Vortis (band)

Last updated
Vortis
Origin Chicago
Genres Punk rock
Years active2000 (2000)–present
LabelsCavetone Records
Members Jim DeRogatis, Tony Tavano, Louie Calvano
Past membersMike Weinstein, Chris Martiniano, Randy Kertz
Websitewww.cavetonerecords.com/vortis.html

Vortis is an American indie punk band established in 2000, whose members initially included Michael A. Weinstein, the band's frontman and a professor of political science at Purdue University, as well as well-known music critic Jim DeRogatis (who remains the band's drummer). The band was named after the Vorticist movement of the early 20th-century, [1] a group of artists and writers whose basic tenet was the "perpetuate violent structures of adolescent clarity" throughout life. (As DeRogatis puts it, "To live with the lust for life of a teenager, no matter what age you are--a great definition of rock 'n' roll half a century before it happened.") The group (completed by guitarist Tony Tavano, aka G Haad, and bassist Chris Martiano, aka Johnny Los, who replaced early member Randy Kertz) initially released two albums with Weinstein, pairing its music to his lyrics: Take the System Down, and God Won't Bless America, both on the independent Thick Records. [2] Several other independent recordings followed with Weinstein before he left the group in 2009; he died at age 73 in 2015 [3] but the group continues as a trio.

Contents

Reception

Their sound has been described as eclectic, and they have been compared to the Dead Kennedys, Wire and the Butthole Surfers. [4] In particular, some critics have drawn comparisons between Weinstein's demeanor in live performances to Jello Biafra's persona. [5] John Petkovic of the Cleveland Plain Dealer described the sound of God Won't Bless America as "a mix of both - music and cheerleading, that is." [6] The Columbus Dispatch said that "Musically, they fall into the netherlands where metal, 'Oi' punk, hard core and Mr. Bungle tread". [7] Monica Kendrick of the Chicago Reader wrote of the 2005 album "Warzone" that it is "mean, tight, righteously pissed, and full of hooky, nasty sloganeering choruses--and if you're like me you might relish the frisson of hearing yourself chanting them. [8] Of the current trio, the Webzine Razorcake wrote, ""The brevity of the Ramones, with an occasional Big Black abrasiveness, and the aggressiveness of Dead Boys."

History

Weinstein joined Vortis in 2000 when his wife introduced him to several musicians several decades his juniors from Chicago. [9] Weinstein also went by the stage name "Fellow Traveler" when performing with Vortis, [10] though the band and many fans affectionately referred to him as "the Professor." The group released its debut album, Take the System Down, on Thick Records in 2002, followed by God Won't Bless America the following year, also on Thick Records.

The group continued for some time as a quartet after Weinstein left the band, with Louie Calvano joining and alternating on guitar and bass with Martiniano. Several more indie recordings followed, then Martiniano left as well to pursue his scholarly studies of William Blake, and the band has been a trio ever since, with Tavano, DeRogatis, and Calvano gigging frequently in and around Chicago. Most of the songs are now written as a group, maintaining the political and sociological edge inspired by Weinstein, but with a short, sharp aesthetic that owes a debt to Wire and Chicago punk avatars such as Naked Raygun, as well as Husker Du. The band's latest album was released by the vinyl-only Cavetone Records label. [11] in Spring 2019. This Machine Kills Fascists is also streaming on Spotify, Bandcamp, and iTunes, and in addition to the title's nod to Woody Guthrie and a reinterpretation of a song he wrote about Fred Trump, lyrics reference and draw inspiration from George Orwell and Bill McKibben.

Vortis also released a split 7-inch in 2011 entitled "Things Won't Get Better", with the Cathy Santonies. [2]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alkaline Trio</span> American rock band

Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano and Derek Grant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Bungle</span> American experimental band

Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, they developed a highly eclectic style, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde jazz, ska, disco, and funk, which is further enhanced by lead vocalist Mike Patton's versatile singing style. This period also saw the band utilizing unconventional song structures and samples; playing a wide array of instruments; dressing up in masks, jumpsuits, and other costumes; and performing a diverse selection of cover songs during live performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Armstrong</span> American musician

Timothy Ross Armstrong is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup Transplants. Prior to forming Rancid, Armstrong was in the ska punk band Operation Ivy.

Warzone was an American hardcore punk band formed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1983. The band helped develop the New York hardcore sound, the hardcore skinhead style and the youth crew subgenre. During the band's 14 years and many line-up changes, their primarily hardcore sound was flavored by influences ranging from Oi! to traditional punk rock to heavy metal. Their fan base was diverse, with their concerts usually attended by skinheads, straight edge teens, metalheads, and punks of all ages. Vice has written that "one could argue that [Warzone] spearheaded the second and larger wave of hardcore bands that erupted in the NY scene in 1986-1987".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duane Denison</span> American musician

Duane Denison is an American guitarist best known for work with the avant-garde rock band The Jesus Lizard. He is also a founding member of super-group Tomahawk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomahawk (band)</span> American rock band

Tomahawk is an American rock supergroup. They formed in 1999 when singer/keyboardist Mike Patton met guitar player Duane Denison and the pair started swapping tapes with the intention of collaborating. Denison then recruited drummer John Stanier (Helmet), while Patton invited bass player Kevin Rutmanis (Melvins/ex-Cows). The group recorded three albums and toured extensively from 2000–2007 then went on extended hiatus, and reformed in 2013 with Trevor Dunn replacing Rutmanis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim DeRogatis</span> American music critic and podcast host

James Peter DeRogatis is an American music critic and co-host of Sound Opinions. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as Rolling Stone, Spin, Guitar World and Modern Drummer, and for 15 years was the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Krayola</span> American band

Red Krayola is an American avant rock band from Houston, Texas formed in 1966 by the trio of singer/guitarist Mayo Thompson, drummer Frederick Barthelme, and bassist Steve Cunningham.

