Area Bands Past The VSS

The VSS is like a secret handshake. Namedropping the act locally will likely solicit one of two responses: a blank stare or the giddy recognition of a long-lost sibling. Since its breakup in 1997, the band has developed an underground following of rock cult elitists and purist vinyl collectors. Originating in Boulder, and later relocating to San Francisco, the four-piece became the stuff of local lore. Its frenetic live shows combined DIY lighting effects with the aural fascinations of drum machine- and synthesizer-fueled hardcore. Call it art punk, call it post-hardcore, call it Bad Brains with a Gary Numan twist—whatever it was, it was loud, aggressive, and forward-thinking for the times. For the procession of bands that came after—like The Blood Brothers and These Arms Are Snakes—The VSS was an unheralded cornerstone that helped to build that scene up and into the next decade. Last year marked the 10-year anniversary of Nervous Circuits, the group’s only full-length. The occasion did not go unnoticed; Hydra Head re-released the long out-of-print album with bonus material that included forgotten recordings and a DVD of live footage.

Years of existence: 1995-1997

Releases: Four-song 7-inch (Strict Records, 1995); two-song split 7-inch with T Tauri (Titanic Records, 1995); four-song 7-inch (Gravity Records, 1996); 21:51 (collecting the first three 7-inch releases, GSL Records, 2001); Nervous Circuits CD/LP (Honey Bear Records, 1997; reissued by Hydra Head Records, 2008).

Currently: Guitarist Josh Hughes lives in Portland and plays in the brutal, sludgy Rabbits. Bassist/keyboardist Andrew Rothbard resides in San Francisco and recently put out a critically acclaimed solo record of psychedelic rock. Drummer Dave Clifford calls Los Angeles home, but is on tour constantly with the drone ensemble Red Sparowes, which features members of Neurosis and Isis. Vocalist Sonny Kay, who also lives in Los Angeles, ran the seminal label GSL up until 2007 and plays in the brand new, yet-to-record Optional Body.

Key tracks: If you don’t believe that a small-time Colorado band could have had any influence on the early 2000s sassy hardcore movement, then you haven’t heard “Lunar Weight” off Nervous Circuits. Listen to it, plus other tracks, on The VSS’ MySpace page.

Odds of reunion: “I wouldn’t rule it out entirely,” Kay says. “We had an offer to tour Japan [for the re-release of Nervous Circuits]. We talked about it briefly and we were like, ‘Well, we’ll see how people react to the album and see if it’s necessary.’ Since then no one’s brought it up again. My own feeling is, of course, it would be fun to play with those guys again, but that band and the whole atmosphere around it was, like, a snapshot of that time. And I think we’d all feel kind of weird recreating that.” 

The VSS live in Denver, 1995