Vice Cooler

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Vice Cooler
Background = solo_singer
Born = birth date and age|1982|7|15
Mobile, AL
Instrument = Vocals, Guitar, drums, Synthesizer, Computer Audio Production
Years_active = 1998–present
Associated_acts = Hawnay Troof, XBXRX, Kit, DJ A.D.D., Modern Reveries, VC4, Double Rainbow, Gang Wizard, V VER K, Cave Wrong, Stereo Total

Vice Cooler (b. Christiana Vincent Richards-Touchstone July 15, 1984) is an American musician, photographer, author and visual artist. He is currently the singer and songwriter for Hawnay Troof and Xbxrx.

Early life

Cooler grew up in Mobile, Alabama with an extreme Christian upbringing before discovering punk music in middle school when he saw This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb and Deerhoof perform at local DIY (Do It Yourself) show. He became particularly influenced by the political edge and personal freedom associated with punk ethics, growing angry with the southern fundamentalist ideals that he grew up with.

In his late teens he relocated to Oakland, California where he became a part of the Oakland warehouse community "Club Hot!", which housed many local artist including Weasel Walter (Flying Luttenbachers, Lake Of Dracula), Jenny Hoyston (Erase Errata), and Steve Touchstone (Snowsuit*, Xbxrx). "Club Hot!" deceased in 2003 moving almost all of the residents, including Cooler, to the north Oakland Temescal neighborhood.

Band history

Even though Cooler played guitar in the early days of Xbxrx, he now spends most of his time as the lead singer. Since becoming established in February 1998 the band has released dozens of singles and two full lengths: 2000's "Gop Ist Minee" (5RC/ Tapes Records) and the highly anticipated 2005 follow up "Sixth in Sixes" (Polynvinyl Records).

In the late nineties, Hawnay Troof was started, an electronic based solo act, releasing "Who Likes Ta?" (Retard Disco, 2001), "Get Up:Resolution: Love!" (Retard Disco, 2003), "Man On My Bak" (Deleted Art, 2004), and 2005's critically acclaimed "Community" (Retard Disco). The band has since built up a long list of collaborators and guest including Drew Daniel (Matmos, Soft Pink Truth), Jenny Hoyston (Paradise Island, Erase Errata), Brendan Fowler (BARR), Mika Miko, 900 Dixxx, and Allison Wolfe (Bratmobile, Cold Cold Hearts, Partyline).

On the side he was a co-founder of Modern Reveries (2004) and Kit (2003) of which he spends his time as a drummer and songwriter.

Cooler has also worked on many smaller projects over the years, including Double Rainbow (with Chris Cohen (Deerhoof), Ed Rodrigez (Gorge Trio), and Steve Touchton (also of Xbxrx)), Hott Ass Sex Bomb (with Janelle Hessig and Brontez Pernell), Baby Truth Lied (also with Allison Wolfe), New Robot Theory and countless others.

In August of 2008 Vice drummed in the Boredoms 88 Boadrum which took place at the La Brea Tarpits. At a live show a week later he was a guest percussionist for the LA noise band Sissey Spacek.

Writing and visual art

In the summer of 2005, Cooler released his first cookbook "The Hungry Truth: Recipes from the Cooler" (NFJMPress). The book quickly sold out in a few weeks and was critically acclaimed in such magazines as "Arthur". "The Hungry Truth..." was an expanse on his high school zine, "Day The", of which he has released six issues since its start in 1998. In Summer of 2006 the past two issues were put on display at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Concluding his twenty month world tour for the last Hawnay Troof album he self released "The Dollar And Deed Photobook", which sold out online in one hour. The one sheet describes it as:

cquote|The Dollar And Deed Tour (2005-2006) dynamically captures Vice Cooler's (Hawnay Troof) turbulent 20 month world excursion; Taking him to perform in such unconventional and diverse places as Egypt and China to playing to a crowd of 550,000 proletarians at festivals across Europe. Armed with not much more than a camera and his backpack, he travelled solo across the planet successfully capturing the most fragile and awkward moments that come with being a modern touring artist.

Correspondingly the books themselves are just as intimately assembled, taking over 5 hours a piece to print, and then carefully binded afterwards by hand. Consorted with the book is a twenty minute disc of VC explaining each photo with compelling wit and a sometimes confusing banter.

He is also a contributing photographer and writer for such magazines as:
* "i-D Magazine"
* "ANP Quarterly"
* "The Wire"
* "San Francisco Bay Guardian"
* "The Kim Gordon Chronicles"
* "Punk Planet"
* "Maximum Rock N Roll"
* "The Ecstatic Peace Poetry Journals"
* "Rolling Stone"
* "Vice"
* "Venus".

A set of his photos and collages have been shown in galleries across the world, including at Austin's 2005's "Rawk Show".

Directing

Though he has been involved with film since the early days of XBXRX, in 2008 he started directing again. Working on the following videos:

* "Offend Maggie" by the band Deerhoof (2008)
* "Front My Hope" by the band Hawnay Troof (2008)
* "Ear Ever Hear" by the band XBXRX (2008)

NFJM

In 1998 the record label NFJM was started with him and Steve Touchstone. He released records by Peaches, Deerhoof, Tracy and the Plastics, Erase Errata and his own band Xbxrx after Touchstone split in 2000 to start his own label No Format.

His most current release is a split between "Kit" and "Mirror/ Dash".

