Larxie Arveri :33

la la la

i also made a gif but tumblr fucks up the quality of the preivew so gif below

People like watching other people play video games. It can be comforting when you don't have the time or patience to play a game, or maybe the personality playing the game makes it a more enjoyable experience. Either way, it is a favored pasttime of a great many of those who dwell in the virtual.

Livestreaming is a relatively recent invention of the contemporary internet, and being able to watch someone do something live on the computer has created communities and careers for the viewer and streamer alike. In the beginning, however, it was the wild west: people would simply hit 'record' and see what sticks. On websites like justin.tv (now Twitch.tv), random, faceless chat members rallied around these streamers, building them up to what they are today. And, squarely at the beginning of this phenomenon, was Vinesauce.

Vinesauce, hosted by Vinny (who has scarcely, if ever, told his last name to the internet--probably for the better) was created in February 2010, where Vinny uploaded amateur gaming videos and and personal recordings. Soon after, he took to livestreaming. Pre-dating Twitch, streaming was a new concept. Vinny took on the name Vine, and simply added "sauce" for fun. He recounts this in a Q&A session:

"It all started in a basement a number of years ago. A group of friends were gathered around a television playing one of the GameCube Mario Party games. The mini game in which vines grow out of the ground and into the sky appeared on screen. A random member of the committee was said to have uttered "Doesn't it look like those vines are growing out of an asshole?" Many jokes and laughs later, "Vinny" became "Vine." At least, that's how the rumor goes. Oh, and for the record, sauce is just a fun word.”

The following year, in 2011, Vinny launched the Vinesauce website. The stream was born, and other fledgling streamer were recruited to the Vinesauce banner, creating a network of streamers--gamers, friends, even people from across the world. From then on, Vinny has comfortably enjoyed a modest audience while he plays whatever game strikes his fancy. His streams could be considered "chill" in the highest capacity.

Of course, we aren't here to talk video games and livestreamers. We want music, and who am I to deny? Vinny was not only proficient at playing video games: the man had a passion for the guitar. Mentioned various times throughout his streams and conversations with chat members, Vinny made clear his love of music, and the particular artists that influenced him. Thus, together with long time college friend "Jabroni" Mike, in 2015 the Staten Island indie rock band Red Vox was formed. The name came to Vinny in a dream, and the music certainly reflects that. Each album inherits its own genre, and while some call the music "psychedelic", and the influences are there, it is not exclusive to Red Vox's theme.

Prior to Vinesauce, Vinny had played in other bands with Mike and friends, and had some experience playing in a group setting. Working with Joe Pecora of "Happy Anarchy", the first feature length album was recorded. Calling upon the myriad musical influences of Radiohead, Pixies, Bowie, Pink Floyd, Tame Impala...you can see what kind of music this might be. In fact, Vinny cites Tame Impala as a major contributing factor to the starting of Red Vox, and for me personally, Vinny was what fully introduced me to Kevin Parker, who has become one of my favorite artists today.

The first album to be released under the Red Vox name, What Could Go Wrong was described as a "loose concept" and applied to the band as well as the music. Dropping in March of 2016, each song in the album is connected by a theme of something going wrong; this concept could have been sourced from a feeling of nervousness or anxiety in releasing a fully produced album for the first time. Despite this, only some minor amateur shortcomings appear. Vinny and Mike are naturally talented musicians, and What Could Go Wrong was simply them finding their voice as Red Vox. AltWire described the album as, "...excellent in concept and execution. The musical pieces fall together neatly in place on this album, heralded by the fantastic musicianship of Vinny and Mike, where each song is gifted with a lovely suite of cool guitar-and-drum tunes, accompanied with strong and earthly vocals from Vinny."

That same year Red Vox would release Blood Bagel, a parody album that was really not intended to be anything too provacative or even, really, good. Described by Red Vox themselves in their description of the album: "For our next album, we wanted to strive for more depth and experimentation. This is not that album. This is Blood Bagel. Fuck you."

On a more serious note, the following year would see the release of Another Light, and two years later, in 2019, Kerosene. Each album improved and builds upon the last, and their latest album, Realign, is certainly one of my favorites for this very reason. The music is superb, with heavy usage of synthesizers being the key to Realign. Inspiration is drawn from MGMT and Tame Impala, and each track carries a distinct groove. A following was created behind Red Vox at this point, and Realign was eagerly awaited. As Haley Kennis of Afterglow writes, "Fans have been waiting since 2017’s Another Light for more music from Red Vox...But much like everything else in the world, the album was delayed at the last minute due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, it was released on the evening of June 9 with a celebratory premiere of the album on the band’s Twitch page. But the question remained: Would Realign be everything we hoped it would? In short, Realign didn’t just live up to its high expectations — it blew them out of the water." Vinny is confident and his writing is on point, each song with a story to tell. Mike on drums carries the energy of the album and drives each beat home. Guest members Joe and Bill work the synths and everything blends together to create a smash hit.

The album art of Realign is notable in that it was based on an AI-generated image uncovered by Vinny in one of his streams. The art perfectly encapsulates a psychedelic sort of feeling of uncertainty, and illustrates the intersection of Vinny the streamer and Vinny the rock star.

Vinny Vinesauce and Vinny Red Vox are two sides of the same coin, and more than likely appeal to the same person. If you watch a Vinesauce stream, its like watching a close friend just chill and play some video games. If you've watched Vinesauce as long as I have (since around 2014), its comforting to hear Vinny's voice come through his music. If you listen to Red Vox first, the Vinesauce streams almost act as an inside look into the lifestyle of an indie rock guitarist. As you'll find, it is generally quite lax.

Today the band is working on their next album, with a single being dropped here and there. I eagerly await what next lies in store for Red Vox, as even aside from the Vinesauce brand, they have built a solid foundation for some of the most underrated indie music in the business.

Thanks for reading.

-G

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