VTRN Already Won A Grammy, Now Let Them Take You to 2018
VTRN is a steady hand on a nervous knee whose jerks quickly turn into rhythmic and infectious tapping.
What started as experiments with handclaps and face paint has become a slow motion jazzercise routine, glitter-soaked and head-pounding. VTRN, a Portland-based collective that steers well clear of the folk and rock that usually permeates the city, has a groove that no man, woman, or child can resist. Their first release, Won A Grammy (2011), was built out of raw energy and emotion. The live showed mirrored that: messy and inspired. The next and immediate move for VTRN was looking forward, all the way to 2018 (2012). This sophomore release takes one step at a time. They ease you in and ease you out with craft and care, but all of it inflated with the same energy as before. What VTRN is able to promise is nothing short of involuntary limb twitches, bouncing shoulders, and swinging hips. With a little luck and a lot of sweet-talking, we’ll be able to follow them straight into the future.
VTRN is deserving of the label ‘collective’, with each member bring a vastly different gift than the next. With influences ranging from Sebastian to Sole, Bjork to Beastie Boys, the talent includes Arielle Dollinger (voice), Henry Jinings (beats/production), Kelsey Kuther (voice), Kurt Pearsall (drums), Keith O’Dell (synth/keys) and Cory Tollefson (raps). Together, the group delivers punchy beats, funky wordplay, soaring vocals, and enough pop sensibility to usher them into the big leagues, and maybe even out again.
VTRN’s are unafraid, unwilling to accept defeat, and continuously pushing deeper into the American wasteland. And after 2018, we will all be VTRN’s.
Download 2018 HERE.
Written By Roo’s Truly.
