SAN FRANCISCO (ViV PR Team) - San Francisco alternative pop/rock band ViV has used touring,
Internet music sites, marketing endeavors, radio and television placements to broaden their appeal with the release of their sophomore effort, Flawed, and have set the stage for widespread national exposure. Now, they're ready to showcase for several major labels at the Key Club's Plush Lounge in Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 18 at 8 p.m.
Ultimately, along with great songs, ViV's live show, which was honed by five weeks of playing every night on a Northeast Tour this fall, is what will set them apart from other bands. Lead singer Matt Ostrander's compelling delivery and strong showmanship are accented by bassist Erik Semo's soaring harmonies and guitarist/violinist Pie's tasty leads. The "show" is further highlighted with visuals from motion projectors. "The mark of a great pop band is when a song you've never heard sounds instantly familiar, like some old hit you missed," wrote Brad Kava in the San Jose Mercury News, in his review of the band's performance at a KFOG show with The BoDeans. "VIV fired off one after another. They have the aura of a young U2,
Radiohead or Coldplay."
During their recent tour, ViV sold over 500 units and was added to over 150 college/CMJ radio stations nationwide. Their songs are also currently being spun on powerhouse stations KFOG in San Francisco, as well as Seattle's KEXP and KDHX in St. Louis.
Fresh Tracks
Music invited ViV to participate in their Follett Bookstore Best Band contest, and they were one of three inaugural artists chosen by Arizona
Jeans (www.arizonajeans.com) for a new monthly online music promotion.
A live performance of ViV's song "
Green" is airing on the Frontier Airlines in-flight service. They've also had their music featured on episodes of
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, America's Top Model, and
America or Busted, and have signed contracts for use in MTV shows, including Road Rules and The Real World. They also placed songs on Decent Xposure Volume 3 and Alternative Addiction Volume 4, and were accepted into the Budweiser True
Music Live program.
While the band is currently seeking label representation, what might be most incredible about ViV to date is its self-sufficient nature. Currently the band is on its own Ten Toes Over record label, and does almost all of its business in-house (including a street team of almost 200 members).
While there is a Pete-Yorn-meets-Foo-Fighters current running through ViV's music, there is also a Brit-pop melodic sensibility and a feel-good factor that add dimension to the overall package. There are artists like
John Mayer and
Norah Jones that have come along in the last few years and have made the jump from average Joe to pop icon. ViV is a band that has that kind of potential.
