Don’t feel sorry for Vaux, the hardcore heroes who found their sound in Denver.
Sure, their 2003 full-length “There Must Be Some Way To Stop Them” lost distribution upon release when Volcom’s MCA backing evaporated. After being shelved and then rescheduled for release on Atlantic Records, the band’s “Beyond Virtue, Beyond Vice” was dropped by the major label after Vaux spent weeks in the U.K. creating the record, not to mention a stint in Los Angeles filming a video for “Are You With Me,” the first single.
The band was crestfallen. And then a minor miracle occurred: Atlantic cut its losses and returned everything to the band, no strings attached.
“If I could have chosen to have it happen this way, I would have,” said singer Quentin Smith via telephone from his new home in Seattle. “They cut all ties, and they let us retain ownership of everything.”
The label’s decision represents a big chunk of change, a fact not lost on the band.
“I wish we all could return it and get cash for it … it’s that much money,” Smith said.
He’s hardly exaggerating. Bands on major labels don’t typically recoup production and marketing costs, hence make a profit, until an album has sold upward of 500,000 or a million copies. Vaux is releasing “Beyond Virture, Beyond Vice” itself on Aug. 1, with the help of former Denver Bronco Trevor Pryce’s Outlook Music.
“When it came time to start looking at how were going to get this record out, it didn’t seem smart to get into another contract with another label with something we owned,” Smith said. “Every time stuff gets out of our hands, it doesn’t go anywhere.”
The record comes at a turning point for Vaux, which started out as Eiffel in 1997. Its sound is more relevant than ever, a thunderous fusion of hardcore’s passion and pop’s melodies. “Are You With Me” is the punk-pop gem, but it’s tracks like “Identity Theft” that fuel Vaux’s live show.
The band itself is on the move. Smith and drummer Joe McChan relocated to Seattle earlier this year. Bassist Ryder Robison moved to New York City, while guitarists Chris Sorensen, Adam Tymn and Greg Daniels remain in Colorado.
Home bases are hardly integral to the band’s survival. Chances are Vaux will spend 2006 on the road.
“We’re ready to be out there as a band again,” Smith said. “It’s been too long since we’ve been a band touring with a new album. We were ready to do it last November. At the beginning of that tour, we assumed we had an album coming out. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-820-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
Vaux
POST-HARDCORE|Marquis Theater, 8 p.m. Thursday with Schoolyard Heroes, The Photo Atlas, Esprit de Corps |$8-$10|ticketweb.com, 866-468-7621
