“Rich Girls”
from the EP The Virgins
2007
iTunes
MP3 – “Rich Girls” [right-click/save-as]
Mixing unruly early rock n’ roll with contemporary elements, The Virgins sound is not as much defined by a singular sonic influence as it is by their geographical location. Informed not only by the city but also by all that call it home, from Kiss to RUN DMC, The Virgins have created a sound that would be envied by most bands. Having gained exposure without actually trying, their “fame” — well let’s call it “notable recognition” for now — is in part thanks to being signed with aNYthing Records, an off-shoot of aNYthing, started by A-Ron the Don. Admittedly, It’s not rare for fashion and music to be paired together, but having stemmed from something as simple as a friendship it is an appropriately natural base upon which the band can grow. Evet Jean of nownow.com.au spoke to bassist Nick Zarin-Ackerman about their formation, their live show and the potential for a city to shape a band.
What were some of the catalysts that drew you guys together?
I think mutual friends had a lot to do with it. We all met through various close friends, which was big because it meant we all sort of came to each other with vouchers saying we were normal and reasonable people. The other big thing is similar taste, we all love the same stuff and have a like-minded take on the world.
So, how does being in a band fit in your world? What is a typical week for you with The Virgins?
We practice every day in a big decrepit building of rehearsal spaces called The Music Building in midtown Manhattan across the street from the Port Authority bus terminal. We spend most of our time there; then usually we end up at my house and sit on my couch and fart around. Our friend A-Ron (aNYthing founder) is a partner in a bar called 205 that we go to a lot and my roommate also co-owns a bar called Anchor where we DJ on Fridays.
New York, more than most cities, seems to have the potential to really shapes bands, how much do you think the city has influenced your music?
A lot. New York is such an idiosyncratic city, with such a specific point of view. When you grow up here I think it’s impossible not to absorb a degree of “New York Attitude” even without intending to. I think that we relate to New York bands because we’re New Yorkers; we’re from the same village. No matter how different the artist, be it Lou Reed, The Ramones, even Kiss or Run D.M.C, they’re all SUCH New Yorkers! And I guess we must be too.
The role aNYthing has played with The Virgins seems very organic, how did the relationship between the band and aNYthing form?
Donald (the singer) and A-Ron (aNYthing) are very close friends and I think they’d been eager to work together on something in some capacity before aNYthing and The Virgins ever existed.
Being from the New York, how do you view the scene over there right now, is it in a decline or on the rise again?
It’s hard for me to say because it doesn’t seem to me like NY has one definitive scene right now. There’s more people and venues here than ever before and I think that there must be dozens of scenes living parallel to one another. There’s definitely a bunch of bands and artists and people here that we love and have relationships with; but there also must be a shit load of bands and artists and people here who we have no knowledge of. So many people move here and try to get something going; after a while who can keep track? When you’re from here I guess you kind of stick with one another, so maybe that’s our scene.
How would you describe your sound? And what influences your sound?
Our specific influences are pretty wide-ranging and always changing. We don’t consider ourselves to be this or that “type” of band influenced by this or that “type” of rock music; so I would describe our sound as us trying our best to play a collection of the musical ideas that we’d most want to listen to. In other words: We listen to a shit load of rock music, and that combined with our abilities/limitations as musicians is the biggest influence on our sound.
So, how would you describe a live show for The Virgins?
Short. We try to get in, play a few songs, say hello, and then get the hell out. Our feeling is: who wants to see a new band playing music they’ve never heard before for an hour and twenty minutes? We play a tidy little eight-song set and split. Lately we’ve been covering “Up the Junction” by Squeeze as a little encore.
What have you got coming up?
We’ll have an EP out with aNYthing in the spring and we’ll be touring a bit beginning in March at SXSW. Right now we’re just mixing the EP.