Jul 13, 2007

U.K. band colors music their way

By Paul Freeman / Entertainment Writer

Vib Gyor - no, it's not a steroid-swollen East European weightlifter. That's the moniker of a rising U.K. band now making a name for itself here in the U.S.

Drummer Jonny Hooker explains the enthralling indie combo's name choice. "We were into the beautiful Icelandic band called Sigur Ros. We wanted something ambiguous. And all the bands coming out of London at the time were all 'The' something. So we didn't want to be another 'The' band."

The mnemonic device for memorizing the colors of the rainbow is Roy G. Biv (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). Backwards, that's Vib Gyor. In the band's studio in their hometown of Leeds, the microphone leads all had different colored cords.

It seems an appropriate appellation, given the group's broad spectrum of musical influences.
"It's a difficult name to remember for the first two or three go's, but once you've got it, you've got it," Hooker says.

More and more North Americans are getting it, partly due to MySpace. "It's been amazing, in terms of getting the music out there and making new friends. We picked up on it pretty quickly, because there's a band from the U.K., Arctic Monkeys, who did really well with MySpace and our ears pricked up at that point. We said, 'We need to get organized and get on there.'

"We didn't realize quite how well it had done us until we came here. We've never been over to America before, never played shows here. And at every gig we've played, there's been people from MySpace requesting songs. It's been great."

When they first entered the MySpace universe, Vib Gyor made EPs available for free download. "We had done them in our home studio, so we were not too precious about them. Obviously as the process has evolved and producers and labels have gotten involved, you have to clamp down on that a little bit, because they want pay," Hooker laughed.

"But we still like to give our music away as much as we can. At shows, we've been taking donations. Most people have wanted to give us some money. But if they didn't have any and wanted a CD, we'd just give it away. We know there's an audience for our music. It's just a matter of getting them to hear it. We want to get it out there and try to convert people."

Vib Gyor's five members met through a Leeds online forum. "It was kind of like a dating site for musicians," Hooker quipped.

"Our ages range from 22 to 28. We'd all left home, gone off to university, and somehow found ourselves in the most boring jobs you can imagine. Kind of getting sucked up by the system, I suppose. We wanted to get back to our passion in life, which was music."

A gig at the prestigious Glastonbury Festival, with its open, alternative, bohemian spirit, cemented the band's resolve.

"It gave me the confidence to say, 'There is a different way of living. Above all else, you've got to be happy with what you choose to do.' There's a lot of people who walk around with their eyes closed, sucked into that mortgage, nine-to-five, hate the job, but don't do anything to make it different. Several of us in the band have made significant life changes.

"I worked in London, in the business district. You wake up one day and say, 'How did I get here? What wrong turns did I make?' You take a deep breath and say, 'Right - I'm out! I'm going to do something that is intrinsically rewarding, as opposed to something that just pays you."

With the renewed commitment, Vib Gyor's sound quickly meshed. "As with any band, it's always evolving. When we started off, it was a bit more acoustic-based, a bit gentler. It then got quite heavy, more of a prog rock phase. Over the last 18 months, we've settled on what we're pretty happy with as our sound, and that's a balance of both of those things."

The constant has remained the emphasis on sweeping melodies, utilizing lead singer Dave Fendick's compelling voice.

"Music that lasts is honest music. If you believe it, then other people believe it. We're not a fashionistic kind of band. In the U.K. at the moment, there's a lot of different scenes going on. We aren't part of any of those.

"In the U.K. sometimes, it's a bit like the NME (top music publication) flavor of the week this week is somebody that wears crocodile skin underpants or something. And you're not going to get in the NME unless you've got crocodile skin underpants on. We've always felt that America was a bit more focused on the music."

Hooker is excited about touring in the U.S. "It's a little mind-blowing - the size of the cities, the friendliness of everybody at the shows and the receptiveness to our sound."

He can't wait to perform in San Francisco, sharing the bill with Vib Gyor's MySpace friends - San Diego band Transfer. The U.K. visitors have already spent a day in the city, prior to the start of their West Coast tour.

"We went and hung out in Haight-Ashbury, which is a cool area. The people we stayed with made us more aware of the musical heritage San Francisco has and the bands that have come out of there. So we're proud that we can come and play there."

The city of Leeds has been enjoying a musical resurgence in the last few years. The Kaiser Chiefs broke through in a big way. Vib Gyor could be next.

"It's a funny business. We've got to stay grounded and work hard ... but there's definitely the potential there," Hooker said about the band's future success. "We've just got to keep focused. And we've learned that you do have to have a little bit of luck, as well. There are a lot of great bands out there."