Artist description Victims In Ecstacy was born in May 1997 in Phoenix, Arizona which is about the only the thing the band has in common with other locals. Cutting 80’s new wave and pasting it on guitar driven rock with distinctive vocals has made this band the most unique force to be reckoned in the Valley of the Sun. This "beauty pageant for the dysfunctional" is a hook-laced, metal-meets-the-millennium package that takes the listener on a roller coaster ride of unforgettable music. As a live act, Victims In Ecstacy presents this unique blend of head-busting and tongue-lashing with a movie-star, cross-dressing, high-energy, visually stunning cabaret act and a flare for showmanship. The Phoenix New Times describes the bands music best by saying, “In less then one year of existence, Victims In Ecstacy was already being crowned “Best Industrial” act in the 1998 New Times music showcase.”

Music Style industrial rock/new school arena rock

Musical Influences marilyn manson,helmet,tool,deftones,nine inch nails,marys window,16 volt,Duran Duran, Sipping Soma, Faith No More,godhead.

Similar Artists godhead, gravity kills,PITCHSHIFTER,Sinnistar, stabbing westward,marilyn manson, Jack Off JiLL,Psychotica,Plastic Princess,OrGy, Plexi,DOPE, Sipping Somanin,

Artist History victims in ecstacy was conceived in 1997 in Phoenix, Arizona. The band took a mixture of metal, industrial, and 80's new wave to create a sound they call "new school arena rock". The "dreamy electronic guitar binge" created by Gerold with the distinctive vocals of Louvau has made this band "the most unique force to be reckoned with in the valley of the sun." victims in ecstacy first went into the studio in August 1997 to record a 4-song demo. The band pressed 1000 cd's and used it as a marketing tool to lure people to come out and see them play live. In no time the band had an instant following, with crowds singing along to every word. In early 1998 (in less then one year of existence) victims in ecstacy was crowned "best industrial" act in the 1998 New Times Music Showcase. In 1999 victims in ecstacy picked up another "best industrial" nomination in the New Times Showcase and continued working on adding fans to their already impressive following. As the year progressed the band grew tired of it's surroundings and knew the only way out of Phoenix was to take things to the next level. They packed up and headed to Los Angeles to begin tracking two songs with Brian Haught (L7, Jack Off Jill). They resumed recording and mixing with production wizard Mark Matson (Megadeth) throughout the year. In April 2000 the long awaited "Chinese Pornography" e.p. was released and was quickly embraced by the press and the public. A review in the Arizona Republic states "singer and band capture the perfect caustic chemistry; they tap a wellspring of negative emotion that gushes through the speakers". In May 2000 the band was voted "most likely to make it big" in the 2000 New Times Showcase. Impressive local sales of "Chinese Pornography" caught the attention of V&R distribution. In September victims in ecstacy inked a deal with V&R making the cd available nationally. As a live act, victims in ecstacy presents a unique blend of head-busting and tongue-lashing with a movie star, high energy, visually stunning cabarey act and a flare for showmanship. The New Times explains it best by saying "all their infectious energy would convert even the most devout skeptic". This type of reputation has allowed the band to share the stage with national acts such as Linkin Park, Disturbed, KMFDM, Alein Ant Farm, The Deadlights, Sinnistar, Vanilla Ice, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Dope, The Apex Theory, Hate Dept., Gravity Kills, Drain STH, The Genitortures, Primer 55, Jack off Jill, Psychotica, Pitchshifter, Life of Agony, Skinlab, Skrew, 20 dead flower children, SwitchBlade Symphony, Electric Hellfire Club, The Impotent Sea Snakes, and Guttermouth. 2001 looks to be the year that victims in ecstacy will emerge into the mainstream. In January they will head back into the studio to begin pre-production on the follow-up to "Chinese Pornography". Proving they could "do it on their own" the band will begin hunting for a label deal throughout this year.

Group Members jim louvau-vox, kenn virii-guitars, andy gerold-drums, jared bakin-guitars (programming andy and ken)

Instruments vocals, guitars, bass, drums, synths, samples, machines.