Discography

Vice Cooler guest and songwriting appearances

* "Hello Doctor" by Gravy Train!!!! (Kill Rock Stars, 2004)
* "Strategy Guide" by 14 Year Old Girls (Retard Disco, 2004)
* "Winter Tour 2003" by Gang Wizard (Imuated, 2004)
* "S/t" Sharon Cheslow with Kit (Decomposition, 2004)
* "Do The Bambi" by Stereo Total (Kill Rock Stars, 2005)
* "Live At The Hemlock" by Gang Wizard (Unknown, 2005)
* "Impeach My Bush" by Peaches (XL Recordings, 2006)

Albums with XBXRX

* "Greatest CDR" (ODM, 1998)
* "Love Songs for the Blind" (Anal Log, 1999)
* "Gop Ist Minee" (5RC/ TAPES, 2001)
* "Sixth in Sixes" (Polyvinyl, 2005)
* "Wars" (Polyvinyl, 2007)
* "Sounds" (Important Records, 2007)

Albums with Hawnay Troof

* "" (Retard Disco, 1998)
* "Dollar and Deed" (Retard Disco, 1999)

ingles and EPs with XBXRX

* "Ep Cdr" (NFJM, 1998)
* "Song Known As" (NFJM, 1998)
* "We Are All Dying" (1998)
* "Science In The Shape Of Birds (split with Quintron, Bobby Conn, Zeek Sheck)" (TOYO, 2000)
* "Hold Onto Your Skulls" (ARKAM, 2001)
* "Mardi Gras" (GSL, 2001)
* "Split with Sick Lipstick" (Deleted Art, 2002)
* "Clear EP" (NOVA/ TAPES, 2002)
* "10 Bands (split with Erase Errata, Tracy And The Plastics and Peaches)" (NFJM, 2002)
* "We Hate The President" (NARNACK, 2003)
* "Last" (NFJM, 2004)
* "Split with Total Shutdown (double 5 inch)" (ROCK IS HELL, 2005)
* "Split with An Albatross" (GSL, 2005)

ingles and EPs with Hawnay Troof

* "Demo EP" (Self Released, 2001)
* "Who Likes Ta?" (Retard Disco, 2003)
* "" (NFJM, 2003)
* "White Men In Suits" (Deleted Art, 2004)
* "Community" (Retard Disco, 2005)
* "" (NFJM, 2006)

ingles and EPs with Kit

* "Split with Wives" (PPM/ Zum, 2003)
* "Split with Deerhoof" (Narnack, 2004)
* "Split with Bodahab" (Bodahab is Rose for Bohdan and Captain Ahab) (Hug Life, 2006)
* "Forest" (Self Released, 2006)
* "Broken Voyage" (Upset The Rhythm, 2007)
* "Split with Mirror/ Dash"

ingles and EPs with Modern Reveries

* "Demo" (NFJM, 2005)
* "Empty Museums" (Local Kid, 2008)

Videos with XBXRX

* "NFJM 1V" (NFJM, 1998)
* "NFJM 2V" (NFJM, 1999)
* "NFJM 3V" (NFJM, 2000)
* "NFJM 4V" (NFJM, 2000)
* "NFJM 5V (split with Deerhoof)" (NFJM, 2001)
* "NFJM 6V" (NFJM, 2004)
* "KRS VIDEO FANZINE" (KILL ROCK STARS, 2005)

Compilations

* "P.O.W! records presents... Knockout!!!" (POW!, 2000)
* "Troubleman Unlimited Mixtape" (TMU, 2002)
* "This Was Supposed to be a Celebration" (mauled by tigers, 2007)

Books

* "Kim Gordon Chronicles Vol 1" (Nieves, 2005)
* "" (NFJM, 2005)
* "Penne Ante Book 1" (Penne Ante, 2006)
* "The Dollar And Deed Photobook" (Self Released, 2008)
* "NFJM 026" (NFJM, 2008)

External links

* [http://www.mog.com/vice_cooler VC's Mog]
* [http://www.southern.net/southern/news/?id=100 Vice Cooler Interview From 2006]
* [http://www.fourpawsmedia.com/xbxrx/ Four Paws Media: XBXRX]
* [http://www.retarddisco.com/?artist=ht&PHPSESSID=6dea86270d8878fec83eb4f50051bf90 Retard Disco Records: Hawnay Troof]
* [http://www.deletedart.org/artists.asp?show=artists&artist=hawnaytroof Deleted Art: Hawnay Troof]
* [http://www.southern.net/southern/band/HAWNA/ Southern Records: Hawnay Troof]
* [http://myspace.com/vvkitvv KIT page]
* [https://www.polyvinylrecords.com/bands/band_info.asp?bandID=207 Polyvinyl Records: XBXRX]
* [http://www.viceland.com/issues/v10n10/htdocs/rocker.php XBXRX article written for Vice Magazine by Vice Cooler]
* [http://www.sfbg.com/39/09/cover_noise_sfsound.html Vice Cooler coverboy in San Francisco Bay Guardian]
* [http://www.sfbg.com/39/50/noise_accidents_happen.html Interview in SFBG ]
* [http://www.skratchmagazine.com/ interviews/interviews.php?id=115 Interview in Skratch]
* [http://www.homoagogo.com/2004/bios.html Hawnay Troof Homo A Go Go 2004 bio]
* [http://www.sfbg.com/38/06/x_local_live.html XBXRX SFBG live review]
* [http://this.bigstereo.net/2006/02/03/hawnay-troof/] HT "Community" Review]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/ref/arts/music/cmj-journal.html?8dpc New York Times Review]
* [http://www.killrockstars.com/bands/factsheets/xbxrx/ XBXRX factsheet at Kill Rock Stars]
* [http://www.killrockstars.com/bands/factsheets/hawnaytroof/ Hawnay Troof factsheet at Kill Rock Stars]