Virginia Coalition
Andrew Poliakoff: lead vocals, guitar, percussion Jarrett Nicolay: guitar, bass guitar, banjo, vocals Paul Ottinger: guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, percussion, vocals John Patrick: drums, vocals
"Yes, we feel like gettin' it on!" -- 1,300 VACO fans, chanting on Live at the 9:30 Club
It was the day after New Year's, 2006, at the 9:30 Club. But it could have been anywhere.
That?s because the entertainment, Virginia Coalition (known to friends as VACO), has made it their habit to meet or beat the expectations of their fans, whether opening for the Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., and Counting Crows, or packing the House of Blues in Chicago and Irving Plaza in New York on their own.
No matter where they perform, whether close to home in D.C. or further away as they break nationwide, each appearance reflects the talent and motivation these guys have exhibited ever since they first surfaced on the Georgetown club circuit.
In truth, that night at the 9:30 Club was really not that different from most of their gigs--and that?s what makes Live at the 9:30 Club, their second release on the bluhammock music label, worth hearing.
First of all, the place was jammed with supporters, whose enthusiasm feeds the energy of the band. (Check that chant-along passage on "Jerry Jermaine.") Like every Virginia Coalition show, this one is about how the love they get from their audience fuels what they do onstage.
That, of course, is the real point: This set might have been played at any one of the college dates, or the open-air amphitheaters, or the festivals that fill the VACO schedule. Through word of mouth, on message boards, and in the kudos they?ve earned from the Washington Post ("Reader?s Choice: Best Local Band" two years in a row) and other media, VACO is becoming part of this summer?s soundtrack throughout America.
But for now, let?s go back to this one performance, on a freezing night in Washington, when the tapes would roll and the world would learn what it means to hear Virginia Coalition in its glory.
"Yes, we feel like gettin' it on!" -- 1,300 VACO fans, chanting on Live at the 9:30 Club
It was the day after New Year's, 2006, at the 9:30 Club. But it could have been anywhere.
That?s because the entertainment, Virginia Coalition (known to friends as VACO), has made it their habit to meet or beat the expectations of their fans, whether opening for the Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., and Counting Crows, or packing the House of Blues in Chicago and Irving Plaza in New York on their own.
No matter where they perform, whether close to home in D.C. or further away as they break nationwide, each appearance reflects the talent and motivation these guys have exhibited ever since they first surfaced on the Georgetown club circuit.
In truth, that night at the 9:30 Club was really not that different from most of their gigs--and that?s what makes Live at the 9:30 Club, their second release on the bluhammock music label, worth hearing.
First of all, the place was jammed with supporters, whose enthusiasm feeds the energy of the band. (Check that chant-along passage on "Jerry Jermaine.") Like every Virginia Coalition show, this one is about how the love they get from their audience fuels what they do onstage.
That, of course, is the real point: This set might have been played at any one of the college dates, or the open-air amphitheaters, or the festivals that fill the VACO schedule. Through word of mouth, on message boards, and in the kudos they?ve earned from the Washington Post ("Reader?s Choice: Best Local Band" two years in a row) and other media, VACO is becoming part of this summer?s soundtrack throughout America.
But for now, let?s go back to this one performance, on a freezing night in Washington, when the tapes would roll and the world would learn what it means to hear Virginia Coalition in its glory.
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