Fri 20 Jun, 2008
Nico Vega Burned Down the Viper Room
Filed under: Live Events, Nico VegaTags: Rock, Underground Reviews
Last week VinylNotes reviewed the “No Child Left Behind” EP from Nico Vega. Last night we had a chance to see the trio from the MySpace Records burn the Viper Room down with a fired up performance.
The air was heavy, damp and electric. A voice from behind the curtain said “One minute to showtime,” and I looked around, glad I’d chosen to sit on the edge of the stage. As curtain opened, Aja took the stage, barefoot and clad in leggings and a leotard, the audience screamed in excitement. Starting the show on a relatively mellow note; Aja sat on a stool, center stage, with the mic in her face. It wasn’t long before Aja to hopped off the stool and used it as a percussion device before discarding it on the side of the stage as she stomped and strutted ’round, and growled into the microphone.
By the time the trio launched into “Medicine Man” - only the second song in the set - everyone, both the crowd and the band, knew this show was going to be full tilt. Aja, Rich and Dan - vocalist, guitarist and drummer respectively - could not hide their joy as the audience sang along to every word, rocking and swaying, hands in the air. As Aja stomped her foot to the sound of the kick drum and sang, “I don’t need no medicine man to chop my wood…” she grinned big - almost as if in shock - as the crowd pumped their fists and raised their voices in the air. “Gravity” and “Be Giving” sent the Viper Room into a frenzy with the audience jumping and banging their heads as Aja, Rich and Dan played for each other as much as for the concert goers.
Over the course of an hour, Nico Vega ripped up the stage. It could be all too easy to credit this energy to Aja’s balls-to-the-wall performance, but Dan and Rich were equally as engaging - Rich with his litany of pedals and knobs for aiding in the full sound created by his guitar, and Dan with his enigmatic energy and uniquely idiosyncratic playing style. Aja even fell to her knees in reverence during one of Dan’s drum solos as the crowd shouted his name.
The musicians three and their audience fed off of each other as the show practically exploded; full on, go hard or go home style. When the curtain closed after the final song - “Wooden Dolls” - everyone, band and audience alike, was spent, sweaty, and suffering from hearing deprivation. As we filed out of the oppressively steamy room, and hit with the cool night air, we were left with a feeling of floating euphoria induced by the pure joy and energy created by the music and spending the last hour in the equivalent of a cool sauna. Last night’s Nico Vega performance at the Viper Room was more than just a show, it was an experience.
Keep an eye out for Nico Vega’s next album coming in the fall.
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My Favorite Things - Vinyl Notes says:
[...] digging Nico Vega. I’ve raved about Aja’s voice on more than one occasion, and their show at the Viper Room was the best concert I have been to in my life (no I’m not exaggerating). This underground [...]