VO5
A Party for the End of the World!
by Andrew Frey
December 2012
Madison't VO5 to end the world!
photo by Nick Berard
If you are going to throw an end-of-the-world party, make damn sure it’s full of rollicking music, carnivalesque sex, and otherworldly vibrations. Madison supergroup V05 (www.voh5.com) feels the same way and plans to take these elements and put them into a tight-fitting, glitter-speckled disco dynamite package fitting for the occasion.
To figure out how we are going to get to the end of the world, I asked the well-educated, award winning, and highly experienced members of the band how we got here and where we are going.
Lead hi-jinxstress, vocalist and trumpeter for this decorated outfit, Catherine “Cat” Capellaro starts out, “VO5 is huge, and very sparkly, and we play music that makes people dance. We like to call ourselves ‘The Ambassadors of Love.’ We radiate a positive, powerful vibe. We are 9 musicians that love getting together to play disco and funk classics and some tasty originals—all with the aim of moving people to ecstatic heights of dance bliss.”
Vocalist Kelly Maxwell adds, “VO5 is easy: all you’ve got to do is dance, love, and sparkle. Three simple steps to bliss.”
But disco? Why disco? Andrew Rohn, Cat’s husband, co-writer, keyboardist, vocalist and dance maven explains, “Disco is the perfect anti-cool music that’s actually cool. We embrace the cheesiness, the flamboyance, and the happy energy of disco. These songs are masterpieces of pop arrangement - the vocal harmonies, the string and horn riffs, the classic bass lines - I love digging into this music and figuring out how they made the magic. Disco also represents a melding of black and white culture, gay and straight - it’s “coming together” music.”
Coming together for the “End of the World” show, the rest of V05’s lineup will include John Feith (guitar), Drew Szabo (bass), Gail Campbell (drums), Jim Yockey (percussion, vocals), Marcy Weiland (vocals, keytar), Steve Tyska (trumpet, vocals) along with special guests for this show: Phil Lyons (trombone, percussion), Lisa Bauer (sax, flute, vocals), Janet Parker (sax), Sally DeBroux (vocals), Isaac DeBroux-Sloan (guitar), Gordon Ranney (bass), Daithi Wolfe (violin), Jason Jacobs (violin), and a posse of “Hot Oil Dancers.”
Being the Party for the End of the World, just what does V05 think will happen on that day? Steve Tyska enlightens us, “I admit when I first read about this date back in the 90s I took it pretty seriously, but I’ve always tended to dwell on apocalyptic theories—it’s just my nature. I really enjoyed Daniel Pinchbeck’s 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl where he lays all this stuff out. I think the point is something is going to happen—something is happening. I recently tried to burn a CD of a book-on-tape about mindfulness meditation for a friend and when he went to listen to it was blank—I messed up. But he thought—“yes… exactly!” Sometimes “nothing” happening is the something that is happening. And really, what is the point of any experience if we already know what the experience is before we experience it? So let’s not try to figure it out, let’s dance!”
But how should we dress? “The official dress code is “Apocalypse Sexy,” states Kelly Maxwell. “It’s wide open to personal interpretation. You could go Mayan deity, zombie formal, time traveler, sci-fi chic, disco revolutionary, divine judgment, or charismatic cult leader. You could dress as a natural disaster. You could just be really shiny. This is the last day of the world as we know it, and the dawning of a new age. How will it end? More importantly, what will you wear?”
If something DOES happen, though, and we can change our reality, Cat notes, “Human beings sometimes have a very hard time getting along. We’re territorial and ego-centered creatures. So, if I could just imagine for a moment: compassion for all living beings, renewable energy, no borders, no money, abundant healthy food, free books, concerts, and art everywhere.”
John Feith continues, “There is a chance that time (the fourth dimension) will end on the night of the show. Without time, there is no sound or music. But we are hopeful that a fifth dimension will reveal itself that is greater than time. There is no way to know what it will feel like.”
“All I remember is emerging from this infinitely hot and dense point, into this really long line,” interjects Jim Yockey. “Suddenly my whole being cubed itself and I was no longer in flatland, in time I discovered my world-line spreading out into a cone of light, but I guess I am really looking forward to losing proportion and watching my body dilate to the approximate proportions of the universe. Yeah, I think that will be cool.”
Speaking of cool, Cat mentions that for this show, “We’re working on a set, costumes, a light show, and a narrative featuring a goddess who asks us to provide our final offerings/sacrifices to save the world. Who knows? We might do a superset with both bands, which would certainly be full of surprises. What would it look/sound like if the forces of dark sexuality meet the rays of disco sunshine?”
John Feith clues us in about the show’s co-headliner, Freddy Griffith and the Sex Circus. “Freddy Griffith has only visited the Earth three times…the rest of his time is spent on the moon probably listening to sexy 80’s rock. I was lucky to see one of their earthly appearances and was blown away by the raw energy of the entire band. Journey, Foreigner, Yes, Hall & Oates, Bon Jovi, Phil Collins and George Michael were being channeled that night. They’ll mix well with the disco and funk superstars we’ll channel.”
Finally, Cat points out, “We are honored to present this show in the Barrymore Theatre, one of Madison’s historical, musical, and architectural treasures. They have been so supportive of our endeavor to put on the greatest show ever. And it’s the Barrymore’s 25th anniversary. How auspicious!”
The Party for the End of the World show will take place on 12/21/2012 at the Barrymore Theater in Madison, WI starting at 8pm.
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