Albums chinese pornography ep. old school 4 song DEMOgraphy. upcoming whitebox therapy

Press Reviews 12/24/98 - Excerpts from article done on RFA (New Times)"With tongue planted in cheek, Seven bemoans the fact that his group can't match the flamboyant behavior of local peers like Victims in Ecstacy (partial to ladies garments) and BLESSEDBETHYNAME (dedicated to pre-show animal sacrifices).""What do we do?" Seven asks rhetorically. "We don't wear dresses and we don't kill chickens, but we work really hard and we get a good sound." 12/3/98 - Kind of a Drag (New Times)Okay, so here's a scenario for you: You're minding your own business, gamely trying to do your job, when two hostile skate punks come up and stick their stiff willies in your face. What do you do? Well, if you're Jim Louvau, gamely trying to do your job entails working the stage in a polka-dot dress, with black fishnet stockings, white evening gloves, feather boa and black, made-for-walkin' boots. It means offsetting your spiky blond hair with strips of burgundy up front. It also means spitting out a whole bunch of wind-tunnel surliness, while your equally campy band, Victims In Ecstacy, pummels the senses with a kind of aggro-industrial, pre-millennial menace. Victims In Ecstacy are used to generating extreme responses. They've encountered obsessive-fan phone calls, expressions of solidarity from local drag queens, and they've been asked to suck on fans' lollipops and autograph breasts and panties (which practically qualifies them to run for a national office). So when the two aforementioned flashers challenged Louvau, he knew what to do. He jumped on a monitor, lifted his dress, grabbed one of the agitators by his spiked hair, and rubbed his face across Louvau's crotch, in full view of the band's pasty-faced, black-clad, pseudo-goth fans. The act fulfilled Louvau's desire to expose his hecklers to the most public of all humiliations. But what Louvau didn't do also said much about the way his band works. As confrontational as his response was, it was also carefully measured so as not to cost the band any future gigs. "Danny Zelisko from Evening Star was there checking us out," Louvau recalls. "So I didn't want to do anything too irrational. I was trying to keep my professionalism, my composure, whatnot." This combination of brazen calculation and outr* freakishness tends to polarize local attitudes about VIE. The goth kids cling to this band with ferocious loyalty, even though VIE consider themselves far removed from the Bauhaus tradition. On the other hand, some locals snipe that this band is all dressed up with nowhere to go musically (or to borrow a phrase from Eleanor Roosevelt about John Kennedy, too much profile and not enough courage). "If we were going to play the kind of music we're playing in jeans and tee shirts, no one would ever hear about it." -- Jim Louvau, Victims In Ecstacy When the band was nominated for "Best Industrial Band" at this year's New Times Music Awards, some complained that the band's music wasn't deserving (in fairness, VIE don't consider themselves an industrial group). Also, shortly before the awards were announced, a member of a competing band accurately predicted that VIE would win the award, theorizing that the group would probably push its fans to stuff the ballot box. Professional jealousy? Maybe, but it also suggests the price you pay when you opt for an attention-getting look. The members of VIE insist that they don't worry about image getting in the way of music. "We've always been into it," says guitarist Andy Gerold of the band's penchant for cross-dressing. "We figured we might as well incorporate it into our music. A lot of the lyrics in the songs have themes that go along with how we dress." "No one in Arizona is really doing anything like what we're doing. The closest thing you'll find to what we're doing is still people who are living in the '80s," says Louvau, who mimics a piercing heavy-metal wail for emphasis. "We're kind of doing a modern glam thing." Like BLESSEDBETHYNAME, another local band heavily into makeup and theatrics, VIE have generated considerable interest in a short time, with relatively little gigging. The band, which formed a year and a half ago out of an angry teen collective called Verify 21, shrewdly pressed up 1,000 copies of a four-song demo CD, and gave them away to people a year ago when they opened for N17 on Halloween night. Four weeks later, when they opened for BLESSEDBETHYNAME, they saw a crowd of strangers enthusiastically singing along with every song. Early this year, they established the Atomic Cafe as a kind of home base, but since that club closed, they've found few gig options for their particular brand of mascara-cum-aggression. This Friday, they play their first headlining show at Boston's. Initially, they were going to share the bill with techno-popsters Sipping Soma, but that band had to cancel out due to the serious vocal problems recently experienced by singer Diedre Radford. "Diedre has some sort of throat virus," Louvau