We film our friends doing random things and edit it into oblivion. There are big steps that we are taking in 2017! So far, our music has grown into a combination of distorted 808s and punk beats. We like working on #iwriteforvantanarow, a challenge project that allows anyone to submit their words, poetry, lyrics to have us later arrange, record and release it as a Vantana Row song. It is a challenge for both ourselves and the lyrical donors. We have spent considerable amounts of time living and sleeping in our van, on and off tour. The saying to help memorize our band name is “…living on skid row, parked at Santana Row in a van.” At least, that is what we think of when we hear the name. Though we haven’t done much of any heroin or hit any rock bottom, there has still been static that has followed a few announcements of us living in our van during 2015. Since then we have since filmed a few explanatory seasons of our own self-titled reality-styled YT sitcom, surrounding the daily life of living in our van. Quite a mouthful, imagine watching it! Haha
Vantana Row is a two-piece chiptune trapunk band from the East Bay Area, most known for their #iwriteforvantanarow program, their web-series and physical sightings of their van driving through cities unannounced slapping soon-to-be-released material of theirs.
Vantana Row’s simple roster includes Volly Blaze on lead vocals, Jamey Blaze on drums and vocals, and their sub-woofer on fire blast. One of the band’s most stand-out qualities has been their ambition for finishing the musicality of their friend’s songs. Their program entitled #iwriteforvantanarow encourages their community (both online and in-person) to submit unfinished lyrics, prized poetry, or soon-to-be songs to be made an official Vantana Row tune. The band has claimed the first album with this construct will tentatively be released summer of 2015.
“We are a van band, we have a van sitcom, we get emailed lyrics and we record them in our van studio”
-Jamey Blaze from Vantana Row
Trapunk is a genre of music, memetically located between trap and hardcore punk. The beginnings of it’s inspiration existed in small moments contributed from many different bands. For example, Of Mice & Men opening their set with a breakdown consisting of the quintessential sample from Lil Wayne’s “A Milli”, bands like Attila, any crunkcore group. (Currently in progress of adding more to this description).
Vantana Row 2 is the sequel to our self-titled album, VANTANA ROW, the first album to debut Vantana Row as a Trapunk band. However, Vantana Row 2 is the first album with lyrics written by others than ourselves as a part of #iwriteforvantanarow, a program where we take subscriber’s verbatim words (poetry, lyrics, whatever) and accept the challenge to make official Vantana Row songs from them. There are a total of six songs
within this album that have been written by people who have simply submitted their words to us through our website.
This is our second album as a Trapunk band. We are grabbing hold of the Trapunk genre and currently defining it. This album is a sonically marvelous presentation of what it’s like to get deeper into Trapunk music. Trapunk is just combined Trap and Hardcore Punk music, but Vantana Row has a more ‘zoomed-in’ perspective of what their identity within the style really is.
“What sums up Vantana Row, musically (in bullets)” by Mike Shepherd:
- Hxc vocals (screams, loudly projected, rough, sometimes melodic)
- acoustic drums (rock drum kit)
- Distorted 808 (legato)
- 8-Bit Synth (chip music, 16th notes)
- Electric guitar (sampled, chopped, or played)
Thank you, so very much.
“FRESH NUGGETS”
You hate your life
You hate your life
You hate your life
You hate your life
I hate mine
You hate your life
Tear it apart
Tear it apart
If you ruled the world, it’d be shit
If you ruled the world, it’d be shit
“REGGO TYRANNY”
I hope you don’t mind tyranny
I hope you don’t mind tyranny
I hope you don’t mind
I hope you don’t mind
I hope you don’t
I hope you-hope you-hope you don’t
I guess I’ll write a song
I guess I’ll write a song
“HOWUFEE”
How do you feel?
When life gets you down
It gets you
It gets you
It gets you
Down
Dear Diary nothing matters
not even you, diary
“DOO YOO (interlude)”
Do you play music?
Yeah, I play music
Do you play it?!
Yeah, I do!
Yes
Do you play music?
Yeah, I fuckin do
Yeah I fuckin suck at it too
Who gives a fuck?
I do..I, I kinda give a fuck
If you play music
Yeah, I fuckin play music
I suck at it too
I suck at it too
“IT SUX”
I kinda feel
Free
Free, free, free
I kinda feel free
Ahhhhh
I think I kinda feel it
I don’t really feel it
I think I kinda feel it
I don’t really feel it
I don’t really feel it
It sucks
“WITCHIE WOOCHIE”
Look at me, look at me, look at me
Look at me, look at me, look at me, look
Look
When it happens
Look
In the moment
Look
You’re it right now
In the moment right now
“NOZZLE (interlude)”
I’m actually a singer
I’m an accomplished singer as well
I know standards and..
What the fuck?
Yeah!
Get it fuckin going!
Get drunk
Get wasted
On your own supply, yeah
Reach in the sink cabinet
Get that fuckin Windex
Squirt it in your face, yeah
Get that fuckin guzzle, Yeah
Rip off the nozzle, yeah!
