Darling Violetta Returns
New material at The Gig
Jymm takes DV to another level of style!
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n Friday October 26th at The Gig on Melrose, I was lucky enough to witness Darling Violetta for the fourth time, and the only thing I am left wondering is, do they ever have a bad performance? If ever there was an opportunity for a letdown, this was it as DV has not performed live in several months. They were performing new material for the first time, and this was the first show for new bassist Chris Pott. But even with all these possible pitfalls, the band delivered a very enjoyable eight-song set that drew nothing but loud cheers from an intimate but enthusiastic crowd.
The set itself consisted of three new songs with three more new tracks sandwiched later between two previous favorites. There were a couple tunes in the new material that immediately stood out as a breakaway hit, as did Spoiled and Rotten from their prior album, The Kill You EP, but it was strong nonetheless. A particularly interesting technique that the band experimented with was the use of sound effects in the introduction and fade out within a couple of the songs. Highlights, in my opinion, were Second Skin, Over You, and Awesome. The result of this was a variety of normally non-musical sounds that complemented and enhanced the existing music. As always, I loved their use of the cello. It really gives their sound something extra that sets it apart. Gerri Sutyak established the mood with her brilliant accompaniment.
Chris and Gerri establish the mood.
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There were obviously no real layoff problems as Darling Violetta sounded great throughout the whole set. The music was tight, and the group was energetic, looking very happy to be back performing. Lead singer, Cami Elen, also seems to have altered her singing style slightly since the last time I saw them perform. She still has a powerful voice that belts out the lyrics, but it seems more channeled, more under control. She has focused it so that not every note threatens to blow you away, and consequently, the overall quality of the music is better. And when appropriate, she can still turn it into high gear and leave the audience in stunned appreciation. Drummer Steve McManus kept it together and delivered some of the hard driving rhythms that center most of the new material with an accent on flare. "Yeah, the show was ok, but too f'ing loud both onstage and off," Steve confessed. "The club closed its West L.A. location and moved most of the pa from that place into this place, so now it's just overpowering. So much for whatever sound check was supposed to accomplish, y'know?" Steve also informed us that, "Everything but Awesome and Kill You are on the new album, which we had a listening session for and it sounds bumpin'. Bass is almost done, then we start on diva vocals. That should only take a year or two," he concluded jokingly.
Cami lays down the rawkin' vocals!
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Immediately following the show, the band was scheduled to leave for the Buffy Halloween Bash in Las Vegas, but I was fortunate enough to steal a few minutes of guitarist Jymm Thomas' time to get a couple of questions answered. The first thing he was able to tell me was that the band was very excited about the new CD, and that we could expect it somewhere around February or March. They had just finished with the guitars in the recording studio that week. Jymm's metaphor for the process was "It's kind of like a movie. We've done the principal photography, and everyone kind of does the principal photography and then you go in for re-shoots." I was also curious about possible future shows and touring, because I had heard through the grapevine that this might be their only show this year. When City of Angel had spoken in the studio with Darling Violetta over the summer, they had talked a little bit about possibly taking the act on more of a national stage. "In 2002, we definitely want to get on the road, and get out in the public eye... So far, we've done some stuff in Arizona and in California and the response is pretty good."
At this point, we were very near to being trampled in the hall by all the musical equipment being transferred in an out while the next act took the stage, and Jymm needed to join the others before they left for Vegas without him. The evening as a whole was outstanding, and as always, I had a great time. The Gig is a great venue for a DV performance, and the staff there is very accommodating for the many fans. My evening complete, I packed up my tape recorder, and headed back home, with the sounds of Darling Violetta still ringing in my ears. (At my age, I really need to start standing further from the stage)
Written by CoA LA Correspondent, Darren Danforth
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