says. "They did a show in L.A. and she wasn't feeling too well, so she went to see a throat doctor. They told her she could either get some kind of throat surgery done -- which would take her vocal tone away -- or she can't talk for at least a month. Otherwise she won't get any better." VIE's kinship with Sipping Soma has extended to the studio, where Soma's Mark Matson recently produced a song for the band, called "New Taste," also featuring Radford on backing vocals. The members of VIE say they spent three times as many hours on this track as they did on their entire four-song demo, and the effort shows. Though the group's sound still exactly can't be called original, on "New Taste" they reveal a power and aural depth that was lacking in the demo. For all the group's surface cockiness and attitude, they're actually fairly realistic about their need for gimmickry, and their willingness to use any tactic to grab the public's attention. "If we were going to play the kind of music we're playing in jeans and tee shirts, no one would ever hear about it, period," Louvau concedes. "I would rather take the chance of being seen and then dealing with whatever comes after that. "I remember when Mstley Cr�e came out with Shout at the Devil, everyone would say they're just like Kiss. And then a couple of albums down the line, no one said anything about that. It's a matter of proving yourself. If that's what it takes, we're willing to prove ourselves. Someday we'll take the makeup off, who knows? Maybe on our 2005 world tour." 7/2/98 (New Times)One Less Victim: Victims in Ecstacy, that motley collection of hard-core-goth-industrial troublemakers, is currently minus a guitarist. The band recently parted ways with axman Jim Kaufman, and is avidly looking for a replacement. I'd suggest that you not call if you have an aversion to mascara. A guitarless Victims in Ecstacy will open for Gravity Kills on Thursday, July 9, at Gibson's in Tempe. -- Gilbert Garcia (The Rep 4/16/98)Caught in the Act:Ecstasy is rock 'n' roll in drag Jim Louvau, of Victims in Ecstasy Faces to remember: Victims in Ecstacy includes Jim Louvau, vocals; Danny Diaz, drums; Jim Kaufman, guitar and backup vocals; Andrew Gerold, lead guitar; and Jared Bakin, bass. Claim to fame: Boys will be girls. These guys - er, girls - grace the stage dressed in drag. But it is no laughing matter. Victims in Ecstacy take their garb very seriously. Being a "girl" can be very expensive, however. Macy's is the store of choice for purchasing a new dress, often costing up to $80. However, they haven't gone as far as trying on the threads in the store. And what outfit would be complete without makeup? "We really have a lot of fun with it," Louvau says. "For the most part, when we first started doing it, it was a little odd. But I really adapted to it." Gerold adds, "It's totally part of our personality now." It also gives the members a chance to bond with their girlfriends. "I find that the most amusing thing to do on a Friday night is to try on my girlfriend's clothes," Kaufman says. Paying the dues: All of the members except Bakin used to be in a group called Verify 21. After splitting with their bass player, Bakin joined the group. They became known as Victims in Ecstacy nearly one year ago. Despite being together for such a short time, the band will perform at the New Times Music Showcase on April 26 and is among three acts nominated for Best Industrial group. (Fans will decide who will be crowned after watching the three bands perform.) Victims in Ecstacy already has opened shows for such industrial music heavyweights as Screw, Skinlab and N17. Often compared to: Anyone from Jane's Addiction to Bow Wow Wow. And yup, you guessed it, Boy George and RuPaul. "It's more of a rock and roll band with an industrial touch," Louvau says. Words of wisdom: "Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction is the greatest rock and roll record of all time," Louvau says. "If it wasn't for them, we would not be here today." Crowd response: Imitation often is the sincerest form of flattery. The band members are not the only ones dressed in drag when they perform. Some of their beloved followers also don feminine attire. "Our fans are really dedicated," Louvau says. "They'll bring us presents and they ask to take pictures." The dream: "Our ultimate goal is to gain label support and take our act to a higher level," Louvau says. We were also mentioned on The New Times website, before the Awards Showcase last yearhere's what they had to say about us in the awards section:Victims in EcstacyThe most flamboyant band to hit the scene in the last year, VIE cuts and pastes its aesthetic together from a series of '80s cult fixtures. They took a bit of goth gloominess from Bauhaus, a drum-heavy tribal sound from Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow, and a cross-dressing fashion sense from artists as disparate as The New York Dolls, David Bowie, and RuPaul.

Location Phoenix, AZ - USA

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