Kill yourself now!
I’ll be doin it as well!
“FOLK HITZ”
In the lab makin hits
Fuck yeah
Hits
Yeah, in the lab makin hits
Fuck hits
Fuck hits
Yeah, Jamey wanna make hits
Jamey wanna stack cake
Yeah he think he famous
He a slave to this shit
“SC BALLIN WOW”
(I’m trying)
To busk
I could work at Whole Foods
Sell my self on Craigslist
Start a grow room
What do you feel about the broke life right now?
Santa Cruz ballin!
Santa Cruz ballin!
Santa Cruz ballin!
Santa Cruz baldin
“HAWT LAVA (interlude)”
You will see me
One day when I dig myself out
And I know you will think I’m
Fuckin Hot lava
Hot lava
Hot lava
Oooh
Wow
Oh my god, Greg
Oh, oh
Oh my god, Greg
When did you cut your hair?!
As a formal announcement, Volly and I have begun our new band, Vantana Row, the culmination of all our effort to become mature cooperative artists. Here, you’ll see a photo we took in our new home, Oakland, California. Above, you will watch our latest music video…or not but it’s pretty informative.
So our promo album, Berkeley Edition is apart of our street campaign to get the sound into safe ears. It is an extreme abbreviation of DEMZ RIP, more accurately demonstrating what we will sound like playing out, mixed with a few new tracks. Art like this album cover and these lyrics pics are some of the gloss pages included in the cd case for Berkeley Edition:
“Unikivar C.A.”
Unikivar C.A.
Unikivar C.A.
Unikivar C.A.
Unikivar C.A.
Immediatley upon his death
They had to face the question
They had to face suggestions
Where do we go?
What are we doing now?
The once leader, with strength on his arms
And wings on his back
Wisdom pouring from his mouth
He fought for us
He fought to keep the group above cold water
To which he was denied
Were once a crowd, we now divide
For years we would cry
Unikivar C.A.
Rest in thine peace
Unikivar C.A.
“Screen Centipede”
Many are dreaming to live
I am not living the dream
I watch a screen
Though, the people, they bore me
I am not living the dream
I am not living the dream
I am not living the dream
I watch a screen
I watch the screen
Another song
Another cigarette
Another thing I regret
Regret
“Ounces Of Older Thoughts”
Lest we forget
But may I remember the best
But may I remember the best
But may I remember the best
It’s time to live more and more
It’s time to live more and more
More
“I’m Gon’ Die A Woman”
I’m gon’ die a woman
This is the underlining dead look
Some dead going on
But then after that it’s…
You were just like shit
So I stopped
Believe me
I don’t wanna be fucking pretty
Who wants to be treated like an object?
Who wants to be treated like an object?
I’m trying to find exactly how I belong with that shit
And how I dress
I’m gon’ die a woman
Who wants to be treated like an object?
“The Wand Posture”
Get into the habit of directing
Messages of love, good will and encouragement
To your inner self
The way that you feel changes the world
The way that you feel changes the world
If a burglar comes to your house
The grass astral will pull you back
Question 3:
Are these dangers imaginary?
You will realize at once that such a formula
Has a far greater value than merely to prove sensitivity
Occult knowledge
Be a witch
“Kami Tank”
Irrelevant, some people say they never saw it until then
No ones cares, so what?
It was so hot, sexy, irreverant, hard to put it down
Speculate what god made
They called him a stunt man
But really he was just a four square-legged dog
No one even knows him
He didn’t exist
“It’z In Red Ink Now”
Call it an identity crisis
Even call it a midnight tritip
But you found a better way
But you found a better way
Call it an identity crisis
Call it midnight tritip
But you found a better way
I bet you found a better way
“Charging At A Game”
God
God
Where the fuck are you?
You know I love you
I want you back
Saint or a sinner’s friend
Fuck all the bullshit
I just want you fucking back
“We’ll Have Money Tomorrow”
No cigarettes
We paid our rent
But management
Hatin on this shit
You would think they’d be proud
It’s fucking Christmas
We took all of the change
In our piggy bag
Brought the gas
To drive insane
To drive in circles
We’ll have money tomorrow
“Greyz”
This repetition keeps running running
Throughout my body
An angel loves me, just hug me
And just keep solid on these waves
A mirror, I stare her
She seems a different body
But I don’t worry
I ‘m just sailing on these waves
Sailing on these waves
Oh keep me comfy, these rockies
I have to, have to brave
I swear I’ll bare it
Maybe scared it or it’s takin a break
If I must feel it I’ll feel it
As a stranger no, stranger that
I might find my greys
In the manger you ranged her
You rearranged my face
In the story there’s glory
There is a fender fey
“Armored War Tag Of Jym Davis”
I’m in the world
On the planet
In my mind
While I plan it
On the planet
In my mind
On the planet
On the planet
In my mind
While I plan it
Father thine
Is a fragment of mine
The weight of the world
Mines my eye
Mines my heart
“Lost Continents”
True
True
Primitives do not invent very often
Primitives do not invent very often
Or perhaps I should say
That their inventions are not often adopted
In a consertive way they call this a tribal environment
True
True
True
Primates
Hence, the same invention might have finally been made
In tribal society, many times before, it finally took
True
True
True
Primates do not invent very often
“Nothing Really Mattress”
At the bottom of the lake
Filled with cool jackets
The top of my mind
On a heated mattress
The lord, your god is a singer
In a dress that you could never afford
Filled with the color yellow
I feel like we’ve really arrived
I feel like its about fucking time
I’m fucking happy
I feel like its about fucking time
All of tha magic we gonna do bae
I feel like its about fucking time
All of tha magic we gonna do bae
I feel like its about fucking time
I’m gonna die happy
I’m finally fuckin excited about something
All of tha magic we gonna do bae
I feel like its about fucking time
All of tha magic we gonna do bae
I’m finally fuckin excited about something
All of tha magic we gonna do bae
At the bottom of the lake
Filled with cool jackets
The top of my mind
On a heated mattress
The Lorde, your god is a singer
In a dress that you could never afford
Filled with the color yellow
“When I Told His Curtain”
Okay girls, two minutes til the opening time, are you ready?
