Fringe Thursday 5-12-05 Velocity Girl

Last week we saluted Bettie Servert, this week we give props to another band that never quite got the attention they deserved. Washington D.C.'s own.

Velocity Girl


Taken from allmusic.com

Velocity Girl emerged as one of the most successful and acclaimed indie-rock bands of the early 1990s. Their roots lie in the short-lived Gotterdammacrats, which formed in Silver Spring, MD in September 1988 around the nucleus of singer/guitarist Archie Moore, bassist Kelly Riles, guitarist John Barnett and drummer Berny Grindel. Barnett exited following the first performance, and after playing a series of gigs as a three-piece, in the summer of 1989 the group welcomed vocalist Bridget Cross and adopted the name Velocity Girl, borrowing the moniker from an early B-side by the then-obscure British band Primal Scream. As the year drew to a close, the band made its recorded debut with “Clock," a contribution to the compilation What Kind of Heaven Do You Want?, the first release on the fledgling local label Slumberland. Drummer Jim Spellman replaced Grindel in the fall of 1990, and after completing the single “I Don't Care If You Go," Cross left the lineup early the following year; she soon resurfaced in another seminal D.C. indie band, Unrest. Singer Sarah Shannon was tapped as Cross' replacement, and a week after adding second guitarist Brian Nelson—Moore's bandmate in the pioneering Black Tambourine—Velocity Girl entered the studio to record its breakthrough single, 1991's “My Forgotten Favorite." The record was a major college radio favorite, and brought the group to the attention of the Sub Pop label, which released a split single featuring Velocity Girl and fellow D.C.-area band Tsunami in early 1992. Velocity Girl remained with Sub Pop to issue its 1993 full-length debut Copacetic—a much-acclaimed set featuring the singles “Crazy Town" and “Audrey's Eyes," its ingratiating noise-pop approach proved pivotal in expanding Sub Pop's image beyond that of merely a Seattle grunge label, and at the time was the second biggest seller in the company's history, behind only Nirvana's Bleach. The follow-up, ¡Simpatico!, was even more successful, generating the minor hit “Sorry Again." 1996's Gilded Stars and Zealous Hearts was far less fulfilling creatively and commercially, however, and after completing the album Shannon relocated to Seattle. The group's days were clearly numbered, and a U.S. tour culminated in a farewell show at Baltimore's 8x10 Club that September.

I remember being in college.
I remember watching the video for Crazy Town on MTV's 120 minutes.
I remember seeing them live at Tramps in downtown Manhattan on Apr. 20, 1996. I was out of college by then. I saved the ticket stub.

VG was one of those indie bands that never quite took off because they were really not grunge and they really weren't pop. They were decent live but really weren't as flashy as their contemporaries. What I loved about them is they made catchy songs that had cool lyrics and good hooks.

I suggest you pick up a copy of Copacetic and check out track #1 called Pretty Girl.