Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Victims of Circumstance to release new album

Central Florida has always been a hotbed for music and its latest progeny, VICTIMS OF CIRCUMSTANCE (VOC) are ready to lead the ska charge out of the Southeast. With an adrenaline-fueled second album ROLL THE DICE ready for release on August 25, 2009 via Financial Records and a high-profile gig hosting the “Super Size Summer Ska Spectacular” in Clearwater, FL, they are primed and ready to pump some horns and punk/ska/pop "riddim" back into the mainstream.

While the saying goes, "idle minds are the devil's playground", in VOC's case, idle minds breeds musical creativity.

“We had a full drum kit, a half-stack, a bass rig and half-a-dozen guitars lying around Glenn [Stewart]’s office”, says guitarist Michael Smyth about his drummer bandmate. “We just kept the door closed and no one seemed to notice.”

Jamming afterhours once the rest of the office went home, Glenn and Michael formed the nucleus that would soon evolve into the five piece it is today. Adding bassist Alan Garcia, trombonist Aaron Zylman and saxophonist Jay Atheney to the line-up, the band took the 12 songs they had written and recorded the appropriately-titled 2007 debut, Do It Yourself with Mighty Mighty Bosstones' Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton in the producer's chair.

Garnering respect from Punknews.org ("Victims of Circumstance have put themselves in a surprisingly good position early with just one album under their belt") and Bullz-Eye ("Victims of Circumstance are indeed a welcome breath of the proverbial fresh air in a genre that can become polluted with hack acts.... Here’s hoping for more!"), VOC made a grand entrance in the ska world.

Roll the Dice, produced by Big D and the Kids Table bassplayer Steve Foote, not only turns up the amps two level notches above ten but also delves deeper into the depth of VOC's musical creativity. From the getgo of opening track "The Final Flight of D.B. Cooper" that eases in with instantaneously-infectious punk rhythms to the celebratory skank of "This Riot Used To Be A Party" to the cheekily-named (but not too far off) "Number One Hit Single", their second album packs energetic melodic ska/punk/pop into fifteen tracks.

Coming off a recent tour of the Southeast with labelmates Crisis in Hollywood, VOC are gearing up for their hosting gig at this year's “Super Size Summer Ska Spectacular” which celebrates the best of Florida's flourishing ska community. Taking place in North Largo's legendary Gasoline Alley (14042 66th Street, N. Largo, FL 33771) on Saturday, July 18th, this festival will include performances by The Long Johns, One Way, Out of Nothing, Bastard Suns, Johnny Cakes, Fall on Purpose, among others. Also onstage will be celebrated pop-punkers Crisis in Hollywood who will adopt their skankin' alteregos Crisis In Skallywood for the day. More information on the festival can be found at http://www.myspace.com/summerskaspectacular.

Roll the Dice was produced by Steve Foote (Big D and the Kids Table) and will be released on August 25, 2009 on Financial Records.

For more information about Victims of Circumstance, please go to:
www.myspace.com/victimsofcircumstance

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