VICTORIA VOX
INTERVIEW

Ebullient, 20-something singer songwriter Victoria Vox has been playing 1 form of music or another on 1 instrument or another since the tender age of 9. 2006 sees the release of her new solo recording entitled "Victoria Vox and her jumping flea," which is a fun mix of plaintive alt. country croonings and soft Hawaiian musings. Hot off her tour of the Islands, Victoria is about to embark on her tour of the continental United States . I caught up with her before she left...

hi victoria! first off, please tell me all about your recent trip/tour of Hawaii !
I honestly never really thought about touring Hawaii until the idea of an entire ukulele album developed. It might have even started as a joke... but then, as an overachiever of sorts, I booked the tickets and then starting booking shows - at resorts, coffeehouses, house concerts, and even a kava bar. A local guy helped with some promoting and confirming some dates. My good friend and publicist, Stolie, also made it happen, too. The tour was a great success and, for being a D.I.Y. production, and made some great waves.

second, how did you come to be 'sponsored' by a hawaiian uke company? how's that all going? are they giving you your own model? that would be awesome.
This one I owe to Stolie. She got my featured picture in the Honolulu Advertiser, which then KoAloha Ukulele had seen and it perked their interest. KoAloha is a great company and it's run by the Okami ohana (family) who are just the sweetest people! I'm playing their new line of ukulele called the "Pineapple Sunday". The idea came to Papa KoAloha on a Sunday and the body is shaped (with texturing and all) like a pineapple. Papa really took care in picking out a great instrument for me - he had about 8 pineapples to choose from and he made sure it was perfect. His son, Alan, then added in a pickup for me before I played my last show. I've been in touch with them since returning home and they've been doing a great job of promoting my music and spreading the word.

now that you are back, and the record is officially released, are there big touring plans? will you be going out with a full band or solo? are you touring with any other bands/performers?
I will be touring this spring for the uke album... and the type of show will mostly depend on the location. Last year I performed about 200 shows and 97% of them were solo. In the midwest, I'll be doing a band line up with drums and bass. In the Los Angeles area, I'll be playing with the album's producers, Paul Kim and Mike Tarantino. They'll be joining me on cello, melodica, toy piano and percussion. Once I get settled a little more on the east coast, I'll be forming a band to tour the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast.

what would your 'dream-tour' situation be?
My dream tour situation would be: Me on a bus with a band and I wouldn't be anywhere near the wheel. I could play my ukulele from the back and not be putting everyone else in danger... I also could use someone to tune my guitar to the alternate tunings while I'm playing my ukulele, so it'd be ready for me! Small to medium sized theatres would be perfect, too.

what are some of your previous bands? how different were they from what you're doing now?
When I was in college I put a band together to record my first CD. (My very first album was on cassette...). We were called, "Victoria and the Ultra Pink Bicycle Incident". First of all, I had pink hair, wore boots and mini skirts (hot) and played the electric guitar. I love the album we did in the summer of '99. I then went to Nashville for a radio promotion internship and began playing my acoustic guitar again. After that, touring solo made more sense and my sound mellowed out a little bit - not to mention that I also grew up a little more and I consciously changed my writing from songs that bashed guys to songs that didn't kick up my shit. Certain artists brought me down and I didn't want to do that to anyone. It was a pivotal moment.

who are some of your big musical influences past or present?
Cyndi Lauper is my biggest influence. She's an incredible singer and from the time I was 6 years old, I loved her songs. Madonna and Salt and Pepper were also big influences back in the day. In my pink haired days, I looked up to Liz Phair and Julianna Hatfield. Ani DiFranco has become a role model for marketing and the D.I.Y. movement. It's hard for me to say who influences me now since I don't listen to one particular style of music or artist. I was told about a month ago that I was like a mix of Jewel, Miles Davis and Do Ho. It made sense to me

what is on your stereo right now?
I usually put my iTunes on shuffle. It keeps things interesting. Playing right now is Cesaria Evora. Next up is Martha Wainwright, Peter Gabriel and then Yann Tierson.

what the first concert you ever went to?
Oh god... the dreaded question. It was... (this really could ruin my reputation) New Kids on the Block. I was like 10. My older sister wanted to go with her friend and my mom thought I'd like to go too. For the record, I didn't buy a t-shirt. After that concerts included Laurie Anderson, Nine Inch Nails, and Tori Amos. Much cooler.

what was the first record you can remember buying with your own money?
So much of the music I listened to early on was given to me. I was, however, a soundtrack/musical junkie. So I for sure bought the "Hair" soundtrack and "Aladdin"... I also remember buying the "Tank Girl" soundtrack.

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