Toxic Reasons were an American punk rock band, formed in 1979. The band released nine full-length studio albums between 1982 and 1995.

Mike Felumlee, a native of Crystal Lake, Illinois, is chiefly known as the current drummer for the rock band The Smoking Popes. He is known to a lesser extent for his stint of several years as drummer in the band Alkaline Trio and for his solo music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mephiskapheles</span>

Mephiskapheles is a ska band based in New York City. Their name is a portmanteau of "ska" and "Mephistopheles", of the Faust legend. As their name suggests, their lyrics are often playfully satanic in nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Methadones</span> American punk rock band

The Methadones were a band formed in 1993 by guitarist/vocalist Dan Vapid. The Methadones initially lasted only a few shows before Vapid put them to the side to focus on his main band Screeching Weasel. By 1999 Dan was no longer a member of Screeching Weasel or his other band The Riverdales, and decided to restart The Methadones with B-Face of The Queers on bass, and Dan Lumley on drums. The band recorded their first album Ill at Ease in 2001. After the recording, B-Face and Lumley left the band. Schafer formed a new lineup of The Methadones with guitarist Mike Byrne, bassist Sensitive Pete, and drummer Mike Soucy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thick Records</span>

Thick Records is a Chicago-based independent record label which actively operated from 1994 to 2007. It now exists as a catalog only label for its previous releases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hell Yes (Alkaline Trio song)</span> 2001 single by Alkaline Trio

"Hell Yes" is a song by the Chicago-based punk rock band Alkaline Trio, released as a single in 2001 through Lookout! Records. Both tracks of the single, "Hell Yes" and "My Standard Break from Life", were recorded in 2000 at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota during sessions for the band's 2001 album From Here to Infirmary. The single was the band's final release to include drummer Mike Felumlee, who left the group shortly after From Here to Infirmary's release. Both tracks were reissued in 2007 on the compilation album Remains.

Leonard Caston Jr. is an American rhythm and blues songwriter, record producer, pianist and singer. He recorded for both the Chess and Motown labels in the 1960s and 1970s, and co-wrote or co-produced several major hit records, including Mitty Collier's "I Had A Talk With My Man" (1964), The Supremes' "Nathan Jones" (1971), Eddie Kendricks' "Keep On Truckin'" (1973) and "Boogie Down" (1974).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Dean (musician)</span> American musician

Jeff Dean is a punk rock musician and recording engineer based in Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for playing guitar in The Bomb with Jeff Pezzati of Naked Raygun, and Noise By Numbers with Dan Vapid of The Methadones. He currently plays in Deep Tunnel Project.

<i>God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It</i> Album by Red Krayola

God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It is the second commercially released studio album by the American avant rock band Red Krayola. It was released in May 1968 by the independent record label known as International Artists.

<i>Forgiven Now</i> 2002 studio album by Dolly Varden

Forgiven Now is the fourth studio album by Chicago based alt-country band Dolly Varden and was released in 2002. Like the previous release, The Dumbest Magnets, this album was recorded in Nashville with producer Brad Jones.

Michael A. Weinstein was an American political philosopher and political scientist, punk musician, and photography critic. He was a Guggenheim Fellow, Professor of Political Science at Purdue University, and the author or co-author of more than twenty books on a wide array of topics in philosophy. Weinstein also engaged in public political analysis, most notably in regard to the Somali civil war, but also the Unabomber, and the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuses.

<i>Fushitsusha</i> (1991 album) 1991 live album by Fushitsusha

Fushitsusha is a live album by the band Fushitsusha. It was released in 1991 by P.S.F. Records.

References

  1. ↑ "Jim DeRogatis". WUSF-TV . Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 "I dabble: 18 critics who became artists". The A.V. Club . 26 March 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  3. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim (19 September 2015). "Farewell, Fellow Traveler Michael Weinstein". Wbez.org. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  4. ↑ Moldy (5 November 2002). "Take The System Down". Punknews.org. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  5. ↑ Kendrick, Monica (18 August 2005). "Vortis". Chicago Reader . Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  6. ↑ Petkovic, John (2003-08-01). "Punk professor sings his protests with a rock beat". Cleveland Plain Dealer – via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ "Hide the Bats: Ozzfest is Blasting Back into Town". Columbus Dispatch . 2003-07-31 – via ProQuest. Musically, they fall into the netherlands where metal, "Oi" punk, hard core and Mr. Bungle tread, but don't hold that against them.
  8. ↑ Kendrick, Monica. "Vortis". Chicago Reader . Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  9. ↑ Glaser, Julie (1 October 2003). "Professor brings punk to politics". Purdue Exponent . Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Morris, Kurt. "Take the System Down Review". Allmusic . Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Vortis electronic press kit and band profile on Cavetone Records". Cavetonerecords.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.