well. I'm grateful for Erica also fighting through the ongoing issue of punk and hardcore being an unofficial boys club. Her vocals and performance honestly is better than 75% of most punk/hardcore vocalists I see these days, and you can tell this isn't a half-assed passion for her. Singing for a band like VRIL takes a lot out of you physically and emotionally, but she has been consistently excellent every time I've seen them. Most dudes are dying halfway through. The world of DIY and punk belongs to anyone who is willing to be a constructive part of it, and I'm glad Erica and VRIL are bringing about a positive change from the mundane of a male-dominated realm. They are definitely one of the bands I miss seeing consistently in Southern California, and I do wish I had taken more time to hang out with Erica. I appreciate her honesty and sincerity in the few words she has provided with her CD-R, feeling like the music and passions she as an affinity for are either frivolous or were provided from a male influence:
"An anxiety sets in when I think about publicizing my music taste. Flashbacks of countless dudes belittling whatever I'm playing in my car or assuming it was introduced to me by a guy if it's remotely enjoyable. Although I haven't listened to many of these bands lately, they've helped shape how I currently think about and appreciate music. This playlist represents different moments in my life: coming up through the Sacramento/Bay Area hardcore scene, touring extensively with Broadway Calls, and wanting nothing more than to sing as passionately and loud as Bette Midler in my 5th grade musical theater group."
As always, the individual tracks are provided below:
1. Killing The Dream - Blame the Architects
2. Final Fight - Day 53
3. The Cardigans - Erase / Rewind
4. Dangers - The Tiki House
5. Gather - Crimson Dawn
6. Broadway Calls - Meet Me At Washington Park
7. 108 - Declarations On A Grave
8. Heavens To Betsy - Terrorist
9. Brand New - Seventy Times 7
10. Walls of Jericho - All Hail the Dead
11. Hole - Doll Parts
12. Look Back And Laugh - This Cost We Absorb
13. Joshua Fit For Battle - Sleepwalkers Guide
14. The Promise Ring - Nothing Feels Good
15. Unbroken - Absentee Debate
16. Giant - Stories
17. The Hope Conspiracy - Departed
18. Punch - No Such Thing As A Stupid Question
19. Dystopia - Father's Gun
20. The Evens - Shelter Two
21. Set It Straight - Hourglass
22. Bette Midler - Beast of Burden
Check out VRIL's EP "No Traditions" here.
Photo by Wayne Ballard.