We’re gonna tear this shit apart
Opera house is gonna be fucked up now
We’re not going shopping at the mall no more
We’re not going shopping at the mall no more
“Now That Can Be The Songest”
We fucked it up
“I Zaid, Poor”
By now, you can say I’m not the alpha mail, delivering to every town
But you can bet on that that I am not relenting
From anytime, from then till now
You and I are poor together
And on our way to
Being our only possessions
And best of friends
“I’d Ratherz Beez In Thine Ocean Zand-It”
‘Cause I wish you would..
Enjoy yourself
I know you do…now
But wait
Wait for it
Wait…
I’d rather be in the ocean
Bernie Mac!
Make me see it
Please, tell me to my face
That, I have a face to be told
My economy is tanking
But my fishies are suprisingly out of the tank now
Yeah, they’re really grown up
And are now out on their own,
Taking on the world
I’m really proud ’cause they’d rather be in the ocean
And I’d rather be in the ocean
Bernie Mac!
“Sleep It”
New England
Yeah take a cab then sleep in it
New England Fish N’ Chips
All my sins are on my forehead
New England
Take a cab
Speak it
Mix it
Drink it
Spell it
Take a cab
“From City Life”
(Two kinds of motion)
Then a warship comes to the rescue
(Go to make up an earthquake)
Just as the whole party is down
(First comes a vibration or quivering)
On one of the dives and in the resulting fracas
(Generally less then) (an inch in amplitude)
The bathsphere cable is broken
They sink down to the bottom
(But sometimes)
Are sucked in, into
(violent enough to)
The Atlanteans’ waterworks
(Make stones leap from the ground)
The Atlanteans’ waterworks
(From the ground)
Who lead (And houses tumble about their owner’s heads)
A lotus-eater’s life
(may break the water maines and keep people from city life)
Making love, working and sleeping for days at a time
(From city life)
They are descendant from the few
(From city life)
“Savez Water”
If I save it up right and I
Take enough time I know
I’ll be alright I know
You’ll be just fine
You’ll be just fine
If I save it up right
Save it up right
Save it up right
I’ll be alright
Think rational
Just guide yourself
Just guide yourself
You’ll be alright
“Edging Goltress For The Sake Of I Be Back In Town One Day Betta Catch You Climbin Girl”
Fucking proud
Climb
Climb
Climb
It’s when you try yourself on
I know how to climb
I know how to climb
She was just a girl
And then they told she could have success
They caught her climbing
Climb
“What Was The Name Of The Original Building?”
He doesn’t like it
Hes gonna become an architect tomorrow
Top knotch
That’s what his dad said
Top knotch
The most original building
“If It Makes You Happy (Tribute to Sheryl Crow)”
I’ve been long, a long way from here
Put on a poncho, played for mosquitoes
And drank ’til I was thirsty again
We went searching through thrift store jungles
Found Geronimo’s rifle, Marilyn’s shampoo
And Benny Goodman’s corset and pen
Well, okay I made this up
I promised you I’d never give up
If it makes you happy
It can’t be that bad
If it makes you happy
Then why the hell are you so sad?
Get down and real low down
You listen to Coltrane, derail your own train
Well who hasn’t been there before?
I come round, around the hard way
Bring you comics in bed, scrape the mold off the bread
And serve you French toast again
Well, okay I still get stoned
I’m not the kind of girl you’d take home
If it makes you happy
It can’t be that bad
If it makes you happy
Then why the hell are you so sad?
Everyone of these bands suck: Black Veil Brides Atilla Memphis May Fire Falling In Reverse Chelsea Grin Vantana Row Asking Alexandria Of Mice & Men Bring Me The Horizon Asking Alexandria Pierce The Veil Suicide Silence Sleeping With Sirens I See Stars Blood On The Dance Floor
Vantana Row 